upworthy

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via @Book_Mama/TikTok
Cayce LaCorte explains why virginity doesn't exist.

The concept of virginity is a very loaded issue in American culture. If a woman loses hers when she's too young she can be slut-shamed. If a man remains a virgin for too long, he can be bullied for not being manly enough. There is also a whole slew of religious mind games associated with virginity that can give people some serious psychological problems associated with sex.

Losing one's virginity has also been blown up way beyond proportion. It's often believed that it's a magical experience—it's usually not. Or that after having sex for the first time people can really start to enjoy living life—not the case. What if we just dropped all of the stigmas surrounding virginity and instead, replaced them with healthy attitudes toward sex and relationships?

Writer Cayce LaCorte is going viral on TikTok for the simple way she's taught her five daughters to think about virginity: They don't have to.


virginity, viral tiktok, parenting girls, mom, girls, parenting, motherhood, sex, dating, teens, loveLessons in "purity' unfortunately start very young for many girls. Photo by Jonathan Borba on Unsplash

LaCorte shared her parenting ideas on TikTok in response to mom-influencer Nevada Shareef's question: "Name something about the way you raised your kids that people think is weird but you think is healthy."

"I'm gonna get a lot of shit for this, but what are you gonna do?" she said in the video. "I'm raising my five daughters to believe that there is no such thing as virginity."



When it comes to explaining the "why," LaCorte had some extremely strong words on the matter.

"It is a patriarchal concept used to control women and serves no purpose other than making women feel bad about ourselves," she explained. "Just because some guy randomly sticks his penis in you at some point in your life, it does not change your worth. It does not change who you are. It doesn't do anything other than it happened."

LaCorte isn't wrong. Many cultures place a high value on virginity, almost always on female virginity, and the concept is heavily linked with male-ownership and tracking male-lineage. In the middle ages, it was widely believed that if a man had sex with a woman, that he "owned" her and any man shown to have married a "false virgin" was entitled to compensation. The methods for determining and proving virginity were barbaric and akin to the Salem witch trials. Safe to say, there wasn't a lot of due process available for women then!

The mom also responded to those who may criticize her for encouraging promiscuity.

"Sex is important. It's a big deal; it should always be a big deal. It has nothing to do with your first time. It's just ridiculous. The whole concept is ridiculous," the video explained. We can teach our kids to value sex and be extremely careful about who they share physical intimacy without tying in outdated ideas of purity, or that something will be "lost" after they engage in sex.

virginity, viral tiktok, parenting girls, mom, girls, parenting, motherhood, sex, dating, teens, loveYou don't "lose" anything when you have sex for the first time.Giphy

LaCorte also believes that sex shouldn't be so closely associated with one's moral character. In other words, so what if someone is promiscuous? Does having a lot of sexual partners make you a bad person? Again, it's a double-standard applied far more heavily to girls. Men who have lots of sex are revered for it.

"I'm raising them to be good people and have solid foundations and make their own choices and make intelligent choices. Not because some book says not to," she concluded the video.

The video made a lot of people realize that virginity is so ingrained in our society that the concept is rarely questioned.

"I never really thought about this to be honest," one commenter wrote. "I will absolutely be adopting this!! Thank you for sharing."

"I have 2 girls, and I think this is how I will teach them when they are older. This would have made me feel more self worth when I was younger," Samantha wrote.

virginity, viral tiktok, parenting girls, mom, girls, parenting, motherhood, sex, dating, teens, loveWomen are judged for losing their virginity; men are mocked for failing to do so.Giphy

LaCorte's comments about women and virginity need to be heard. But there should also be more discussion around how men also fight the stigma associated with virginity.

Another user added, "The boys need to hear this too - we need to change the conversation and misconception," making the astute point that boys are mocked for not having sex, or for not having enough of it. For kids all of sexes and genders, we need to remove the idea that being a virgin, or not, has any sort of weight on your value as a human being.

