‘Recreational Virginity' & ‘Artificial Hymens’
Mōrena lil shits!!
Weirdly yesterday I had quite bad period pains for like the first time ever (at 24???) so that was new for me! I also tested out something else new which had me PANICKING but was actually totally fine, but I cannot divulge any more because we’re working with some cool people on some cool stuff and I hate to be this person but you’ll find that out soon 👀
BUT my sore tummy did give me a chance to finish Starstruck, and honestly if you need a feel-good series that’s like a rom-com but over six 20 min episodes, this is for you. I also started Good Trouble (which is kinda a spin-off from ‘The Fosters’ if you ever watched that) and I reckon it’s gonna be so good too! + I made a bit more of a dent in ‘To Paradise’ and actually got to read some of the articles I’ve had saved to Pocket for MONTHS and not gotten (NOT THAT WORD AGAIN) around to reading! So kinda a good day in the end!
Alessia also sent me through her “my friend Rebecca story” and you all need to hear this:
“i kindaaa have a 'my friend Rebecca' story, bit diff but same vibes
so there was a period when i was like 10/11ish where on any sunny day i would put my hair up, put on my cutest sunglasses (most times in my pjs) go out into my backyard stand up on a table, put a broom in front of me (as my mic OBVS), and sing my lil heart out - mostly celine dion, bit of whitney, defs some 1D, JB, u name it
anywayy, given these were warm days i KNEW and could hear that my neighbours were outside enjoying the sun, but proceeded to perform these lil 'concerts'
ANDDD i literally thought that i was SO GOOD, that every 20 seconds i would pause and fake cough or sneeze to make sure my neighbours DIDN'T MISTAKE MY SINGING FOR THE RADIO💀💀💀💀
after writing this, i've realised this is quite literally the opposite of ur Rebecca story but honestly just needed to share this with u bc i feel like you'll appreciate it heheh”
We’ve all been there Alessia. I used to walk around singing in the supermarket thinking some talent agent was gonna spot me and sign me. Shoot your shot eh?
Become a SYSCA supporter!! 🥺 — www.getrevue.co
Subscribe to this newsletter for $5 a month because u love meeeeee (and coz you'll get bonus book lists and other fun stuff!)
In today’s newsletter:
‘Recreational Virginity' and ‘Artificial Hymens’
Prince Andrew settles US civil sex assault case
Lovebombing, "The Ick," & WTF is Ye up to?
Julia Fox and Ye Reportedly Call It Quits
Takeout Kids
Wordle Drama
Trisha Paytas is pregnant
Do full stops intimidate you?
‘Recreational Virginity' and ‘Artificial Hymens’
“This Valentine’s Day many couples will be displaying their affection with traditional gifts of the season: a bouquet of roses, a box of chocolates, a romantic meal out. Others may be opting for much more extreme gestures—such as paying for “recreational” hymen surgery, or even artificial hymens—to gift partners with the “virgin experience.” But far from being a romantic gesture, the commercialization of the hymen is a troubling example of outdated ideas meeting business interests.”
WHOA. Every day/minute/second I spend on the internet, something new comes along to blow my mind/scare me/try to influence me into buying something, and this story kinda checks off all three of those.
Recreational virginity or the gift of the ‘virgin experience,’ gained by undergoing a ‘recreational hymen’ surgery is hopefully giving you the same vibes as it’s giving me - not good ones. Obsession with hymens - which are simply a piece of tissue that falsely reveal whether someone is a virgin ( hymens can actually tear for all sorts of reasons)- is not that new (do you remember when T.I said that he makes his daughter undergo virginity tests???) but surgeries, or creating ‘virgins’ for fun, is grossly having a ‘moment.’
Virginity, as I hope we all know by now, falls under one of our fave buzzwords (buzz terms?): a societal construct. Here’s what the WHO say about it:
“The term ‘virginity’ is not a medical or scientific term. Rather, the concept of ‘virginity’ is a social, cultural and religious construct – one that reflects gender discrimination against women and girls. The social expectation that girls and women should remain ‘virgins’ (i.e. without having sexual intercourse) is based on stereotyped notions that female sexuality should be curtailed within marriage. This notion is harmful to women and girls globally.“
And here’s what WIRED said about our obsession with it:
“Society’s obsession with this little piece of tissue, which has no known biological function, stems from widespread and false claims about its ability to reveal whether someone is a virgin. Virginity itself has no real medical or scientific meaning; it is a mere reflection of the higher value placed on penis-in-vagina sex than all other sexual encounters and experiences. Nevertheless, so compelling is the idea of the virginal hymen that an entire market has emerged to monitor, repair, and replicate it.”
Also, women have been feeling like they’ve needed to fake their virginity since at least 1573?????
“A little more research led me to Ambroise Paré, whose 1573 treatise on “monsters and marvels” includes the description of popular techniques, known since the time of Galen, for creating false evidence of virginity by inserting a fish bladder filled with blood into the vagina, so that the sheets on the wedding bed would be stained with the necessary proof.”
Here’s what the fake hymen market looks like today, via WIRED:
Until very recently, surgery to repair the hymen, also known as hymenoplasty, was the undisputed cornerstone of the hymen market.
Now, countless vaginal creams can be easily bought online with the promise of tightening the vagina and making its user feel “like a virgin.” (Here’s a “Tightening Gel and Hymen Pack” on Amazon)
And then there are the artificial hymens. Also known as disposable hymens (or, even more absurdly, as “man-made hymens”), these products are a relatively new addition to the hymen market, promising to give you “your virginity back in five minutes” without the need for surgery
Is there any chance of this… idk, being banned??
