The dangerous myth that the hymen is Do every women bleed in first time sex?

some sort of "seal" that totally "shuts" the vagina until it "breaks" or "pops" the first time a woman has penetrative sex, and that "blood on the sheets" is necessary "proof" of women's "virginity"-is one that sadly remains prevalent even today.

The hymen is just a small bit of stretchy tissue found around the vaginal opening that serves no significant function-and yet it has been overhyped and misrepresented throughout history, to perpetuate misogyny and surveil and control women's sexual and bodily agency.

Hymens typically only partially cover the vaginal opening, and the amount and shape of hymenal tissue present varies from person to person. Some people are even born without a hymen.

Presence or absence of hymenal tissue, and bleeding or not bleeding during sex - do not establish anything conclusive about whether someone is a "virgin" or not. (Also, who cares?! it's 2023 ffs!)

And btw, an "imperforate" hymen- meaning a hymen that totally covers the vagina, with no opening, - is a rare congenital anomaly that tends to require surgery as even menstrual blood cannot exit.