Does the idea of a thirty year old virgin athelete genuinely play well in America?

[jz78817]

Originally Posted by astro

If a man is attractive enough \

yeah, well, some of us got the shit end of that stick.

[Green Rosetta]

It seems to me that even the devout in the US think it's weird to be a virgin at 30. The prevailing attitude I've found (no cite, just personal experience) is that saving yourself for marriage is all well and good, but that most people who practice abstinence before marriage get married ASAP. Like, 22 or 23. Not 30. I don't think it's the virginity that's weird- it's the fact that she is 30 and has yet to meet "someone." I follow her on Twitter, and a lot of her tweets say things like, "Watching a marathon of 4 Weddings- want to tear my hair out!! Where is he????" So she gives the impression that, though she may be savng herself for marriage, it's not like she's beating them away with a stick. Maybe, in reality, she's a virgin for the same reason that lots of people who aren't religious are- they just haven't met anyone who will have sex with them. I find it disingenous that she makes it look like it's for a religious purpose when it might be that she is really insecure or annoying or socially awkward or any number of reasons. She isn't some mythical pure virgin in the classical sense, preserving her chastity just to please the Lord. You get the sense she'd probably be rid of that virginity right quick if Tim Tebow came along.

[Hippy Hollow]

I think some of this is semantic squabbling over the bigger issue. Lolo Jones is a good, not great athlete. While she's had some success nationally, she hasn't done well on the international stage. And there isn't a lot of financial reward, sadly, in track and field for women... unless you are able to snag endorsement deals.

While not particularly my cup of tea, I can see how others can find Lolo Jones attractive. And with a compelling backstory, any number of marketers might think she has a future in endorsements. I don't think for a second her letting slip that she was a virgin was motivated by anything other than an opportunity to create a buzz and cast herself as an "America's Sweetheart" type. It sort of backfired, though, when she came up short, and in fact, she didn't medal. The Anna Kournikova effect, if you will (though you could argue that Kournikova was a more successful athlete than Jones).

As cloying as the Tebow circus has been at times, I think the guy's a true believer, and he has the benefit of being great (at least on the amateur level) at a highly visible sport. I don't think he messages constantly that he's a virgin - he probably said this in the context of his religious beliefs, and everyone knows it. But Lolo had to scream it from the treetops to get the needed buzz - and namedrop Tebow at the same time. As many have noted, I'm sure there's a good cross-sections of Olympians who are virgins as well, but most of them didn't feel the need to broadcast it on a national TV show.

She chose to engage with the media this way, and she should have known (or gotten advice) that if she didn't actually perform well at the Olympics, there was going to be an inevitable backlash. Which will likely be followed with some form of acceptance. So I think she will in fact eke out some endorsements after this is over.

[StusBlues]

Originally Posted by Green Rosetta

It seems to me that even the devout in the US think it's weird to be a virgin at 30. The prevailing attitude I've found (no cite, just personal experience) is that saving yourself for marriage is all well and good, but that most people who practice abstinence before marriage get married ASAP. Like, 22 or 23. Not 30. I don't think it's the virginity that's weird- it's the fact that she is 30 and has yet to meet "someone." I follow her on Twitter, and a lot of her tweets say things like, "Watching a marathon of 4 Weddings- want to tear my hair out!! Where is he????" So she gives the impression that, though she may be savng herself for marriage, it's not like she's beating them away with a stick. Maybe, in reality, she's a virgin for the same reason that lots of people who aren't religious are- they just haven't met anyone who will have sex with them. I find it disingenous that she makes it look like it's for a religious purpose when it might be that she is really insecure or annoying or socially awkward or any number of reasons. She isn't some mythical pure virgin in the classical sense, preserving her chastity just to please the Lord. You get the sense she'd probably be rid of that virginity right quick if Tim Tebow came along.

