| 1 | %% Image removed per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1315016036065982600 |
| 2 | %% Please start a new thread if you'd like to suggest an image. |
| 3 | %% |
| 4 | This trope is the reverse of the virgin as portrayed in classical literature. In ancient myths, virgins were often dedicated to some higher purpose. They were supposed to be above such things as lust and passion, upheld as an example that people should strive to follow… and if they fell from this pedestal, boy, did they fall hard. Just ask [[Myth/ClassicalMythology the goddess Artemis' attendants]]; if they gave in to the pleasures of the flesh, there was a world of hurt in store when the Boss Lady found out, but sometime in the 20th century, there has been a sharp reversal. Virginity no longer guarantees VirginPower or some higher knowledge; in fact, it often indicates the opposite. Many contemporary characters who are still virgins over the age of consent will be TheDitz. The men will be shy to the point of social ineptitude -- or so desperate to prove their manhood that they [[DoggedNiceGuy make idiots of themselves]]. By contrast, female virgins are usually portrayed as hopelessly dim, both in terms of intelligence and social skills. At best, such characters may be good at their jobs and/or book smart, but [[NaiveEverygirl naive to the point of ignorance]] -- remember, this trope often overlaps with TheIngenue. |
| 5 | |
| 6 | On the upside, these characters will seldom be downright nasty. While some virgins are inept but harmless, most are examples of DumbIsGood. They're usually [[NiceGuy sweet-natured and kind]]--you just wouldn't want them on your quiz team. In fact, their pleasant demeanor is one of the qualities that makes the opposite gender ([[EvenTheGuysWantHim and sometimes]] [[EvenTheGirlsWantHer the same gender]]) ''[[NatureAdoresAVirgin want]]'' to sleep with them, whether it's because they appreciate these nice qualities… [[ForbiddenFruit or because they can't resist the challenge of deflowering an "innocent"]]. |
| 7 | |
| 8 | It's this plot line that showcases Virginity Makes You Stupid at its worst. A conniving [[TheVamp Vamp]] or [[TheCasanova Casanova]] sets themselves the challenge of sleeping with someone previously thought as pure, untouchable, [[TheIngenue naive]]. And their target will almost always fall for it, even when most people could spot their intentions from a mile away. |
| 9 | |
| 10 | The message, in this case, seems to be that in order to understand how people work, you have to have slept with someone. Clearly, basic common sense, body language, and the word "no" is a poor defense against [[ManipulativeBastard manipulative bastards]] with a sex drive. To be fair, generally, the (former) virgin's goodness will transform their [[AllGirlsWantBadBoys pursuer]] into a JerkWithAHeartOfGold… but probably not before they've slept together. In total, SexIsGood, no questions asked. |
| 11 | |
| 12 | Rather than being shamed or punished for losing their virginity, a character is promoted. Their [[SexAsRiteOfPassage sexual initiation]] will [[EpiphanyTherapy magically solve all of their personality "problems"]] and they will usually become more capable, {{rounded character}}s. |
| 13 | |
| 14 | There are many possible explanations for this trope. It may be part of a larger trend where ''any'' form of innocence or optimism [[SillyRabbitIdealismIsForKids is interpreted as foolish]]. Perhaps it's inconceivable to a sex-orientated media that anyone with half a brain would choose not to have sex. Or maybe a lack of carnal knowledge was taken to mean [[MissConception a lack of knowledge of carnal matters]] and then extended to any general knowledge as well. |
| 15 | |
| 16 | See also: MyGirlIsNotASlut. In the context of musical theatre, this character will ''always'' be a soprano or a TenorBoy (frequently called a "dolt-boy"). Compare InnocentBigot and InnocentlyInsensitive; contrast VirginPower and CelibateEccentricGenius. Exceptions to the "nice-but-dim" virgin rule occur when there is a ChasteHero or AmazonBrigade running the show--even then, expect their virginity to be challenged (and more likely than not, relinquished) at some point in the plot. {{Brainless Beaut|y}}ies are the typical inverse, having the experience this type lacks but still being dumber than everyone else. NerdsAreVirgins comes from the same mindset even though "nerd" and "stupid" are hardly synonymous terms; it's surely a fair way of interpreting the word "nerd" if you think that [[NoSocialSkills being stupid about social skills]] is part of the meaning. |
| 17 | ---- |
| 18 | !!Examples: |
| 19 | |
| 20 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 21 | |
| 22 | [[folder:Anime & Manga]] |
| 23 | * In the anime version of ''Anime/ValkyriaChronicles'', this was reasonably inferred from [[VideoGame/ValkyriaChronicles the game]] about the protagonist Welkin Gunther, but the anime goes on to show that if Welkin has a fault aside from being a little too much of a NiceGuy, it's this trope. In college, he had a chance to get married to the most sought-after girl in school, and he friend-zoned her almost immediately, and his best friend (who also hit on the same woman) blatantly lampshades it. By present day, it's obvious Alicia Melchiott has feelings for him, but Welkin repeats history to the point Faldio not only starts hitting Alicia himself but in his frustration over Welkin's use of this trope he throws down the gauntlet in Episode 12 and tells Welkin he has feelings for Alicia himself as a BatmanGambit to get Welkin to grow a spine and sex drive and see Alicia as a woman. Thankfully, by the end of the game and anime, he wises up. |
