Your clothes are coming off, there’s a naked person in front of you and you have no clue what’s going on. Sound familiar? For me and many others, this is an accurate description of the classic ‘losing your v-card’ scenario. Losing your virginity has, is and always will be a major milestone in a person’s life. Everyone has a different story, and from my own personal experience, I’ve learned that those stories can be extremely unique.

My Story

I was 16 and a junior in high school. I thought I might have been in love, and I figured it was going to happen sometime. So why not now? It was a Wednesday afternoon. I went over to his house and the deed was done.

Right after, I looked around his room and hated myself for a second. I couldn’t believe I lost my virginity to a guy with duck sheets and camouflage wallpaper. A couple weeks later, I stopped hearing from him, and that was that.

There’s not much to tell; my experience was unfortunately not unique. And there were aspects of my experience that other people can relate to:

10 Questions I Asked Myself During

1. Is this going to get me pregnant?

2. Why does this hurt so much?

3. Is he in this much pain too?

4. How obvious is it that I have no clue what I’m doing?

5. Why am I so naked?

6. Is this how they do it in the movies?

7. Why is he so naked?

8. When will this be over?

9. Do I look him in the eyes?

10. How awkward will this be after?

Fortunately, I made it out alive, and even through the confusion and awkwardness, I came out virginity-free. I’m sure other sexually active people can relate to the thoughts I had during sex. Everyone else can look forward to the disorientation of the whole scenario.

It’s easy to assume that all college students have conquered this big task. But I know the reality— there is a large population of virgins walking around campus, which is OK. I think there is a negative stigma surrounding virgins in college, but like I said before, losing your virginity is a different experience for everyone.

Whether it has already happened or yet to come, the day when you finally lose your virginity will be a memorable moment for all parties involved. After all, you’re crossing a gate into the big, scary, exciting, thrilling world of sex, and look how much it has to offer.

There’s a reason losing your virginity is such a big deal. So let’s rejoice in the hype and look fondly back at the story we’ll tell when we’re old and grey.

Emma Videk-Benjamin can be reached at [email protected] or @gnarlyemma on Twitter.