Virginity Makes You Stupid: Difference between revisions

On the upside, these characters will seldom be downright nasty. While some virgins are inept-but-harmless, most are examples of [[Dumb Is Good]]. They're usually [[Nice Guy|sweet-natured and kind]] - you just wouldn't want them on your quiz team. In fact, their pleasant demeanor is one of the qualities that makes the opposite sex ([[Even the Guys Want Him|and sometimes the same sex]]) ''[[Nature Adores a Virgin|want]]'' to sleep with them, whether it's because they appreciate these nice qualities... [[Forbidden Fruit|or because they can't resist the challenge of deflowering an "innocent"]].

 

 

 

Rather than being shamed or punished for losing their virginity, a character is promoted. Their [[Sex As Rite of Passage|sexual initiation]] will [[Epiphany Therapy|magically solve all of their personality "problems"]] and they will usually become more capable, [[Rounded Character|rounded characters]].

 

 

See also: [[My Girl Is Not a Slut]], [[A Man Is Not a Virgin]]. In the context of musical theatre, this character will ALWAYS be [[The Soprano]] or a [[Tenor Boy]] (frequently called a "dolt-boy"). Compare [[Innocent Bigot]] and [[Innocently Insensitive]]; contrast [[Virgin Power]]. Exceptions to the "nice-but-dim" virgin rule occur when there is a [[Chaste Hero]] or [[Amazon Brigade]] running the show - even then, expect their virginity to be challenged (and more likely than not, relinquished) at some point in the plot.

 

== Anime & Manga ==

* In the anime version of [[Valkyria Chronicles]], this was reasonably inferred from the game about the protagonist Welkin Gunther, but the anime goes on to show that if Welkin has a fault aside from being a little too much of a [[Nice Guy]], it's this trope. In college, he had a chance to get married to the most sought after girl in school, and he friend zoned her almost immediately, and his best friend (who also hit on the same woman) blatantly lampshades it. By present day, it's obvious Alicia Melchiott has feelings for him, but Welkin repeats history to the point Faldio not only starts hitting Alicia himself, but in his frustration over Welkin's use of this trope he throws down the gauntlet in Episode 12 and tells Welkin he has feelings for Alicia himself as a [[Batman Gambit]] to get Welkin to grow a spine and sex drive and see Alicia as a woman. Thankfully, by the end of the game and anime, he wises up.

** Not to mention naive, like when they were at the hot springs and she thought Marller injured him because he was covering himself up, totally unaware that he was embarrassed at being nude. Or when the two of them were at a love motel during an Urd-created rainstorm and while Keiichi was wondering if she was ready for sex, Belldandy was completely unaware of where they were, she was only focused on the rain.

* Inverted in ''[[Hellsing]]'' with Sir Integra, holder of "100% virgin blood", yet portrayed as intelligent, highly competent, downright badass and ruthless.

 

== Literature ==

** Modern unicorn stories challenge this trope, although they do it in different ways. The novel of ''[[The Last Unicorn (Literature)|The Last Unicorn]]'' includes a scene where a maiden tries rather half-heartedly to summon a unicorn as part of a ritual she has to perform before she can get married. The scene serves to show that virgins can be every bit as cynical and self-serving as anybody else. (It's also heavily ironic, since the only unicorn in the world is there to see it and decides not to go to her.)

** Von Jocks' short story ''Yes Virginia, there '''is''' a Unicorn'' redefines the terms of the word "virgin" altogether. The youngest of the story's three female protagonists (and the only "technical" virgin), however, falls squarely into this trope and has to be protected from conniving men by the unicorn.

* [[Sherlock Holmes]], while almost certainly a virgin due to his disdain of romantic love, was ''no'' fool. His less-gifted friend Watson was married(presumably with all that entails), but it's not quite an aversion, as Watson was much more capable than many adaptions painted him to be, especially given ''anyone'' will look less-gifted next to Sherlock Holmes.

* Sansa Stark in George R.R. Martin's ''[[A Song of Ice and Fire]]'' is a good example of this... [[Break the Cutie|and boy does she pay for it]].

* Lady Crysania, Head Cleric of Paladine in the ''[[Dragonlance]]'' books, fits this trope. Though very sophisticated and intelligent, she is also very ignorant of "the real world". Part of this is due to her sheltered upbringing rather than just lack of sexual experience. She does manage to fall in love with Raistlin over the course of the Legends trilogy, resulting in a two-virgins-passing-in-the-night scenario where Raistlin at one point inhabits the healthy, curse-free, and virile body of Fistandandilus. He struggles with urges he's never dealt with before and considers seducing Crysania (who'd likely be more than willing if only he'd make the first move) but backs down, remarking that he knows next to nothing about seduction or lovemaking. Oddly for Raistlin, the possibility that Crysania's implied [[Virgin Power]] might be necessary to open the Gate comes in a distant second for reasons not to make a move.

* In [[Tanya Huff]]'s ''[[Keepers Chronicles|Summon the Keeper]]'', Dean is a knock-down gorgeous guy, kind, handy around the house, and so well-grounded that world-weary Claire instinctively looks for roots sprouting from his sneakers. He's twenty and yep, a virgin. He blushes at the slightest hint of any "funny stuff", takes a while to understand anything, and Claire falls deep and hard for him. {{spoiler|In subsequent books, Claire and Dean do end up together, love-smitten enough to make you barf, and he loses his virginity quickly in the second book.}}

== Western Animation ==

* In ''[[Undergrads]]'', Cal is an amiable dolt who at one point is horrified by the fact that he's gone hours without sex, while virtually all of the other characters are both more intelligent and far less sexually experienced.

{{quote| "It turned out that the princess didn't know a damn thing about sex -- how does she get guys to pay her rent?"}}