There's an unwritten law that says men must lose their virginity by the age of 18 or by at least 21 or that somehow they are less of a man. For men that are virgins into their 20s, "Sex goes from being something to be enjoyed to a giant monolith of titanic proportions that casts a shadow over everything they do and who they are," dating coach Harris O'Malley writes.

Sex is a tricky issue that everyone should be able to approach in their own way, at their own time. It's great that LaCorte's video has gone viral for illustrating the fact that virginity is just another obstacle on the road to sexual maturity that shouldn't factor into whether we decide to have sex or not.

This article originally appeared three years ago. It has been updated.

Joy

Woman in hysterics after learning why her Hinge date thought she was 'blind'

"Sorry, I hope you don't mind me asking, are you blind?"

A woman laughing at her computer.

Online dating is full of pitfalls. People can be picky and superficial, and if you can set up a date, you’re lucky if they look like the person in the picture. As if that weren’t enough, when you’re communicating over an app, there can be a lot of misunderstandings.

Becky_cxx, a woman in England who is very candid about her dating life on TikTok, had a hilarious misunderstanding with a potential suitor, and many understand how the mix-up happened from her photos. "You ain't gonna believe this," Becky began her video. "Some guy has just messaged me on Hinge saying, 'Sorry, I hope you don't mind me asking, are you blind?'" Becky said, totally blown away by the assumption. “What do you mean, ‘Am I blind?’”

@becky_cxx

I am dead 💀 🤣🤣🤣😅😭 #fup #fyp #foruyou #foryoupage #funny #relatable #dating #hinge

The man gave a pretty solid reason why he made that assumption. "A few reasons. But the main one is I thought that was a stick in your second-to-last photo,” the man said, referencing a photo that Becky took by a bridge where she appears to be holding a white cane, or a stick, as the English say.

"Let me show you the picture," she said. "It's London Bridge. That is a light, not a white stick.” It’s clear from the photo that she is standing next to a light resembling the white cane a blind person would use. The bright light also looks a bit like she’s holding a lightsaber, which would be great if she were into dating nerds.

In a follow-up video, Becky shared the other reasons he thought she may be blind, and he’s not wrong. She is wearing very large sunglasses in one photo, and in the others, she doesn’t look at the camera. Becky insists they are meant to be candid, but that doesn’t help her case. It is totally reasonable, from her photos, to think that she is visually impaired.

@becky_cxx

Time for a refresh x #fup #foru #foruyou #foryoupage #funny #relatable #funnytiktok.

The man’s mistake made Becky rethink her experience on Hinge. Could her photos have turned off countless men who weren’t ready to date someone who is blind? "I've got a complex. Do I look...Have I made myself look like something I'm not? I don't know. Is this why I'm getting no matches? I can't believe it, honestly. Is this my sign to just delete? I'm lost for words, genuinely," she said.

The sweet part is that the man didn’t mind whether she was blind or not. “Of course, it wouldn't be a problem if you were,” he wrote. This alone is reason enough to consider going out on a date with him.

Given the picture, many people thought that the man was right to assume that she used a cane to walk. "I’m sorry, but the reason he gave was valid," the most popular commenter wrote. "Now you’ve shown the photo, I can’t unsee it," another added. Another thought the fact he noticed the potential cane was a green flag. "I cackled. At least he bothered looking at your profile, and he’s perceptive," they wrote.

Canva Photos

You can buy curses, potions, and spells on Etsy now.

Unrequited love—we've all been there, right? Rejection sucks, even when it's self-rejection in the form of being too afraid to tell someone you have feelings for them. It hurts to keep it inside, and it hurts to get shot down. If only there was a better way!

Some people believe that there might be. While it may not be possible to just snap your fingers and make someone fall in love with you, potions, spells, and other forms of witchcraft promise to bring you basically the same result. What's great is that, in 2025, you can hire a witch to do your romantic bidding on the Internet from the comfort of your own home!

One woman recently decided to take a chance on a magical love spell, and got way more than she bargained for.

