The Hymen, Demystified

There's a lot of misinformation out there about hymens, and trying to clear them up in conversation can be... awkward. But occasionally, it turns out it can also be really funny, such as in the College Humor "Truth About Hymens and Sex" video. So from now, on you can just direct people there to clear up all their nonsense misconceptions about this particular aspect of women's bodies — and even better, they might actually watch it when you send them to it, because, you know, it has "humor" in the title. Everybody wins, right?

In our culture — and just about every culture that tries to place social restrictions on women's sexuality and makes a big deal out of virginity — hymens are given a lot of weight. Unfortunately, though, this is kind of ridiculous, given that they actually aren't the "virginity detector" that people seem to think they are. I mean, I can understand why people might think that they are, since our culture has a tendency to treat them as such... but it's time we all got over that misconception, if for no other reason than it means people won't have to spend so much time explaining over and over and over and over and over again that hymens don't really work like "freshness seals." There are probably other things we could all be doing with that time and energy instead.

Not to mention the idea that women's bodies come with "freshness seals" is illogical and offensive all on its own.

But as long as we are going to spend this time clearing up all the societal myths, we might as well keep a sense of humor about it. So, here are five facts about hymens everyone should know, kindly cleared up by College Humor.

1. Hymens Are Not A Barrier Over Your Vagina

It's not like a paper banner at a football game that gets broken once something goes through it. This ought to just be common sense — if the hymen was this impenetrable barrier that only broke after sex, how would women have periods?

2. Hymens Are More Like A Balloon Arch

Hymens are a band of tissue around the vagina, which leaves plenty of room for things to pass through.

3. Hymens Don't Always Break During Sex

Lots of women who are sexually active still have intact hymens. Hymens can even heal after being damaged. Oh, and while we're on the subject, you can also break your hymen doing things other than sex, like horseback riding.

4. Physical "Virginity" Doesn't Really Exist

If a hymen doesn't necessarily break during sex, and if a hymen can break due to activities that aren't sex, then it is not an accurate measure of whether or not someone has had sex at all. Physical virginity isn't any more real for women than it is for men; it's a social construct, not a physical reality.

5. In Other Words, The Hype Around Hymens Is Dumb Because...

Just keep repeating that: "The hymen doesn't work that way." Because, you know, it doesn't.

Check out the full video below:

Images: Andrew Zaeh for Bustle; CollegeHumor/YouTube (5)