| 24 | * ''Manga/FutariEcchi'' has the main-couple Makoto and Yura who were both virgins until they got married to each other at OldMaid age, though them being portrayed as stupid is more PlayedForLaughs and generally done by their close relatives because they waited so long. |
| 25 | * ''Manga/AhMyGoddess'': Belldandy, oh Belldandy. She can live fighting demons and impeding doom and usually be the most competent character in the series but was completely sheltered from damaging knowledge such as the fact that guys have penises and that lovers usually kiss. Her most blatant example of this may have been when [[{{Jerkass}} Aoshima]] tricked her into coming with him to a love hotel. She recognized the decor -- because Urd had earlier done up Keiichi's room in the same style -- but still didn't seem to have any idea of Aoshima's intentions until [[AttemptedRape he grabbed her and shoved her down on the bed]]. At times, she has shown more initiative in terms of her relationship with Keiichi and has even kissed him [[DudeShesLikeInAComa while he's been asleep]], but she also seems to be both ignorant and terrified of sexuality. |
| 26 | ** Not to mention naive, like when they were at the hot springs and she thought Marller injured him because he was covering himself up, totally unaware that he was embarrassed at being nude. Or when the two of them were at a love motel during an Urd-created rainstorm and while Keiichi was wondering if she was ready for sex, Belldandy was completely unaware of where they were, she was only focused on the rain. |
| 27 | * Inverted in ''Manga/{{Hellsing}}'' with Sir Integra, holder of "100% virgin blood", yet portrayed as intelligent, highly competent, downright badass, and ruthless. |
| 28 | ** There's also Seras. She's pretty innocent and sweet, [[BerserkButton until you push the right button, that is]]. Her virginity is also the reason she was able to be [[FirstEpisodeResurrection revived as a vampire by Alucard]]. |
| 29 | ** Come to think of it [[VirginPower being a virgin in Hellsing is pretty awesome]], you can still become a vampire, and on top of that, it is reasonable to assume that at least a few of the major badass characters (like Alexander Anderson) are virgins. |
| 30 | * Inverted a little too far by ''Anime/GhostInTheShellStandAloneComplex 2nd Gig''. The amoral [[TheChessmaster Chessmaster]] BigBad [[spoiler:Gohda]] reveals he's actually a virgin. [[spoiler:He used virginity as the final necessary trigger for activating the Individual Eleven virus in a subject since the trigger for the virus was having been a virgin before switching to cybernetic body, and besides a cyber brain Gohda is still a flesh and blood human.]] |
| 31 | * A rare male example is Sagara Sousuke from ''Literature/FullMetalPanic''. He is ''[[ChasteHero very]]'' [[ChasteHero obviously a virgin]], and... he is ''incredibly'' stupid when it comes to relationships, being socially inept. However, he is extremely competent when it comes to military combat, and is a teen genius when it comes to handling the HumongousMecha AS. In fact, it's even {{lampshade|Hanging}}d in-series by [[ChivalrousPervert Kurz]], who calls Sousuke numerous times as being a "gutless, stupid virgin" - something which Sousuke [[ChasteHero only vaguely understands as probably being an insult]]. |
| 32 | ** He thinks a condom is used to hold a backup water supply! |
| 33 | *** One assumes that he knows what the intended use is, but the reason he carries one is for utility: an actual recommended use for condoms in militaries and survival guides is as emergency canteens, being lightweight, durable, and able to store a liter of water with ease. He just doesn't care about the more conventional use. |
| 34 | ** After [[spoiler:sleeping with Mao]], Kurz goes to Sousuke to talk about the subject. It takes a ''very'' long time (and an outburst heard by everyone on deck) for Sousuke to figure out what he means by "sleeping with". |
| 35 | --->'''Kurz:''' It's ''sex!'' ''SEX!'' |
| 36 | * ''Manga/BGataHKei'' is what happens when the IVOS heroine is ''also'' a LovableSexManiac. |
| 37 | * Goku from ''Franchise/{{Dragonball}}'' accepts a proposal, believing marriage is a form of food. HilarityEnsues when he grows up and the girl returns to make good on his promise. In his defense, Goku lived most of his life with his adoptive parent in the wilderness, who happened to also be a martial artist. His first social meeting with someone other than this adoptive parent happened at the start of the series when he was a kid, and most of what he had been taught was how to talk, how to fight, and how to eat. I.E. he had no real reason to know what marriage was in the first place. |
| 38 | ** On the other hand, Goku actively ''defies'' this trope by the time of the ''[[Anime/DragonBallZ Z]]'': despite having fathered his son Gohan, he's still just as clueless as he always was. This doesn't mean he doesn't understand this stuff in others however; he bribes Old Kai by promising saucy photos of Bulma. |
| 39 | ** Gohan also seems to have inherited his father's cluelessness, as Videl had to jump through hoops to get him to notice her love for him. He can also be socially aloof because he, like his father, spent most of his life growing up in the mountains. His saving grace is Chi-Chi, who ensured he's academically knowledgeable. |
| 40 | %%* Miaka from ''Manga/FushigiYuugi'' |
| 41 | * ''Manga/PandoraHearts'' offers a hysterical subversion of the standard plot with Ada and [[spoiler:Vincent]]. The ManipulativeBastard and {{The Casanova}}'s thoughts directly reveal he finds her innocence sickening and only wants to see her tainted. When he asks her to 'lay herself bare' and 'show him the real her', she nervously agrees and leads him to an unused home of her family's, only to reveal she didn't pick up on the sexual implications ''at all''; rather, what she shows him is the "[[{{Yandere}} real her]]": [[spoiler:an obsession with magic, darkness, ''and torture'']]. Needless to say, poor [[spoiler:Vincent]] is too shocked (and annoyed) to bother going through with his plans for the time. |
