r00tb33r wrote:
Not participating in the poll, but do men have virginity? I understand the concept, but for practical mechanical purposes, is it even a real thing?
Virginity is an imagined social construct, not a real thing. Neither men not women possess virginity in actuality.
In most Islamic cultures for instance, there is no concept of male virginity. In Western culture, both men and women are considered virgins until they have sexual intercourse.
There are differing opinions on whether or not a woman is still a virgin if her hymen is ruptured by means other than intercourse; like being damaged by a bicycle seat, for instance. In Saudi Arabia, unmarried women can be subjected to examinations by doctors to determine if they are virgins. Historically, it was heavily debated by Christian theologians whether or not Mary retained her status as a virgin when Jesus was born.
While the concept of virginity has no basis in actual biology, it has strong cultural implications that vary from culture to culture. In the Western World, men can be considered virgins. And being a virgin is synonymous with being a loser. This often causes psychological distress to virgin men. For women, how people interpret virginity ranges between purity and innocence to being a prune, depending on who you ask.