VBB 281 Amanda McCracken

VIRGIN.BEAUTY.B!TCH

Amanda is an internationally published journalist writing stories about relationships, travel, and wellness. In 2013, she wrote an essay that changed my life entitled “Does My Virginity Have a Shelf Life?” It caused a flood of retorts when it debuted in The New York Times. Ironically, feminists and misogynists attacked Amana’s decision to remain abstinent. It was as if a woman not having sexual intercourse is a woman who is somehow not complete. And it’s not like the girl wasn’t trying; by age 40, Amanda had dated over 100 men. She recalls dating physicists, army captains, a strip club bouncer, a philosopher, a professional country singer, a peace-treaty negotiator, a yacht captain, a waste management baron, a professional athlete, a farming landscape painter, firefighter, ER doctor, a minister, and a retired CIA spy. Christopher & Heather spoke with Amanda in 2020, shortly after finding what she had been waiting for this whole time: mutual love with someone who accepted her virginity as a gift. Amanda was also celebrating being pregnant with her first child. Unfortunately, the scorn Amanda endured as a woman determining her own sexual path remains a pressure women feel around the man-made construct we call The Virgin. Join VBB as we explore The Virgin archetype over four weeks and four unique episodes. As a preview, enjoy our conversation with Amanda, the 40-year-old Virgin.