Women’s virginity, particularly upper-class and noble-born women’s virginity, is historically one of the most valuable global commodities. It was often women’s only commodity, one that was bought, traded, and sold by the men who gave them away at the altar; in ancient Rome, marriage vows were traded between a bride’s father and her husband-to-be. Understanding women’s virginity as an economic good that, for most of history, was owned by men puts other aspects of women’s sexual experiences into perspective. Historically, rape is a property crime; a rapist is ruining another man’s property, not
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