Yes, it sounds like the opening backstory montage of a Disney movie, but this one takes place in our very real world. A TikTok user named Corinne recently shared the embarrassing story of witchcraft gone wrong in a thirteen second video clip. Previously, she had decided to pony up a few bucks for a "love spell" on her crush.

A similar product description from a different seller on Etsy describes it like this: "Dive into the deepest, most powerful realms of black magic with this LOVE OBSESSION Spell, designed to create an unbreakable bond of passion, obsession, and undying love. This is not just any love spell; it’s an advanced black magic voodoo ritual, tailored to ignite intense passion and force someone to obsess over you—an emotional, irresistible connection that can't be broken."

As of this writing, the spell costs an eyebrow-raising $66.

But people have certainly done crazier things for love! Unfortunately, once Corrine's order was processed, the seller turned out to be a bit of a backstabber.

“Guys the Etsy witch told on me,” she said in the social media video, clearly upset and humiliated. “I said the guy’s name, his birthday and stuff, and she literally DM’d him on Instagram and exposed me.”

"So much for supporting small businesses" she added in the video's caption.

@andtheg4gis

So much for supporting small businesses 😭 #etsywitch #lovespell #fyp #foryou

The video quickly went viral to the tune of two million views. Commenters were furious on Corrine's behalf.

Whether or not you believe in the occult, it's pretty screwed up to out someone like that, right? One user called the betrayal a HIPPA violation:

"AW NAH THAT'S A WIPPA VIOLATION," one joked.

"Genuinely like report that to Etsy that's so crazy"

"u better have disputed that charge babe"

"Imagine getting a 'hey girly' text from a witch"

"oh baby you gotta tell the elder witches"

Probably the best advice was for Corrine to own up to the whole thing with an outrageous level of confidence:

"GIRL DOUBLE DOWNN!! dm him n say 'did it work?'"

"Did it work" is such an amazing line, I'm mad I didn't think of it."

witches, witchcraft, love, love spells, love potion, relationships, dating, romance, women, girls, internet, tiktok, funnyJust your basic witch supplies. Photo by Content Pixie on Unsplash

The whole wild story brings up so many questions. For starters, is it ethical for psychics and witches to perform these "services" for money?

Witches have become super popular on Etsy, but that doesn't mean that everything is on the up-and-up. There's quite a bit of evidence that psychic powers and witchcraft aren't real and can not be verified by science. So there's been fierce debate for years over whether people should actually be allowed to sell psychic/witch services. Isn't the entire industry inherently misleading? Does it exist to prey on vulnerable people who are desperate for good news or a positive outcome in their life Then again, maybe it's not all about the outcome. Maybe believing in an unexplained power and using it for selfish reasons can be cathartic. Just ask all the people spending their hard-earned money paying Etsy witches to "curse" certain hated political and public figures.

If we assume all parties know that a "love spell" won't actually work — what's the harm in ritualistically throwing yourself at the mercy of the universe and asking for a break? Even if it costs a couple of bucks?

Jeffrey Moriarty, a professor of philosophy at Bentley University, argues in a paper that psychic services should be allowed for sale provided customers are not being lied to or mislead, "even though much of the money spent on them will be money wasted."

If we assume that certain parties really do believe a love spell will work and "make" a person fall in love with them... well, that brings up even more ethical questions, doesn't it? Consent, free will. It's an extremely messy witches brew, that's for sure.

As for Corrine, her story has a happy ending. After getting a deluge of viral fame and advice, she decided to perform a love ritual herself!

People encouraged her to take matters into her own hands, so she did.


@andtheg4gis

UPDATE!! I sooo have my man back (that is, if he doesn’t look down😭) #etsywitch #lovespell #update #fyp #foryou #foryoupage

"I wrote his name on the bottom of my foot," she says in an update a few days later. "Dipped it in a jar of manuka honey. Literally 20 minutes later he texted me asking what I was doing tonight. So now I'm going over."