| 42 | * At least once in ''Anime/CodeGeass'', C.C. calls Lelouch a "stupid virgin" (which was changed in the English dub). Lelouch is actually [[MagnificentBastard very intelligent]] under most circumstances, but in that situation, C.C. was criticizing him for letting his feelings for a girl jeopardize his overall plans. |
| 43 | * While Keith Goodman's [[TheDitz ditziness]] and {{chaste|Hero}}ness have occasionally been demonstrated, the fourth ''Anime/TigerAndBunny Drama CD'' just how phenomenally dense he is when it comes to sex: he invites [[ShrinkingViolet Ivan]] to a rather risque gay club. That he goes to regularly. ''Completely oblivious to the fact that it's a gay club.'' |
| 44 | -->'''Ivan:''' [As [[CampGay Fire Emblem]] said, this was a club that catered 100% to his taste. It was sort of like a HostClub. As to why Sky High called me out to it...] |
| 45 | -->'''Keith:''' Why, you ask? It's because this place has the most delicious lemonade in the city! |
| 46 | -->'''Ivan:''' Eh? |
| 47 | -->'''Nathan:''' It appears our dear Sky High thinks this is a cafe. |
| 48 | * Subverted in ''Manga/RedRiver1995''. While Yuri is notably more reserved and shy about sexual matters than the other women of the time period, she is just as much a GuileHero before sleeping with Kail for the first time as after. |
| 49 | * {{Zigzagged}} in ''Manga/GrandBlue'': Iori Kitahara's male friends in their university's engineering program has the goal of losing their virginity on their minds constantly, thus they can be considered a case of BookDumb. However, if push comes to shove, such as a sudden pop quiz by the SadistTeacher, they'll turn competent and logical, scoring in the acceptable low 70s. |
| 50 | [[/folder]] |
| 51 | |
| 52 | [[folder:ComicBooks]] |
| 53 | * In ''ComicBook/{{Asterix}} and Son'', TheFool Obelix, while much more prone to flirting and blushing around lovely girls than Asterix is shown to be, unintentionally reveals that he has no idea how babies are made, still believing in the DeliveryStork despite being in his thirties ([[VagueAge maybe?]]). Asterix, who is much less excited by girls (but implicitly because he's quite experienced), is aghast that he managed to get to his age without ever finding out and promises to [[TheTalk explain the details to him later]]. [[BrickJoke In the final panel]], we catch the tail-end of this explanation, and Obelix earnestly asks what the stork is for, in that case. This was after the second writer took over writing, so it's possible it was just his ManChild qualities receiving some {{Flanderization}}. |
| 54 | [[/folder]] |
| 55 | |
| 56 | [[folder:Film]] |
| 57 | * The plot of ''Film/{{Legend 1985}}'' is kicked off when [[TheHero Jack]] takes virginal but headstrong and foolish Lili to see unicorns, which she just ''has'' to touch despite Jack's protest to the contrary. That contact sullied the unicorn enough to let the minions of Darkness take its horn. She does show enough smarts later to [[spoiler:trick the devil and save the unicorn from him,]] though it's arguable whether or not the fact that he tries (and nearly succeeds) in seducing her counts... |
| 58 | * ''Film/CruelIntentions'' demonstrates this perfectly since it's another film version of ''Literature/DangerousLiaisons'' (see below in Literature). At least, Cecile demonstrates this trope perfectly. Annette is actually fairly intelligent and sees straight through most of [[TheCasanova Sebastian's]] attempts to get her into bed. She falls for him only [[LadykillerInLove once he has truly fallen for her]], and she can tell when he's genuine and when he's faking. |
| 59 | * ''Film/ForbiddenPlanet'' explicitly relates to Altaira and a docile tiger to the legendary virgin and unicorn. Sure enough, the tiger turns on Altaira after she loses her virginity, but this turns out to be justified: the apparently [[MisplacedWildlife misplaced Terran animals]] on Altair-4 are completely unnatural creatures. She doesn't lose her virginity, just her innocence. But that seems to be enough. |
| 60 | * The virgin of the 'heroines' in ''Film/HostelPartII'' is flaky, socially awkward due to anxieties, emotionally immature, and lacking common sense. It doesn't even take a Casanova; a little alcohol and desperation for acceptance lubricates her path to [[spoiler:SexSignalsDeath.]] |
| 61 | * ''Film/TheFortyYearOldVirgin'' plays with this trope; Andy is definitely a bit of a naive {{Manchild}}, and the plot of the story revolves around his [[QuestForSex quest to get rid of his virginity]], but the story gradually makes clear that he's actually a lot more well-adjusted, mature and sensible than many of the more 'experienced' men and women around him. ...and the moral is... |
| 62 | * In ''Film/HocusPocus'', the main character is a virgin and no one in the film ever lets him forget it. The term is practically interchangeable with "idiot" from the way everyone talks. [[TooDumbToLive And he lit the candle that virgins were explicitly not supposed to light]]. The rare (if not unique) situation where this and NatureAbhorsAVirgin both go hand-in-hand with the usually contrasting VirginPower: it takes a virgin to resurrect the {{Wicked Witch}}es. |
| 63 | * Liv Dean from ''Film/{{Duets}}'' is portrayed as being very gullible which, combined with her beauty, makes her a popular target for men. For the most part, though, she avoids trouble by being completely oblivious to it, much to her estranged father's chagrin. |
