It’s 2019 and people still think the hymen is relevant to virginity.
Another day, another Pakistani textbook is being discussed for some problematic concepts it’s peddling. The latest one is allegedly from a Forensic Medicine book taught to MBBS students. There is a table which apparently will help people determine what a ‘true’ and a ‘false’ virgin is. Yep, you read that right.
In a country where women are killed for honor for the most trivial reasons, this book aims to help “forensic experts” discover whether a not a woman might have been lying about her chastity by checking her hymen
Now if that isn’t enough to boil your blood, the differences and details the book has provided are almost unbelievable. It honestly seems like the list was compiled by someone who has never seen a vagina in their lives let alone know enough to distinguish between what a virgin’s vagina looks like.
https://twitter.com/aimaMK/status/1090677688057118720
The textbook think it has cracked the code; women who have had sex and are not virgins have dull and gross looking vaginas. But women who remain ‘chaste’ have flowery looking pink vaginas.
Of course, when people read this utter bullshit, the reactions ranged from WTF to FUCK THIS.
WTF?????????
— Mahwash Ajaz 🇵🇰 (@mahwashajaz_) January 31, 2019
This is disgusting
— Noor Shaikh (@ghostofliteracy) January 31, 2019
What in the world is this? How can this be acceptable in 2019??
— G N A (she/her) (@Deedz_A) January 31, 2019
And other people tried to point out that this was a Forensic Medicine book for Medico-Legal cases like that somehow made it okay?!
https://twitter.com/rahim_behroz/status/1090714593230536708
Old version of some Forensic Medicine book.
— Agha (@jameel_agha) January 31, 2019
What’s wrong in this book… it’s medical science that explains everything openly and if medical students don’t have this knowledge how they will issue medical certificates in rape or other medico legal cases?
— Asif Gorsi (@AsifGorsi7) January 31, 2019
For people wondering what the issue with this is, I DON’T EVEN KNOW WHERE TO BEGIN so let’s just get into it
Have you ever heard about the two finger test? The inhumane practice women who report rape in Pakistan are subjected to? The test involves a medical professional inserting two fingers into a woman’s vagina, and if it is possible to do so that means the woman regularly indulges in intercourse and has ‘loose morals’ so doubt is cast over her claims of being raped. This ignorant law is a relic of when the British ruled us and still has not been changed.
Like forget ‘virgins’, imagine a married woman with children reporting rape and being subjected to this vile practice. DOES THAT MAKE ANY SENSE. NO. It does not make sense for ANYONE to be subjected to this type of indignity.
This book further peddles that incredibly wrong stereotype that you can tell whether a woman is sexually active or not by just looking at her vagina.
A vagina being ‘roomy’ ‘dull’ and ‘fleshy’ in no way can determine whether a woman is a virgin or not. It’s 2019, can we please for the love of all that is good just discard these outdated and ignorant notions once and for all. Read an updated and credible book for God’s sake!
What do you think about this list on identifying a ‘false’ virgin? Let us know in the comments.
This Is How Many Women in Pakistan Believe Marital Rape Is Their Own Fault
Pakistan, We Need to Talk About The R-Word. Rape.
Cover Image Source: @aimaMK via Twitter / Paragon Productions
