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She’s prioritizing her own path.
In 2026, navigating the digital dating scene is no easy feat, yet one 35-year-old woman is resolutely maintaining her standards, particularly when it comes to preserving her virginity.
Lauren Harkins, who has never been in a romantic relationship or shared an intimate moment with someone, also hasn’t experienced a traditional date.
However, this hasn’t deterred the content creator. She staunchly defends her lifestyle choices, identifying herself as a “late bloomer” and asserting that remaining a virgin as an adult is more prevalent than commonly realized.
“There’s no need to label it as ‘late’—people should progress at their own pace. Everyone follows their own unique timeline,” Harkins, who frequently shares her journey on social media, explained to creatorzine.com.
“It’s something I’ve been comfortable sharing, and I see being set apart as a strength,” she said.
Harkins admits that a stigma around being a virgin still exists. The content creator points out that society still “clings to these outdated assumptions around virginity – especially adult virginity – as if it automatically signals something fragile, sheltered, or socially stunted.”
Although many adult virgins don’t openly talk about it, based on the volume of comments and messages I receive, it’s clear there are far more people in that position than most would expect,” she admitted.
Contrary to what most would assume, Harkins isn’t saving herself for marriage or for religious reasons. “There is nothing I love more than being able to shatter these stereotypes, as someone who is continually told I don’t ‘look’ or ‘act’ like a virgin,” she said.
Harkins explained that judgey people usually “claim that I’m lying, ‘expired,’ attention-seeking, narcissistic, you name it.” And at this point, the 35-year-old insists none of it fazes her.
Despite it all, Harkins is hopeful that she will find her happily ever after one day, but isn’t in a rush. “I don’t feel the need to force anything; I’d rather wait for the relationship – and the man – that feels genuinely meant for me.”
To further validate her decision, Harkins said that she found comfort in the fact that singer Lizzo recently admitted to losing her virginity in 2020 after promising herself she wouldn’t have sex until she won a Grammy award.
The 37-year-old singer admitted to originally lying about it, implying she already had sex — but when Harkins learned this, she was relieved. “It’s refreshing when someone is honest about something that’s usually kept hidden,” she said.
“What stood out most to me wasn’t the timeline, but the fact that she made a personal decision and stood by it,” she added.