Just Another Commodification of Virginity

I feel like I have been talking about virginity a lot lately, but this was just too good to pass up. Via a tweet from @TheUndomestic, I became aware of this blog post: "Mothers Sold Daughters' Virginity Online."

I mean, really? Who wouldn't want to know what that's all about!

Apparently, Moscow police have arrested two mothers for selling their daughters' virginity online. They needed money to cover debts and save for their daughter's dowry and figured this was a good way to do it. For a 16-year-old virgin, the mother made $6,000 US and for a 13-year-old virgin, the mother made $12,000 US.

These mothers worked through an organization (the post doesn't give this organization a name) that contacts families in poverty about selling the virginity of their daughters and matching them with pedophiles who are willing to pay the big bucks. But the truly sad thing, the daughters of these two mothers were unaware of this deal, thinking that they were going to see a photographer. One mother said that she hoped her daughter "sacrifice herself" to save the family from poverty. One of the mothers ever said,

"Yes, I understand that virginity is a commodity. If I wasn't old, I would restore mine and sell it. If there are fools that are ready to pay for it, then I am ready."

Virginity is a commodity used to oppress women. I'm amazed that mothers would further use their daughters' virginity to oppress them and subject them to the objectification of a pedophile...without the knowledge of the daughters'!

This case use reinforces the "virginity as commodity" standard for women, further oppressing women for their sexuality or lack their of. If a woman expresses her sexuality, she's a slut, but if a woman doesn't express her sexuality, she's a prude. The commodification of virginity hurts all women, not just women who are still "virgins."