Secondary virginity during engagements
Elizabeth Hayt looks at one major trend in the abstinence movement, a period of abstinence during engagements for previously sexually active couples. "These days, a period of 'secondary virginity,' as it is sometimes called, is increasingly the norm for many brides-to-be across the South, an accommodation to the modern reality of premarital sex and the traditional disapproval of it in the Bible Belt. Whether fresh out of college or older, Southern women say the decision of when and how long to stop having sex — as little as a month or as much as a year — has become standard girl talk at sorority houses and bridal showers." One single woman interviewed at a wedding party says, "It's about being prim and proper and perfect. It's an ideal we live up to. I've grown up thinking that you're not supposed to sleep together, but since everyone does, you stop when you get engaged for two to three months before the wedding. I'll probably do it. Just for the tease."