| 64 | -->'''Liv:''' "I stayed in a room like this with Tom Jones for about a month!" |
| 65 | -->'''Ricky:''' "Oh, I bet I know what you were doing with ''Tom Jones'' for a month..." |
| 66 | -->'''Liv:''' "What... ''No!'' It wasn't like that! He said he just wanted someone to keep him company!" |
| 67 | * In the 1987 movie version of ''Film/{{Dragnet}}'', to some extent Joe Friday and Connie Swail, although it's more them being incredibly old-fashioned and uptight than idiotic. |
| 68 | ** Don't you mean the virgin Connie Swail? |
| 69 | * Averted in ''Film/{{Clueless}}'', when the super-cool Cher reveals that she never...y'know. |
| 70 | * Invoked in ''Film/TheLastTemptationOfChrist'' when Jesus throws the money-changers out of the temple. One of the patrons recognizes him as Jesus from Nazareth and notes the lack of sex has forced the semen to back up into his brain. |
| 71 | * Zig-Zagged with Cheedo the Fragile in ''Film/MadMaxFuryRoad''; she's the youngest of the Wives and the only one who's still a virgin, and is rather naive and innocent verging on StockholmSyndrome. After [[spoiler: Splendid's death]] she quickly tries to surrender to [[BigBad Immortan Joe's]] forces, believing that he'll forgive them for running away. [[spoiler: Towards the end, though, she gains enough cunning to trick Rictus into thinking she's willing to surrender, putting her in a position to distract Joe long enough for Furiosa to land a killing blow.]] |
| 72 | * {{Subverted|Trope}} with Michelle in ''Film/AmericanPie''. For the first two-thirds of the movie, all she does is tell squeaky clean and achingly dull anecdotes from her time at band camp, giving both Jim and the audience the impression that she not only has NoSocialSkills but is too sheltered to know what sex ''is'', which is a problem for Jim, who's trying to lose his virginity before graduation. Then Michelle mentions ''that'' one time at band camp, removing all doubt to the contrary (doubly shocking in that she says all of the following without changing her [[SmarterThanTheyLook deceptively innocent]] demeanor ''at all''). |
| 73 | -->'''Michelle''': Oh, and this one time, at band camp, I [[WhamLine stuck a flute in my pussy]].\ |
| 74 | '''Jim''' (''barely paying attention'') Mmhmm. (''[[DelayedReaction suddenly realizes what he was just told]] and [[SpitTake chokes on his drink]]'') Excuse me??\ |
| 75 | '''Michelle''': What, you think I don't know how to get myself off? Hell, that's what half of band camp is: sex ed. So are we gonna screw soon? cuz I'm gettin' kinda antsy. |
| 76 | [[/folder]] |
| 77 | |
| 78 | [[folder:Literature]] |
| 79 | * In many variations of the "Virgin and the Unicorn" tale, the maiden was duped into attracting and soothing her unicorn friend until the hunters who convinced her to do so could attack and kill the unicorn for its horn. The version found in Nigel Suckling's ''The Book Of The Unicorn'' goes so far as to have the virgin princess ask her father -- a tyrannical, greedy king -- why they have brought a large company of armed men to meet a peaceful creature such as a unicorn. Amazingly, she believes him when he reassures her that they are there only for her protection. |
| 80 | ** Modern unicorn stories challenge this trope, although they do it in different ways. The novel ''Literature/TheLastUnicorn'' includes a scene where a maiden tries rather half-heartedly to summon a unicorn as part of a ritual she has to perform before she can get married. The scene serves to show that virgins can be every bit as cynical and self-serving as anybody else. (It's also heavily ironic since the only unicorn in the world is there to see it and decides not to go to her.) |
| 81 | ** Von Jocks' short story ''Yes Virginia, there '''is''' a Unicorn'' redefines the terms of the word "virgin" altogether. The youngest of the story's three female protagonists (and the only "technical" virgin), however, falls squarely into this trope and has to be protected from conniving men by the unicorn. |
| 82 | ** The short story ''White Beauty'' by Cynthia Ward features the virgin-as-bait-for-unicorn trope but throws the hunters for a loop when, despite its looks, [[spoiler:the unicorn turns out to be a vampiric creature that drains the girl's blood with its horn]]. DidntSeeThatComing, indeed. |
| 83 | ** Subverted in one of Creator/AlanDeanFoster's Spellsinger books - it doesn't work, because the unicorn in question is gay. |
| 84 | ** Terry Jones of the [[Creator/MontyPython Pythons]] related, in a book on medieval folklore, his surprise in finding that the pure virgin/unicorn thing was a sort of Forgotten Trope /punchline. The joke being you send a mythical creature to FIND a mythical creature. The joke has been repeatedly reinvented since; see, for instance, the conversation between the monster-hunters in ''Literature/GuardsGuards'' |
| 85 | ** T.H. White's ''Literature/TheOnceAndFutureKing'' has Gawaine and his brothers, while children, pull a servant girl from the kitchen to use as bait to catch a unicorn. It works, but Agravaine ends up killing the unicorn because of his... [[MommyIssues issues with his mother]]. |
| 86 | *** There's an interesting inverse example there as well. The boys get the idea to go unicorn-hunting because their mother went off on one with some knights, acting as the virgin. Clearly, she isn't one, since she, you know, has sons. Even though their mother is a dark sorceress who has no problem manipulating people to have her way, she's still something of a shallow flake who can't stay focused on any serious matters for long. |
