Betwixt The Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society

Episode Title: How To Fake Virginity
Host: Dr. Kate Lister
Guest: Dr. Julia Martins (Living History)
Release Date: October 24, 2025

Overview

In this engaging and irreverent episode, Dr. Kate Lister and sex historian Dr. Julia Martins dive deep into the enigmatic—and often absurd—history of virginity, with a focus on the social, medical, and cultural mechanisms devised to test and fake virginity throughout the ages. Ranging from medieval nostril examinations to leeches and pig’s blood on wedding sheets, the conversation is both eye-opening and darkly humorous. The hosts shed light on patriarchal anxieties, the complexities of gender and sex, and the perennial invention and reinvention of the “proof” of chastity—all with their signature wit and clarity.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Elusive Concept of Virginity

• Definition Fluidity: Julia emphasizes how “virginity” is slippery and entirely socially constructed.
  • Quote: “Even virginity, which we're talking about today, it can be an elusive concept. It seems straightforward when you think about it at first, but in reality, what is virginity? It’s not as easy as you might expect.” (06:37 – Dr. Julia Martins)
• Cultural Context: What counts? Penetrative sex? Masturbation? Anal sex? Oral sex? The answer depends on time and place.
• St. Augustine Anecdote: Trying to verify a woman’s virginity could, according to Augustine, “destroy” it—illustrating the paradox.

Why Is Female Virginity So Heavily Policed?

• Patriarchy in Practice: The obsession stems from inheritance, legitimacy, and ultimately, property and power.
  • Quote: “You can't win. You absolutely cannot win. I mean, when you strip it all back. It's about control, really.” (10:29 – Kate Lister)
• Double Standards: Men’s virginity rarely scrutinized; women’s is imposed upon for familial and societal control.

Medical Myths and Virginity Testing

• The Hymen Myth:
  • The “hymen” as a sign of virginity is a relatively late fabrication—not commonly cited before the 15th century.
  • Not all people have a hymen; it’s not a reliable indicator.
  • Quote: “There's this idea that the hymen is almost like a Tupperware lid that goes over a pot... and then it’s just—it's just nonsense.” (15:51 – Kate Lister)
• Testing Methods:
  • Medieval/early modern ‘tests’ included the two-finger tightness test, urine clarity (“sparkling like Prosecco!”), nipple color, nostril width, and neck girth.
  • Quote: “Your urine as a virgin was supposed to be really clear. Sometimes it's described as white or even sparkling... I imagine it like, kind of, I don't know, like Prosecco vibes, I guess.” (37:02 – Dr. Julia Martins)
  • Little to no scientific basis; often more about control than accuracy.

How Women Faked Virginity

• Social Pressure:
  • High stakes for brides to ‘perform’ virginity, leading to a cottage industry of methods and recipes.
• Wife vs. Sex Worker:
  • Brides might only need a one-off performance; sex workers needed sustainable, less harmful tactics.
    • Sex Worker’s Technique: The famous “Fanny Hill” sponge soaked in blood, clever sleight of hand, and dramatic acting.
      • Quote: “There is a story called the London Jilt... For there is nothing more advantageous to a woman that drives this trade... than to appear to be a novice in it.” (33:17 – Dr. Julia Martins)
• Common Fake Methods:
  • Insertion of berry juice (safer), pig’s blood, animal bladders, or even leeches to cause bleeding.
    • Leech Example: “If you had a leech inside of you, which would cause a wound, essentially... you would bleed. So... you are bleeding for your husband. So I think, honestly, it should count.” (23:26 – Dr. Julia Martins)
  • Use of drying and astringent herbs (plantain, comfrey, alum) to falsely create “tightness.”
  • The infamous “bloody sheets” tradition, though not as universal as commonly believed.

Cultural and Pornographic Obsession with ‘Defloration’

• Virginity & Disease:
  • 18th century obsession, partly from the belief that only virgins were “safe” against syphilis.
• Imperialist Parallels:
  • The language of “virgin land” echoes in imperial conquest and sexual dominance.
    • Quote: “...there are parallels to be made with imperialism as well, because there's this idea of men going into virgin land territory and making their mark.” (31:17 – Dr. Julia Martins)
• Male Ego:
  • The expectation that men “prove” their prowess through “defloration.”

Lasting Impact and Modern Echoes

• Persistence of Myths:
  • Hymen repair surgeries, virginity pledges, and ongoing “tests” reflect how old beliefs persist in new forms.
  • Quote: “The idea of virginity is still with us and it's still very powerful today, and it's still a nonsense. So the idea that you can test for it... is still faulty science, and it still happens to this day.” (41:24 – Kate Lister)
• Gender Double Standard Endures:
  • Societal value for men in “experience” vs. women in “purity.”
  • False beliefs about vaginal “tightness” and promiscuity.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Absurdity of Tests:
  • “They're just gonna open their legs and then like music by Enya would play or something... Or it's just, it's like there's a best before date stamped on it.” (16:56 – Kate Lister)
• On Agency and Performance:
  • “It's as easy to make [virginity] as a pudding—that you just created it, you just made it, you just faked it.” (34:04 – Kate Lister quoting Charlotte Hazer)
• On Control:
  • “But all of it was used to so powerfully control people.” (39:39 – Kate Lister)
• On Survivor Wit:
  • “I admire the creativity, but... a nasty game to play all the same. But I guess don’t hate the player, hate the game.” (40:49 – Kate Lister)
• Dr. Julia's Hope for the Future:
  • “I wish—I hope—we're going towards a place where it doesn't matter and it's not a part of your identity. It doesn't define you or your worth, ideally.” (42:30 – Dr. Julia Martins)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 02:00–04:50 – Introduction: The absurdity of virginity and purity standards
• 05:17–06:37 – Julia’s path to body/sex history scholarship
• 07:02–09:14 – What is virginity? The impossible definitions and early Christian takes
• 10:29–10:36 – Patriarchy, inheritance, and the drive for control
• 12:21–13:37 – Myths about the hymen and “proof” of virginity
• 15:09–16:07 – The contemporary persistence of hymen myths (“Tupperware lid” analogy)
• 16:34–17:29 – Ridiculousness of virginity tests (tightness, two-finger test)
• 20:26–21:59 – Stakes for brides and sex workers, performance of purity
• 22:09–23:29 – Medieval recipes: berry juice, leeches, and herbs for faking virginity
• 25:13–27:20 – Della Porta and the commodification/censorship of “restoring virginity”
• 27:44–28:39 – The bloody sheets custom: fact vs. myth
• 29:07–30:35 – 18th-century deflowering obsession, venereal disease panic
• 32:24–33:17 – Sex worker trickery and the performative aspect of “virginity”
• 37:02–38:23 – Bizarre non-genital virginity ‘tests’ (urine, nipples, nostrils)
• 39:36–40:49 – The ultimate power play: control by any means
• 41:24–43:22 – Modern vestiges: surgery, “virginity bands,” hypocrisy persists
• 45:07–46:38 – Disproving the “eternal” myth of virginity

Resources & Where to Find Guest

• Dr. Julia Martins – Living History:
  • YouTube Channel
  • Blog, Instagram, and other social platforms under @LivingHistoryDrJuliaMartins

Closing Thoughts

With humor and candor, this episode exposes the ludicrous and sometimes harrowing history of virginity as a social construct. Whether with pig’s blood, leeches, or “sparkly” urine, the real trick has always been navigating the double standards and controls placed on women’s bodies—an issue that remains all too relevant today. As Lister sums up: “Don’t hate the player, hate the game.”