Virginity

As the guardian of the hearth, Vesta protects something sacred, something that gives warmth and comfort and even life. The hearth is a metaphor for women's life-giving powers and the female genitalia.

Seen in this light, virginity becomes more than simply sexual abstinence; it is a commitment, a self discipline. Brooke Shields was an outspoken virgin for years, maintaining that it was cool to wait. Princess Di was required to be a virgin for her marriage, and she wanted the match badly enough to remain chaste.

Many modern girls feel entitled to make the decision of whether to postpone sex until marriage, wait until they meet the right person, or have many lovers.

Virginity is almost always sanctified within a society. The unicorn's attraction to virgins has become a joke -- there are as many virgins around as there are unicorns. Ancient fertility rites sometimes revolved around the ritual deflowering or even sacrifice of a virgin.

The custom of the virgin bride springs from patriarchal ideas of ownership and entitlement, but it also made sense in a time when birth control was unreliable at best. Even today virginity is considered a precious gift, something to be shared with a special person, not wasted on a casual fling.

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