Why Is Bedsheet Virginity Test Still Used To Judge A Bride's Character?

The Bedsheet virginity test of brides is not a recent phenomenon. Centuries have passed and our society still determines the character and izzat of women based on whether their hymen is intact or not. If the bedsheet turns red on the wedding night after sex, the woman is considered pure and sanskari. But if it doesn’t, the bride will have to endure allegations of indulging in pre-marital sex. We know that hymen is not a sure shot marker of a woman's chastity. It is an irrelevant piece of tissue. Yet, society continues to obsess over it, why?

The evil practice of virginity test objectifies brides and reduces their worth to the presence or lack of chastity. A man can have pre-marital sex because promiscuity will make him seem more masculine. however, if a woman does the same, it becomes a question mark on her character.

The bedsheet virginity test recently led to a traumatic ordeal for a woman from Rajasthan’s Sansi community. The community still believes in the bedsheet virginity test and calls it kukdi pratha locally. The 19-year-old bride from Bhilwada district, who got married in May, reportedly failed the virginity test when the white bedsheet remained unstained after the consummation of the wedding. Later, the bride allegedly complained that a neighbour raped her a few months before her marriage. Upon sharing her trauma with her in-laws and husband, she reportedly got beaten up by them. “I could not clear the kukadi test. My husband and mother-in-law beat me up,” she said.

However, later, the woman changed her statement and said, “My in-laws do not believe in kukadi pratha. No such thing happened with me and I am living happily in my married home.” She also added, “I am under no pressure to change my statement…It is a lie spread by the media that I had to go through a virginity test.”

We cannot determine whether the woman changed her statement under pressure or not, but we can surely comment on the relevance of the bedsheet virginity tests in our society. The question here is, why women’s honour and sanskar are attached to her hymen? Why does society measure a woman’s character by her virginity? Why don’t men have to undergo any such virginity tests? Why is it okay for men to have pre-marital sex?

The idea of a bedsheet virginity test is propagated to control the sexual agency of women. It is used to draw a Lakshman Rekha in the lives of women beyond which she will be subjected to crude scrutiny. Moreover, the bedsheet virginity test limits a woman’s agency on her body and life.

Suggested Reading: Glorifying Virginity Can Also Cost Women Their Health

Biology behind hymen

But science has proved that hymen can be ruptured not just by sex. It can also be torn by heavy exercising and other tedious activities. In fact, hymen doesn’t cover the vaginal opening completely and so it is not even a seal. According to Dr Riddhima Shetty, “Hymen is not a complete shield. It already has small holes from where period blood flows out.”. Adding further, Dr Tanaya Narayan says, “If there is a dhakkan/or a seal at the end of the vaginal lining, the period blood would get trapped.”

Dr Shetty also shares statistics which say that 50-60 percent of women have no bleeding during first intercourse. She also adds that the hymen can also while regressive physical activities. And in many cases, women are born without any hymen. Watch the full video ">here.

Even if hymen is ruptured by sex and a woman is not a virgin, still it doesn’t explain the relation between the hymen and sanskar. Having pre-marital sex is not a mistake for which a woman must be guilty. It is just a choice that women make about their sexual lives and bodies.

Moreover, in the case of the Rajasthan bride, her hymen was ruptured allegedly due to rape. In such a situation, is it right to blame a rape survivor for not having sealed hymen and hence a sanskari background? Is it not just another way of victim-blaming women for being raped?

It is high time now that we stop forcing women to undergo age-old customs created by patriarchy. Stained or unstained bedsheets cannot determine a woman's character. It is just a part of their biology and not the determiner of their identity. We need to follow and understand the science behind women’s bodies and stop making them a field of consolidated morality.

Views expressed are the author's own.