She’s doing what’s best for her.
In 2026, when digital dating is tough as it is, one 35-year-old woman is standing her ground on refusing to settle, especially regarding giving up her virginity.
Not only has Lauren Harkins never had a boyfriend or been intimate with someone, but she’s never been on a date.
But that doesn’t faze the content creator — she defends her choices, calling herself a “late bloomer” and insists adult virginity is more common than people think.
“It doesn’t need to be framed as ‘late’ – people should move when they’re ready. Everyone’s on their own timeline,” Harkins, who regularly posts about her virginity on social media, told creatorzine.com.
“It’s something I’ve been comfortable sharing, and I see being set apart as a strength,” she said.
Harkins admits that a stigma around being a virgin still exists. The content creator points out that society still “clings to these outdated assumptions around virginity – especially adult virginity – as if it automatically signals something fragile, sheltered, or socially stunted.”
Although many adult virgins don’t openly talk about it, based on the volume of comments and messages I receive, it’s clear there are far more people in that position than most would expect,” she admitted.
Contrary to what most would assume, Harkins isn’t saving herself for marriage or for religious reasons. “There is nothing I love more than being able to shatter these stereotypes, as someone who is continually told I don’t ‘look’ or ‘act’ like a virgin,” she said.
Harkins explained that judgey people usually “claim that I’m lying, ‘expired,’ attention-seeking, narcissistic, you name it.” And at this point, the 35-year-old insists none of it fazes her.
Despite it all, Harkins is hopeful that she will find her happily ever after one day, but isn’t in a rush. “I don’t feel the need to force anything; I’d rather wait for the relationship – and the man – that feels genuinely meant for me.”
To further validate her decision, Harkins said that she found comfort in the fact that singer Lizzo recently admitted to losing her virginity in 2020 after promising herself she wouldn’t have sex until she won a Grammy award.
The 37-year-old singer admitted to originally lying about it, implying she already had sex — but when Harkins learned this, she was relieved. “It’s refreshing when someone is honest about something that’s usually kept hidden,” she said.
“What stood out most to me wasn’t the timeline, but the fact that she made a personal decision and stood by it,” she added.
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