Again, according to WIRED:
“Last August “the United Kingdom’s Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists released a statement unequivocally opposing the practice of both hymenoplasty and virginity testing, emphasizing that they should not be considered a substitute for safeguarding the safety of women and could put them at further risk of violence. The UK government responded by committing to criminalize both practices, and just last month it included an amendment to the Health and Care Bill proposing to ban any surgery to repair the hymen in any circumstances, with or without consent.”
And let me just leave you with this:
“Ultimately, the phenomenon of recreating or simulating hymens for romantic or erotic reasons should also worry all women. The concept of the virginal hymen is never “recreational,” as has been claimed; it is violent. The very term “recreational” is problematic in its attempt to make palatable that which is patriarchal. Moreover, the scope of what is considered recreational is open-ended. What next—will virginity creams soon be considered a routine part of self-care?”
Prince Andrew settles US civil sex assault case
Content warning: Sexual assault.
Remember how Prince Andrew had a civil sexual assault case brought against him in the US by Virginia Giuffre? Well, he’s settled.
Ms Giuffre had been suing Andrew for allegedly sexually assaulting her on three occasions when she was 17 and it appears that they’ve reached an out-of-court settlement. A statement submitted to a US court says that he will make a "substantial donation to Ms Giuffre's charity".
As per the BBC:
The document stated that Prince Andrew had "never intended to malign Ms Giuffre's character" and that he recognised she had "suffered both as an established victim of abuse and as a result of unfair public attacks".
It added that the duke pledged to "demonstrate his regret for his association" with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein by supporting the "fight against the evils of sex trafficking, and by supporting its victims".
NEW EPISODE OF CULTURE VULTURE ANGELS
Lovebombing, "The Ick," & WTF is Ye up to? - Culture Vulture — open.spotify.com
We start off with an extremely chaotic chat about Ye - is he ok? Is this a PR stunt? Should we care? How long until everyone tunes out? And then we dive into a far more intellectual chat about the TikTokification of terms like "Lovebombing" and "gaslighting," when "the ick" is actually a red flag, and of course, the Tinder Swindler.
Takeout Kids
Last night Liv and I went to the premiere of Takeout Kids, which is just the most beautiful docu-series about kids in Aotearoa growing up in their parents’ restaurants or takeaway shops. When we were first making our speedy, wacky, fast-paced weekly web series 'Extremely Online', Julie and her team were right beside us in the office making the opposite: a soft, beautifully shot and completely touching piece of art that honestly we felt lucky - as such newbies to the whole video world - to be in the radius of. You should definitely watch it, I promise you’re gonna be enamoured with these kids & their lives 🥺🥺🥺
Julia Fox and Ye Reportedly Call It Quits
Are we surprised? Not at all. After news broke about the break up she posted on her insta story (and then deleted, just like her ex):
"Y'all would love if I was soooo upset! The media would love to paint a picture of me a sad lonely woman crying on a plane by myself but it's NOT TRUE!! Why not see me for what I am which is a #1 hustler.
I came up yall lol and not only that but Kanye and I are on good terms! I have love for him but I wasn't in love w the man Jesus Christ what do u guys think I am 12 years old?!"
Honestly I hate all of this so much and that’s all.
Wordle Drama
“Wordle’s acquisition by The New York Times has already stirred up controversy, from broken streaks to accusations the game has become harder. But here’s a big change the NYT isn’t shouting about: it’s altered Wordle’s solutions. As of today, February 15th (game number 241), the New York Times version of Wordle and the original version hosted at powerlanguage.co.uk/wordle have diverged and will now continue forever out of step.”
Yesterday, my flatmate Flo and my little brother Ben pointed out to me that we had DIFFERENT ANSWERS FOR WORDLE. AND THEIRS WAS SIGNIFICANTLY HARDER. This sent us into a bit of a frenzy before we realised that my wordle was now under a “NYtimes” link (it changed when I refreshed my page) but Flo and Ben were still playing on the original ‘power language’ link. The Verge conducted a whole ass investigation into this, which you can read here.
Trisha Paytas is pregnant
If you know who she is you can read about it here. If not, honestly don’t waste your time catching up.
Do full stops intimidate you?
The number of people who that “full stop” meant a four-way stop sign, or simply coming to a ‘full stop’ is honestly hilarious to me. Even though a few days ago I literally did a poll saying ‘do you call them full stops or periods?’ and most people voted for full stops???? Anyway, they intimidate me, but apparently, they only intimidate 41% of you. Y’all are brave.
Lovebombing, "The Ick," & WTF is Ye up to? (Culture Vulture)
Why is there a giant Cartman in one of Auckland’s poshest suburbs? (The Spinoff)
Wanda Sykes, Amy Schumer And Regina Hall To Host Oscars (Deadline)
Why is TikTok so scared of 30? (Embedded)
Simone Biles Got ENGAGED (Instagram)
Olympics, Omicron, & OMG IT’S SWEATY!! (The Shit Show)
GET A 14 DAY FREE TRIAL TO WATCH EUPHORIA OR YELLOWJACKETS! (Neon)
You can listen to us talk about all things pop culture on Culture Vulture, about THE WORLD on The Shit Show or watch us explain the internet on Extremely Online.
If you liked this PLEASE send it to your mates and get them to subscribe.
You can support us by becoming a paid member for $5!
Or, if you want to do a one-off donation, you can ‘shout us a coffee’ here.
And if you’re a brand that wants to work with us, hit us up.