| 87 | ** In one of the books of ''Franchise/TheWitcher'', SpoonyBard Jaskier is mocking a moment of Wangst of the protagonist, monster hunter Geralt. He compares witchers, who hunt monsters with the Virgin Unicorn Hunters, who eventually gave up on their virginity when Unicorns went extinct and took up other professions and everyone was happy. |
| 88 | * Literature/SherlockHolmes, while almost certainly a virgin due to his disdain of romantic love, was ''no'' fool. His less-gifted friend Watson was married (presumably with all that entails), but it's not quite an aversion, as Watson was much more capable than many adaptions painted him to be, especially given ''anyone'' will look less-gifted next to Sherlock Holmes. |
| 89 | * Sansa Stark in George R.R. Martin's ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'' is a good example of this... [[BreakTheCutie and boy, does she pay for it]]. |
| 90 | ** Brienne of Tarth, too, though we meet her only after she's already become [[JadeColoredGlasses a tad disillusioned]] in regards to men. She's still a complete WideEyedIdealist, but once she believed that all men were as noble and true as her father, whom she looks to as a paragon of virtue. After being spurned all her life due to her [[UglyCute appearance]], imagine her confusion and hope when men in Renly's army finally started flirting with her. Then imagine her heartbreak when she was informed that they were doing so as part of a bet to see who could get to her maidenhead first. |
| 91 | * Lady Crysania, Head Cleric of Paladine in the ''Literature/{{Dragonlance}}'' books, fits this trope. Though very sophisticated and intelligent, she is also very ignorant of "the real world". Part of this is due to her sheltered upbringing rather than just lack of sexual experience. She does manage to fall in love with Raistlin over the course of the Legends trilogy, resulting in a two-virgins-passing-in-the-night scenario where Raistlin at one point inhabits the healthy, curse-free, and virile body of Fistandandilus. He struggles with urges he's never dealt with before and considers seducing Crysania (who'd likely be more than willing if only he'd make the first move) but backs down, remarking that he knows next to nothing about seduction or lovemaking. Oddly for Raistlin, the possibility that Crysania's implied VirginPower might be necessary to open the Gate comes in a distant second for reasons not to make a move. |
| 92 | ** Inverted as regards Raistlin and his twin brother, Caramon. Caramon is strong, handsome, and (prior to settling down with [[CuteBruiser Tika]]) has a tendency to sleep with any available, willing, and pretty girl, but is also naive and not terribly bright (prior to CharacterDevelopment in the ''Legends'' trilogy). Raistlin is a socially withdrawn virgin who generally considers sex beneath him (okay, he may have had sex ''once''- and then had his memory of the event wiped; the canonicity of that story is deliberately ambiguous), but he's also deeply cynical and ''frighteningly'' intelligent. |
| 93 | * In Creator/TanyaHuff's ''[[Literature/KeepersChronicles Summon the Keeper]]'', Dean is a knock-down gorgeous guy, kind, handy around the house, and so well-grounded that world-weary Claire instinctively looks for roots sprouting from his sneakers. He's twenty and yep, a virgin. He blushes at the slightest hint of any "funny stuff", takes a while to understand anything, and Claire falls deep and hard for him. [[spoiler:In subsequent books, Claire and Dean do end up together, love-smitten enough to make you barf, and he loses his virginity quickly in the second book.]] |
| 94 | * Averted in Creator/RobertEHoward's ''Literature/SolomonKane'' stories. The eponymous character is a badass who will [[KnightTemplar pursue evil-doers across oceans]], but is a devout Puritan who doesn't frolic with the ladies. (This might explain why he's not as well known as Howard's other creation Franchise/ConanTheBarbarian.) |
| 95 | * In the ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' novels, the witches Nanny Ogg, Magrat, and Granny Weatherwax fit TheHecateSisters mold. As the maiden, Magrat is nominally the virginal one and is TheDitz. This gets contrasted with Nanny Ogg whose "maiden" years involved her [[ReallyGetsAround really getting around]], linked it seems with her becoming the most knowledgeable midwife of all time (in fact Time gets her to be her midwife). When a (rabid, feral) unicorn needs catching, the only one who can do it is [[spoiler:[[GoodIsNotNice Granny Weatherwax]], proving that you can be a virgin [[SubvertedTrope and]] a proud, cynical badass.]] As Nanny Ogg says to Archchancellor Ridcully: "She always ''could'' run faster'n you..." |
| 96 | * Warden Ramirez of the ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'', despite all his big talk, is a virgin. He's not exactly naive though, and he's confident and competent enough to be a Warden. Lara Raith is so stunned that she mockingly asks if Dresden brought him as a present for her. He even manages to come out of a White Court house with it intact. Mostly because of the sword and grenades and other killy things. |
| 97 | * Cecile Volanges in ''Literature/DangerousLiaisons'' even after forsaking the basic requirement for this trope. [[spoiler: She didn't even realize she was pregnant with Valmont's child until she was in the middle of her ConvenientMiscarriage and he explained what was going on.]] To be fair in the 18th Century (noble) girls were kept pretty ignorant on this topic. |
| 98 | * Creator/MercedesLackey |
| 99 | ** In ''[[Literature/HeraldsOfValdemar By the Sword]]'', the heroine's mother had just enough instinct to avoid falling for a cruel noble with an eye to her estate but otherwise exemplified this trope, thanks to a head stuffed full of romance stories and bad poems. |
