Virginity Testing: The History, Myths, and Harm Behind a Outdated Practice

When people talk about virginity testing, a medical or cultural procedure claiming to determine if someone has had vaginal intercourse. Also known as hymen examination, it’s a practice built on lies, not science—and it’s still happening in hospitals, police stations, and homes around the world. The idea that a torn hymen proves sex happened is false. The hymen is a thin membrane that can stretch or tear from sports, tampons, or even riding a bike. Many people are born with little to no hymen at all. Yet, doctors, judges, and families still use this myth to judge, punish, or control women and girls.

This isn’t just an old custom. In countries like Indonesia, Egypt, and India, hymen, a physical structure wrongly linked to sexual history. Also known as virginity membrane, it is still used as evidence in marriage disputes, rape cases, and immigration hearings. In some places, girls are forced into exams before weddings. In others, survivors of sexual assault are examined to see if they were "really" violated. These tests don’t protect anyone—they shame, traumatize, and silence. And they’re not just about biology. They’re about power. They’re about controlling female sexuality under the guise of tradition or religion. The same systems that once labeled masturbation as dangerous now use virginity testing to police who is "pure" and who isn’t. This connects directly to gender-based violence, physical, emotional, or institutional harm targeting people because of their gender. Also known as patriarchal control, it—a pattern we see in forced marriages, honor killings, and the erasure of LGBTQ+ identities.

What’s worse? These tests have zero medical value. The World Health Organization, the United Nations, and every major medical association agree: virginity testing is unethical, unscientific, and a form of abuse. Yet, it persists because it feeds into deep cultural fears about female autonomy. It’s tied to dowries, family honor, and the idea that a woman’s worth is tied to her sexual history. When you strip away the myths, what’s left is control—over bodies, choices, and futures.

Below, you’ll find articles that dig into the history of how society has tried to police sex, from Victorian-era hysteria to modern-day legal battles. You’ll see how shame was turned into policy, how science was twisted to justify oppression, and how people are finally fighting back. These aren’t just stories from the past. They’re the roots of the same systems still trying to define who you are—based on a myth.