All's well that ends well. But the lesson is to never trust a witch unless they've got a perfect five-star Etsy rating. Otherwise? You're better off performing your own spells.

Health

Woman records Zoom video of getting fired, and it's a stunning example of self-advocacy

“This feels like being fired by three high school freshmen.”

A woman on a Zoom call.

Karson Bree, a graphic designer, is going viral on TikTok for posting a video of herself getting terminated last year over Zoom. It came on the heels of being part of a staff reduction at another employer a few months before. The video has caught the public’s attention because of how strongly she stood up for herself in the meeting and how woefully unprepared her coworkers were to deal with the termination. Karson had worked for the magazine for 69 days and felt she never had the support to succeed.

The video begins with Karson speaking to two fellow employees, Julie and Kendall, and an HR representative. At the beginning of the call, she is told her position is being “terminated immediately.” When she asks why she wasn’t a “great fit,” she is greeted with a nine-second silence. Then, finally, she is told that it’s because the publication “went out late” and there were typos. Karson insists that the delay in publishing and typos were her boss, Julie’s, fault.

@babyplight

Sharing my layoff video from last year cause why not. 🤷‍♀️😅 For context: I took a position with a local company known for treating employees poorly and was run by a woman who couldn't pronounce or spell words like, "Mahjong" despite being the Editor in Chief, and wrote her editor letters via voice note and later edited by an actual editor. I had no training, onboarding (literally set up my own HR documents and everything.), and had to teach myself new software that almost no one but last employees knew how to use. It was a shit show, and this was the first time ever that I was receiving any type of feedback about my work. Enjoy! #layoffs #laidoff #layoff

“As my direct report, I never felt like you stepped up and asked me if I could use help. I received very little feedback from you, and often there were times where I did reach out to you without being told anything or having any reply or response whatsoever," Karson told Julie.

“I feel like I’ve done every step of the way of trying to do this job to the best of my abilities, and quite frankly, you’ve made it very difficult,” she continued. “If I had been given materials in enough time, I would have been able to design, to design a little bit better…when it comes down to it, the publications being sent out late were not of my fault. I want that to be clear. It was not my fault.”

hr, termination, fired, lost job, employment, zoom meeting, A notice of termination.via Canva/Photos

After Karson roasted her boss about not being supportive and emailing her at 11 p.m. the night before being terminated, Julie’s response was curt: “Thank you for the feedback.” Karson then criticized the team’s leadership for lacking the strengths to make a quality magazine and ended the call with a final kiss-off to her boss.

“Sincerely, Julie, I hope you take this as a growth opportunity because every step of this since starting, my biggest frustration was working with you. And I want that to be known,” she said, noting that she never received any feedback until she was terminated. “It’s been lovely working with you, Kendall. I cannot say the same for you, Julie. Have a great day.”

“They were so ill-prepared for this call," one of the commenters wrote. “This feels like being fired by three high school freshmen.” After the video went viral, Karson made a follow-up where she shared how things turned out after losing her job.

@babyplight

#lifeupdate Thanks for following! Here's my update of what came after the viral layoff video! (Sorry for all the ums! I still get a bit nervous sharing on here.) I'll talk more about what layoff looks like for designer ls in another video, but for full transparency wanted to share why I'm currently in a weird gray area. Changes are weird, and life is strange. I'm feeling so much more fulfilled having stepped away from design work for a bit, and encourage everyone to do what is best for you. 🫶💕 #update #laidoff #layoff #karsonbree #viral

Shortly after being terminated, she found a job at an ad agency where she worked for about six months, but unfortunately, after a brief time of optimism, she began to experience some serious burnout. “I hit some really intense burnout while there,” she recalled. “I realized I wanted a different set of priorities in life.” After that, she got a job as a shopkeeper at a store called Johnny and June, where the owners support her in trying to find her next chapter in life.

“They've given me such a beautiful and safe space to really focus on my mental health. To take a step back and reevaluate what I wanna do in my career,” she said. “I just feel so much more fulfilled and happy.”