Let's Bust Some Myths about the Hymen
Eva Sless
on 21 February 2020
10 comments
When it comes to human anatomy there is no other part of the body that causes as much confusion, misinformation, or mystery as the female reproductive bits. Whether it’s calling them the wrong name (like calling the vulva the vagina), or not understanding how it works (pee and babies come out of different holes), or even just the idea that that area and its functions are obscene and shameful, we really do need to re-evaluate the way we speak and teach people about it.
Probably one of the most misunderstood parts of that area is the hymen, which is funny in a sad sort of way because I’m going to bet the majority of readers here, yes even the ones who HAVE one, know very little about it, and what they do know is probably wrong.
Seal of Approval
Let’s get one big myth out of the way first. One that will hopefully change the way you think about a lot of things to do with female sexuality and how it all works… The hymen is NOT a seal. Let me repeat this - the hymen is not a seal! This odd, and quite frankly very dangerous, idea that it is some sort of “purity seal” to be “broken” by a penis is absolutely, 100% false. It is actually more like a doughnut with a crescent hole, or even sometimes a bit like a slice of Swiss cheese with a bunch of holes in it. It needs this for proper function of the vagina for things like discharge and period blood to exit from. In fact, if it is a complete seal (which can happen in very rare cases) it is a pretty awful medical issue (called an imperforate hymen) that can lead to a whole lot of complications and medical dramas.
Popping the Cherry
Because of misinformation like the above, we have these very weird ideas about sex and women and “virginity”. I put virginity in inverted commas because it’s basically bullshit. A made up word and condition in which to place women into two camps of “good” and “bad”, but that has no basis in fact or science. There is no seal in which to “pop” and for the most part, and for most people, the breaking or thinning of the membrane can happen from any sort of physical activity like riding a bike or jumping on a trampoline. Also, despite popular belief, when it does breaks it doesn’t necessarily bleed, or at least, it rarely bleeds much at all. This is for a few reasons, the main one being that by the time most people have penetrative sex for the first time, it is already either broken or stretched to a point that it is super thin and has very few blood vessels in it to bleed out.
In fact, one of the most common reasons for bleeding during the first sexual encounters has nothing to do with the hymen and is more due to bad technique, dryness, and nerves causing the body to clam up a bit. The best way to combat that is lubricant, trust, and a lover who takes care to take care of you. There are also a few medical reasons why bleeding may occur during or after sex (some of the more drastic include cervical cancer and endometriosis), and if you’re concerned about it it’s a good idea to see a doctor.
Mostly Useless
For the most part, the hymen is basically what’s known as a “vestigial” organ. This means it is a body part that, though evolution, is no longer really needed, but is still present in the body like your appendix or wisdom teeth for example. Basically it is theorised that in early humans, before we walked upright, the hymen was necessary to help keep bacteria and other unwanted particles from getting into the body via the vagina, and, according to many leading gynaecologists, it can still have this function in very young infants to help stop bacteria from faeces entering the body. However, by the time a child is walking, running, and basically moving beyond a crawl, it begins to thin out and no longer serves that function.
There Is No Test
I am sure you have heard of that ridiculous wedding night tradition of holding up bloodied sheets to prove the bride was a virgin, and I’m sure you probably think of it in old, medieval type of settings, but I wonder if you know that practices like this still go on today, and not just in the places you’re probably thinking either. Whether it’s bullshit men like the rapper T.I. talking about getting a gynaecologist to test his teenage daughter’s hymen and report back to him (I mean what the ever-loving fuck is that even about), or a new trend in hymen reconstructive surgery (yes, it is exactly what it sounds like… Getting your hymen reconstructed to make you a “virgin” again) this horrible obsession with “fixing” women’s bodies and “policing” what they do with them and with whom is still very rife and incredibly sad. There is absolutely no “test” that can be done to check a woman’s “virginity”, and anyone who says otherwise is lying to you and trying to sell you a bridge they don’t own.
Know The Facts
When it comes to sex and sexuality (or anything in life really) being armed with facts and knowledge is one of the best defences against bullshit, and is also one of the best ways to eliminate the stigma and taboos, and to make sure the sex you have is the best sex you can have. Breaking down these damaging myths about women, sex, and their bodies is the first step to re-educating the world and freeing us all from the suffocating cages we can get trapped in, and I’m talking about all humans; women, men, and those who identify differently.
If you’re interested in knowing more about it, check out this amazing TED Talk by Nina Dølvik Brochmann and Ellen Støkken Dahl all about the hymen and the lie that is “virginity”. which we featured in our blog post TED Talks about Sex & Sexuality
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