| 100 | * In ''[[Literature/TalesOfTheFiveHundredKingdoms The Fairy Godmother]]'' plays with this. Elena may be a virgin, but she's extremely intelligent. It's the [[BrainlessBeauty unicorns who are ditzes]], to the point of annoyance. |
| 101 | * Besides the aforementioned examples in ''Literature/TheOnceAndFutureKing'', Arthur himself is a very naive and sweet person when he's still a virgin. He loses his virginity when [[spoiler:he's seduced by his half-sister]] and the narrator even says that "innocence is not enough". Things quickly start to go downhill for him from there. Lancelot likewise finds his life going much more complicated and thus making him much less idealistic and innocent after [[spoiler:Princess Elaine rapes him and takes his virginity]]. He is ''very'' upset, mainly because he believes that [[VirginPower only virgins]] have the power to work miracles. |
| 102 | * This must be a thing in the Arthurian mythos. The prologue to ''Literature/TheMistsOfAvalon'' implies this. As Morgaine considers the Blessed Virgin Mary as a possible aspect of the Goddess, she dismisses the idea with "What does a virgin know of the sufferings of mankind?" |
| 103 | * Was John Galt of ''Literature/AtlasShrugged'' a virgin? Certainly, he would never have sex just to "do it" until he had met his perfect woman. Dagny Taggart appears to have only two lovers - one who really loved her and another who seemed to view sex as a sign of his major character weakness. Whether Galt was a fool or not kind of depends on your view of economics and politics. |
| 104 | * In ''Literature/TheEyesOfTheDragon,'' apparently nobody gave Queen Sasha TheTalk before her ArrangedMarriage since she asked "What's that?" as King Roland undressed. The narration notes that if she had asked that question slightly differently he might have thought she was mocking him and never consummated the union; instead, it reassured him since she was even less knowledgeable about sex than he was. (Whether or not ''he'' was a virgin is unknown, but even at fifty he was quite inexperienced.) |
| 105 | [[/folder]] |
| 106 | |
| 107 | [[folder:Live Action TV]] |
| 108 | * Quite a lot of Hispanic {{Soap Opera}}s do this regularly, because of all the drama you can milk from the habitual consequences of sex in countries that are mostly Catholic, and I'm not talking about pregnancy. Strangely, this applies even if the ''OfficialCouple'' marries (but only if they do that in the middle of the story). |
| 109 | ** Played with to great effect in "''Series/YoSoyBettyLaFea''": given her awful appearance, her social awkwardness, her nerdiness, and her heroine status, you wouldn't suspect she wasn't a virgin anymore... until she confesses to her romantic interest after their first night together that her first time was with a boyfriend who did her only because of a bet, and the experience left her so hurt [[NoodleIncident she preferred not to talk about it]]. Too bad [[FindingJudas she didn't learn the lesson then]]. |
| 110 | ** In its America adaptation ''Series/UglyBetty'', Betty outright told Christina in Season 1 that her boyfriend at the start of the series ([[TheScrappy Walter]]) was the only guy she'd ever "...you know." Christina is kinda grossed out by the idea of Walter-on-Betty sex. |
| 111 | * Janice in ''Series/WaterlooRoad''. |
| 112 | * Juliette, the main character in ''SeptièmeCielBelgique'' is a ''very'' shy and inexperienced woman, both sexually and romantically speaking, who suddenly ends up in a job environment with a boss who is a MsFanservice with a penchant to let slip about her sexual life, and an old flame she believes is a heartless TheCasanova. She compensates with a lot of shameless lies about her romantic past (easily uncovered by just seeing how uncomfortable she becomes when sexual themes arose, [[DoubleEntendre so to speak]]), a cynical attitude who quickly descends into {{Tsundere}} territory, and a tendency to take a lot of her prejudices and misunderstanding for real. Although that attitude makes her immaturity ''more'' obvious, she somehow manages to hide her virgin status from the other characters until the end of the first season, just before losing it. Interestingly, in the second season, her lack of knowledge about how relationships work and her {{Tsundere}} attitude remains even after she had sex and began a (strained) relationship with her romantic interest. |
| 113 | * Averted in ''Series/BabylonFive'' by Marcus Cole: He's idealistic and good-natured, but he's also worldly, deep, and completely badass. And he's saving himself for Ivanova; [[spoiler:as with any relationship involving Ivanova, she finds out too late.]] |
| 114 | * Though the BBC series ''{{Series/Sherlock}}'' generally averts this very adamantly (with the titular hero being both a virgin and one of the three most intelligent characters in the show), the "[[Recap/SherlockS02E01AScandalInBelgravia A Scandal in Belgravia]]" episode in which Sherlock makes the largest number of mistakes, practically commits treason, and is completely taken in by sometimes-FemmeFatale-on-and-off-[[TheVamp Vamp]] Irene Adler, is also the episode in which he develops a tremendous crush on her -- a crush that he seems to have no idea what to do about, despite Irene repeatedly offering to...ease the tension, as it were. |
| 115 | [[/folder]] |
| 116 | |
| 117 | [[folder:Theater]] |
| 118 | * Paul Rudnick's ''IHateHamlet'' includes a 29-year-old virgin, who while not an idiot, is incredibly childish and idealistic. Her boyfriend calls her "the victim of a relentlessly happy childhood, which she fully expects to continue." Eventually, a lascivious ghost helps her realize her desires, and she and her boyfriend, well... |
