relationships2 min(s) read
Woman who is still a virgin at 35 explains why she's waiting and the issues she's faced after going public
A 35-year-old virgin has opened up about her decision to maintain her virginity despite the societal pressures she faces.
Lauren Harkins, from Portland, Maine, isn’t following the conventional dating script.
Unlike many others her age, she’s never experienced intimacy, never been romantically involved, and hasn’t once felt the urge to rush into anything. And no, it’s not because of religion or some vow of chastity.
While her peers were swapping crushes and diving into young love, Lauren stood apart, completely disinterested in it all. Relationships felt “juvenile” and “overly complicated” to her back then.
Lauren Harkins Opens Up About Relationships
Taking to TikTok, Lauren explained that while others claim that she is "missing out" on not being in a relationship, she doesn't want to settle for less than she expects.
She notes that she doesn't believe that she is missing out by not sleeping with someone that she isn't in love with.
Lauren noted that she isn't someone who wastes her own time, and that she would rather wait for the best rather than "settle for mediocre."
The 35-year-old explains that she is more than happy to wait for a genuine connection, because then she will have the satisfaction of knowing that she "did not settle."
Lauren Discusses Her Virginity
Interestingly, Lauren explains that she has been told that she is doing a "disservice to women" by remaining a virgin.
She explains that she isn't affiliated with "purity culture" and doesn't really subscribe to any belief system other than her own - describing herself as a "free thinker".
Lauren explains that while receiving hate from women is rare, it often confuses her because she isn't who they believe she is.
She isn't attempting to be a "traditional wife" while simultaneously the men who send her abuse call her "expired".
So she feels like she's between a rock and a hard place.
And you've got to hand it to Lauren, she's clearly very comfortable with who she is and the decisions she's making.
The Internet Responds
As is often the case with sharing any opinion on the internet, people will have a lot to say about it.
And Lauren's videos are often the centre of a debate, though most are favourable.
One person fairly questioned: "How do you know what you want if you don’t go through the realities of a relationship?"
To which Lauren replied: "I trust my intuition on that one. I also learn from others’ mistakes—something I highly recommend."
A second person wrote: "You are not missing out, you have your own life and you live it at your own pace. Don’t listen to anyone trying to scare you."
While a fourth said: "The problem with today's society is that people put loosing a V card or being in relationship as milestone that needs to be achieved until certain age."