No hanky panky happening here.
A 31-year-old man went on a reality TV show about virgins — and he’s proud of it.
Ben Harris recently wrote about his life as a virgin and how it landed him on a TV show in a Times story — something that many might be too ashamed to admit to anyone, let alone the entire world.
Harris was urged by his friend to respond to a casting call for a “sex therapy” UK TV show called “Virgin Island.” Apprehensive at first, he eventually did, and much to his surprise — he got cast.
The 31-year-old described himself as an introvert and shared how he was bullied most of his life. “It was never as severe as some people experience, but it often centred on my looks.”
Being an insecure teen, Harris assumed girls his age didn’t find him attractive or even dateable.
“Despite my decent intellect, I [thought I] was physically repulsive to women, especially, and that no sane girl could possibly find me attractive,” he wrote.
By the time Harris was in his 20s, he did eventually date, “but I have always felt as if I’m playing catch-up, swimming hopelessly against a tide of formative teenage experiences I never had.”
Despite having been on almost 40 dates, Harris said the farthest he physically went with a woman was a peck on the cheek.
When he finally had the opportunity to do some hanky panky with someone he was dating — his fear and inexperience got the best of him.
“I flat out turned down the opportunity to have sex with her on multiple occasions out of fear, although ironically we did literally sleep together in the same bed several times.”
Harris said in his story that applying for the show felt like the drastic push that he needed — and it didn’t hurt that it was filming on a beautiful Mediterranean island. What did he have to lose?
“If nothing else, I’d get to experience some therapy,” Harris candidly wrote.
The show — which was filmed last year — also allowed Harris to meet 11 other people with a similar story to his — many of whom he is still friends with.
“If this show helps to clear even a fraction of the stigma associated with being an adult virgin, it will have all been worth it,” he wrote.
“Even if it doesn’t, I know I got a lot out of it and I don’t regret taking part at all.”
Harris is not the only virgin — especially in his age group — to openly talk about his lack of sex life.
A 39-year-old woman named Sarah admitted on TikTok why she doesn’t have any intentions of rolling around in the hay anytime soon.
“There are guys I think are good-looking, don’t get me wrong,” the content creator said. “But being into somebody, that hasn’t been the case since my late 20s or early 30s.”
Sarah said she’s at peace with the fact that she’s a virgin who has never been kissed.
“I don’t want to disturb my inner peace because it’s taken so long to get here,” she admitted.
Read the full article here
