“Am I Still a Virgin?”: What Counts as Sex in 20 years of Seventeen

Abstract

In this paper, I analyze what counts as sex using a qualitative content analysis of the sexuality and health advice columns in Seventeen from 1982 to 2001. These columns are a useful source for identifying adolescent sexual norms including what counts as sex. Previous sex research often assumed that sex meant penilevaginal intercourse and was the cause of virginity loss. Thus, I use virginity-related key terms (e.g., virgin, sex) to identify the sexuality and health advice columns pertinent to this project. These columns illustrate how multiple sexual acts can cause virginity loss; however, Seventeen remains ambiguous in its discussion of what counts as sex. Letter writers are concerned with what sexual acts they can participate in and still remain virgins and what act defines virginity loss. My analysis reveals that the columns reinforce heteronormativity by telling readers virginity is lost only through penile-vaginal intercourse. Additionally, Seventeen supports the sexual double standard by placing the responsibility of sexual behavior solely on female adolescents rather than on them and their partners.

A Girl Thing: Perceptions Concerning the Word “Hymen” Among Young Swedish Women and Men

“…Additionally, the language associated with virginity loss also can be linked with a heteronormative definition of what actually happens: “having your vagina penetrated in a sexual way.” 28 In our study, loss of the hymen was related to a rupture. Moreover, some of the women wrote that the hymen could break for other reasons such as “tampon use” or “physical activity.” These perceptions are probably of little importance for the majority of young Swedes, but there are subgroups within the population in which virginity has the status of a “code of honor,” and young women are raised to keep their hymens intact for their future husbands by abstaining from sex and avoiding physical activities 29 .…”

It must be true – I read it inSeventeenmagazine: US popular culture and sexual messages in an era of abstinence-only education

“…Teenage girls, subsequently, began filling the gaps left by abstinence-only education by turning to other sources of sexual information such as magazines (Medley-Rath 2007), stating that magazines were a meaningful source of sex education especially when they did not have a friend or family member they felt they could talk to (Treise and Gotthoffer 2002;Carpenter 1998). Garner, Sterk, and Adams (1998) argued that magazines allowed for private multiple readings and were easily purchased, making them one of the most inexpensive and accessible sources of sexual information.…”

“…Approximately one quarter of the question and answer columns included sexual topics such as virginity, pregnancy, contraception and masturbation (McCabe 2005). These question and answer columns provided teenage girls with a source for identifying sexual norms, while reinforcing heteronormativity and supporting sexual double standards (Medley-Rath 2007).…”

“…Several scholars have examined teenage magazines' sexual discourse (Durham 1998;Bell, Kaplan, and Cole 2003;Carpenter 1998;Medley-Rath 2007;Kim and Ward 2004;Budgeon and Currie 1995), yet none have assessed the accuracy of sexual health information during a time period when the US Federal Government instituted an abstinence-only curriculum policy for public schools. In addition, although research has looked at virginity and what 'counts' as sex (Medley-Rath 2007), there is a gap in the Sex Education 495 literature regarding magazines' portrayals of teen abstinence, or lack thereof, especially in a time when many politicians and the government had taken a very conservative stance on the issue.…”

“…In addition, although research has looked at virginity and what 'counts' as sex (Medley-Rath 2007), there is a gap in the Sex Education 495 literature regarding magazines' portrayals of teen abstinence, or lack thereof, especially in a time when many politicians and the government had taken a very conservative stance on the issue. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to contribute to previous research by examining Seventeen magazine between 1996 and 1998 to explore through the texts the magazine's editors' attitudes towards teen sex and abstinence and to analyse the accuracy of sexual health messages surrounding topics such as abortion, contraception and STDs.…”