| 119 | * The eponymous Natasha in ''Theatre/NatashaPierreAndTheGreatCometOf1812'' gets a laugh from the audience when she says that it must be okay for her to go to the rakish Anatole's party because his equally promiscuous sister has said so even though she knows that Natasha is engaged. When Anatole (surprise surprise) kisses her at the party, she announces that they must be in love with each other and that he must be "kind, noble, and splendid", because that's the only reason why they would have kissed and why she would like it. Interestingly, her equally virginal cousin Sonya is much warier, and Natasha in ''Literature/WarAndPeace'', [[AllMusicalsAreAdaptations on which the musical is based]], is a bit less naive. |
| 120 | [[/folder]] |
| 121 | |
| 122 | [[folder:Video Games]] |
| 123 | * ''VideoGame/LeisureSuitLarry6ShapeUpOrSlipOut'''s final beau Shamara is a rich [[GranolaGirl Granola]] [[TheDitz Ditz]]. Guess what. And at the start of ''VideoGame/LeisureSuitLarry7LoveForSail'', after having sex with Larry she's lost all her purity and goodness, and abandons him to find a "real man". While he's tied up. In a room she (accidentally) set on fire. Does having sex with Larry make you evil, or does he simply have a very bad track record? |
| 124 | * In ''Franchise/MassEffect'', Liara has little social skills due to spending decades on solitary studies. Guess what? She is also a virgin. Ash, not so much. Also, Liara's species lives to be about 1000 and she's 106 so she would be 18-22. However, she is an archeologist specializing in the Protheans, and she did piece together from her research that something happened to the Protheans and organic life before them consistently (which is the Reapers, the main threat within the storyline), so she's clearly not ''stupid''. She states her social inability is from her constant researching in the field and out of it leaving her alone for lengthy amounts of time. Before that, she had [[AllOfTheOtherReindeer an isolated childhood]] due to having an asari father, which is taboo in a society that prizes interspecies relationships to improve genetic diversity. |
| 125 | ** Also averted with [[WrenchWench Tali.]] Lair Of The Shadow Broker allows you to view records relating to your recruited crew, including Tali's suit install/uninstall records. Besides for a... nerve stimulator she installed a lot of human courting manuals. [[LesYay Shepard doesn't even need to be male for Tali to have downloaded them]]. |
| 126 | * Tends to be played straight in the ''Franchise/DragonAge'' universe, most prominently with Alistair in ''[[VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins Origins]]'' and [[CloudCuckooLander Merrill]] in ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII''. |
| 127 | ** Extenuating circumstances: Alistair was raised in a church, and Merrill is suffering from culture clash. They're still easily the most innocent members of their respective parties, though. |
| 128 | * ''VideoGame/Fallout3'' has Sierra Petrovita, a 26-year-old woman who fits this trope to a T. |
| 129 | * Alluded to in ''VideoGame/TalesOfVesperia'' concerning [[TheIngenue Este]][[TheCutie lle]]. When [[RidiculouslyCuteCritter Kowz]] refers to her as [[DoubleEntendre ''Innocent Girl'',]] she is confused and asks [[ChivalrousPervert Raven]] what he meant by that, to which he replies, [[YouDoNotWantToKnow "If you have to ask, you're better off not knowing."]] Subverted, however, when you remember that she's ''extremely'' book-savvy. |
| 130 | * The PG version of the ''Vesperia'' example occurs in ''VideoGame/BreathOfFireII''. [[MsFanservice Katt]] is DumbMuscle. [[TheIngenue Nina]] is TheSmartGirl. DoubleSubverted with [[ReallySevenHundredYearsOld Deis]] / [[DubNameChange Bleu]]; the ReallySevenHundredYearsOld LadyOfBlackMagic who is more than a little bit of a tease. [[NakedFirstImpression Especially more so in the third game]]. |
| 131 | * Princess Cassidy in ''VisualNovel/TheConfinesOfTheCrown'', due to having been kept so excessively sheltered by her parents that she hadn't even seen naked ''statuary''. When the main character commented that there was a difference between men's and women's bodies she replied "Of course. That's why women wear gowns." |
| 132 | [[/folder]] |
| 133 | |
| 134 | [[folder:Webcomics]] |
| 135 | * Matt of ''Webcomic/{{Concession}}'' almost seems to gain 20 IQ points after hooking up with Joel. Most likely related to how badly [[TransparentCloset closeted]] he was before then. |
| 136 | * [[DoubleSubversion Doubly subverted]] in ''Webcomic/{{Flipside}}''. Regina's character is introduced like this, having been raised in a monastery and being utterly shy about anything having to do with relationships. Her lack of self-confidence is the major obstacle to her gaining her next rank as a sorcerer. Subverted when, in the "Silhouette" chapter, she suddenly reappears and starts vamping on the [[ReallyGetsAround not-so-innocent]] Maytag, having apparently lost her innocence in record time. Then subverted again when it turns out [[spoiler:not to be Regina after all]]. |
| 137 | * Jessica in ''Webcomic/{{Loserz}}''. See [[http://the-qlc.com/loserz/go/435 this strip]] (and the following ones). She eventually gets over the first part... which leads to her [[ComingOutStory getting over the second part.]] |
| 138 | * This is seemingly played fairly straight in ''Webcomic/MenageA3'', to begin with; The comic's main protagonist, Gary, starts the story as a naive, geeky virgin who faints every time he sees real naked breasts, and who can be fooled into mistaking a vagina for a mouth while blindfold (it sort of makes sense in context), although he's not entirely stupid in other respects. However, trope-{{avert|edTrope}}ingly, when he eventually loses his virginity, he ''doesn't change''; his problem, it seems, is not being a virgin, it's being a {{geek}}, and specifically being Gary. |
