In the 1990s, a fascinating genre emerged: the virginity loss confessional genre, in which autobiographical stories of virginity loss are collected and curated. This article draws on the work of Michel Foucault and Kenneth Plummer to explicate the historical and theoretical bases behind this contemporary confessional storytelling practice, outlining the genre’s historical and therapeutic purposes. It also considers the significance of virginity loss and the relevance of these stories in the 21st century. It illustrates how and why virginity loss stories have been told in the past, and the reasons why publicly telling these stories has become a common practice in recent decades.

Item Type:	Refereed Article
Keywords:	Autobiography, confession, sex, storytelling, virginity loss
Research Division:	Human Society
Research Group:	Gender studies
Research Field:	Gender relations
Objective Division:	Expanding Knowledge
Objective Group:	Expanding knowledge
Objective Field:	Expanding knowledge in language, communication and culture
UTAS Author:	McAlister, J (Dr Jodi McAlister)
ID Code:	112075
Year Published:	2017 (online first 2016)
Web of Science® Times Cited:	6
Deposited By:	School of Humanities
Deposited On:	2016-10-26
Last Modified:	2017-11-20
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