virgin principles

paige bautista

We live in an era where sex sells,
but sex has become
both the product
and the payment.

He asked me to
send him nude pictures because,
"he needs an incentive to meet up."
As though my vulnerability is
a free trial to be played with
while he decides
whether he wants to commit
to the full purchase.
His flattery became nothing more than
a down payment to
the parts of me that were
never marketed.

She warned me that
no man could be content with me,
that long-term relationships
require an entry fee
wherein he must enter me.
Genuine consent is something that comes with
an expiration date.

I understand the demographics
of a natural sex-drive,
but defying your trend of naturality
should not make me the product
of an artificial purity
created by some unseen manufacturer.
My hesitation is not a marketing strategy,
my inexperience is not an advertisement.
I am investing only in safety and compassion.
Your affection
should not be measured by
the price of my virginity,
but the value of my humanity.