| 139 | * Played straight and subverted at the same time with Norman Gates from ''Webcomic/{{SSDD}}'', [[http://www.poisonedminds.com/d/20020208.html as told in this strip.]] He's a dumb brute, but certainly not innocent. He just seems to genuinely lack those particular cravings, being busy spreading chaos and destruction instead. |
| 140 | * Subverted in ''Webcomic/{{Shortpacked}}'', where the shy and (comparatively) sweet one has "''never'' been the virgin", while the most sex-crazed of the lot never ''quite'' managed to get all the way. |
| 141 | ** Subverted when the aforementioned "sex-crazed" one does have sex... But can't remember it due to being under the influence of [[GRatedDrug Cadbury]] [[ItMakesSenseInContext Eggs]]. She only knows she did it due to a leaked sex tape. She does, however, shake off much of her wacky impulsiveness in the aftermath, in the effort to win back the girlfriend she'd inadvertently betrayed in the previous incident. |
| 142 | ** Joyce from [[Webcomic/DumbingOfAge The Dumbiverse]] embodies this trope. She's not shown to be ''stupid'', but she is extremely naive and socially inept due to her sheltered, heavily-religious background which winds up informing everything she does. |
| 143 | * Ruby in ''Webcomic/StickyDillyBuns'' fits the book-smart version of this trope. She's a university graduate, and also, when she first appears, a snarky, deconstructive sort of [[TheIngenue ingenue]]. She's also a neurotic virgin who believed someone who told her that a skirt made her look "professional and distinguished," is totally nonplussed to [[http://www.stickydillybuns.com/strips-sdb/must_put_a_stop_to_this_right_now see two gay men kissing,]] and has [[http://www.stickydillybuns.com/strips-sdb/now_pucker_up trouble understanding the difference between mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and a kiss.]] Even [[http://www.stickydillybuns.com/strips-sdb/it_is_complex her speech patterns shift]] from [[http://www.stickydillybuns.com/strips-sdb/pretty_for_your_date "educated sarcastic"]] to [[http://www.stickydillybuns.com/strips-sdb/knock_yourself_out "naive pre-teen"]] when she has to deal with matters of love or sex, and [[http://www.stickydillybuns.com/strips-sdb/whatever_is_on_your_mind the prospect of a kiss]] sends her into an [[HeroicBSOD extended fugue]]. How she got through university with this mindset is unclear; her antipathy to sex ''is'' due to [[FreudianExcuse early trauma]]. However, sharing an apartment with [[CampGay lead character Dillon]] gives her a crash course in reality; [[http://www.stickydillybuns.com/strips-sdb/that_is_improper her facial expressions]] soon suggest that she understands ''him'' all too well. On the other hand, she also becomes a YaoiFangirl, after which, anything to do with gay male sex scrambles her brain, presumably due to poorly-repressed sexual urges. |
| 144 | * In ''Webcomic/FauxPas'' Randy is portrayed as incredibly naive for the first [[LongRunner decade]] or so of the strip, especially in regards to sex, his entire knowledge of which comes from soap operas and specific to humans, he and his girlfriend Cindy being foxes. But, after his and Cindy's "honeymoon" he suddenly seems a lot more level-headed and actually acts as a bit of a mentor to NaiveNewcomer Hubert. |
| 145 | [[/folder]] |
| 146 | |
| 147 | [[folder:Web Original]] |
| 148 | * [[WebVideo/TheNostalgiaChick "Fucking virgins, man.]] [[Film/HocusPocus Why do we even have them?"]] |
| 149 | * MK did a multi-part series about fan wishes - not requests of him specifically, just things his fanbase wanted for themselves in general. One posted a comment on one of his previous episodes wishing for mind-blowing sex with a hot woman that resulted in [[AnatomicallyImpossibleSex the release of so much bodily fluid]] [[{{Squick}} it would coat the walls]]. MK's only response: [[DeadpanSnarker "Virgin."]] |
| 150 | [[/folder]] |
| 151 | |
| 152 | [[folder:Western Animation]] |
| 153 | * In ''WesternAnimation/{{Undergrads}}'', Cal is an amiable dolt who at one point is horrified by the fact that he's gone hours without sex, while virtually all of the other characters are both more intelligent and far less sexually experienced. |
| 154 | * In the second episode of ''WesternAnimation/DrawnTogether'', Princess Clara is revealed to be not only a virgin but also hopelessly naive and ignorant about sex, a fact which the [[ReallyGetsAround oversexed]] [[SassyBlackWoman Foxxy Love]] is completely unable to grasp. |
| 155 | -->"It turned out that the princess didn't know a damn thing about sex -- how does she get guys to pay her rent?" |
| 156 | [[/folder]] |
| 157 | |
| 158 | [[folder:Real Life]] |
| 159 | * One French verb for "to lose one's virginity", ''se déniaiser'', basically means "to de-idiot oneself". |
| 160 | ** Given that the standard Biblical euphemism is "To know," the link between obtaining knowledge and... well, de-idioting isn't too hard to follow. |
| 161 | ** Okay, a little etymology here: a "niais" originally literally meant "a hawk which has yet to leave its nest for the first time", by extension it started to mean "someone without worldly experience", at which point ''se déniaiser'' merely meant "losing one's inexperience": the ''niais = idiot'' meaning came later. |
| 162 | * This trope is reversed in real life, as research points to people with higher education losing their virginity later in life. Considering that someone who ''is'' able to spot TheCasanova's intentions from miles away will ''not'' lose her virginity to him, but wait for someone more worthy, remaining a virgin in the meantime, this makes rather more sense. |
| 163 | [[/folder]] |
| 164 |
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