Interesting take. I know a woman who was (claimed to be) a virgin past 30. She was a perfectly attractive young lady, perhaps a trifle heavy, but wouldn't be snubbed for her looks. Her reasons were eminently religious, which I respect. Her quandary, as I observed it, was that she was really into steampunk and similiar culture-geek movements. I imagine it's a little tough to find someone who shares her brand of religiousity and also meets her standards of steampunk chic. (Most steampunk folks I know are on the sexually decadent side, though this may say more about my sphere of acquaintance than it does about steampunks.)

I might guess that Ms. Jones is in a similar boat. Perfectly attractive, but very choosy, and perhaps not open (so to speak) to men who do not share her faith convictions and level of fitness and physical devotion.

[monstro]

Hippy, I didn't want to say anything about her losing, but yeah. Ouch for her. I learned that she had played up the virginal thing (I was late to the Lolo hype) after she'd lost her chance at winning a medal. And my first thought was, "I hope baby girl got a consolation prize for all that trouble."

She was heart broken about all the negative press she got, and I feel bad that it turned out the way it did for her. In hindsight, it seems like a dumb move to put your business out in the streets like she did, and so transparently too. But hindsight is always 20/20.

[Blackberry]

Originally Posted by Green Rosetta

Maybe, in reality, she's a virgin for the same reason that lots of people who aren't religious are- they just haven't met anyone who will have sex with them.

Are you serious? Maybe she hasn't found exactly the man she wants, but I'm sure she's met thousands of people who would love to have sex with her. Any woman who isn't hideous can get sex all she wants, and Lolo Jones is far from hideous.

Originally Posted by Hippy Hollow

I don't think for a second her letting slip that she was a virgin was motivated by anything other than an opportunity to create a buzz and cast herself as an "America's Sweetheart" type.

I didn't know any of that (I don't follow sports). Sounds like you're right.
Well, I bet she's getting a lot of interest from men who have a virgin fetish, anyway.

[Simple Linctus]

A virgin fetish is one of those things that makes sense more for porn than actual sex (a bit like sex with young girls) which makes me curious as to why as far as I can think there are little or no videos of genuine deflowering. Why don't people make them?

Edit: actually I'm gonna ask the porn guy in CS.

[Sicks Ate]

She complains about not being able to find 'the one', but the fact that she's still a virgin may be actively working aginst her, now. I, for one, would probably steer clear of a 30-year old virgin...even if she was that hot. It's a red flag that there are deep issue there.

[StusBlues]

Medical question: with all those years of hurdle jumping, her hymen is almost certainly a thing of the past regardless of coitus, yes?

[jz78817]

cripes, it's like I've stumbled back into my high-school locker room.

[Hippy Hollow]

Originally Posted by monstro

Hippy, I didn't want to say anything about her losing, but yeah. Ouch for her. I learned that she had played up the virginal thing (I was late to the Lolo hype) after she'd lost her chance at winning a medal. And my first thought was, "I hope baby girl got a consolation prize for all that trouble."

She was heart broken about all the negative press she got, and I feel bad that it turned out the way it did for her. In hindsight, it seems like a dumb move to put your business out in the streets like she did, and so transparently too. But hindsight is always 20/20.

I think I was aware of Lolo Jones well before the Olympics, but not all of her, er, other attributes. There's a fine line between "having a great storyline" and getting lost in the story and not producing. Lolo took it to the next level, and it caused considerable consternation among her more successful, medaling teammates, Dawn Harper and Kellie Wells. Some people gave them wreck for making those statements, but I can understand their frustration - it's their moment in the sun, and everybody's talking about Lolo and her virginity?

It's kind of a Dan vs. Dave kind of thing. When the marketing gets ahead of the sport, people will try to trim you down a notch. In Lolo's defense she did qualify for the games, but homegirl should have gone all in getting ready for the medal and then came out with the virgin interview stuff. Look at Gabby Douglass. That young lady can say any fool thing she wants now, because she has a freakin' gold medal. (I don't expect a whole lot of provocative talk from a 15 year old, but she can go there if she wants!)

I sense we'll see Lolo on some reality television shows in the near future.