Poet Hollie McNish has spoken out against the societal construct of virginity, asserting that the word has been employed to control, shame, and define people. McNish shared her perspective at the Latitude Festival, emphasizing that young people should feel empowered to enjoy consensual sexual experiences without shame or the feeling of being less pure.
"My first attempt at intercourse was nice. It did not hurt, as rightly it should not, no matter the horrendous narrative about first time pain being some sort of marker of purity. I lost nothing except a sandal," McNish stated, challenging the common narrative surrounding first sexual experiences.
McNish, who reaches millions through her books, performances, and social media content, began writing poetry at the age of seven. Her early work often stemmed from a need to process emotions, as she recalled writing rhyming insults after being denied a cat. "Writing poetry has always been the way I've coped with things and worked stuff out," she said.
During her teenage years, McNish used poetry as a tool for memory and enjoyment, doodling verses in her diaries and creating rhymes about physics to aid her studies. "It made stuff I hated fun," she recalled. However, her relationship with poetry soured when it became a mandatory school subject. She expressed a disconnect with canonical poetry at the time, mentioning Seamus Heaney's "Digging" and her youthful bewilderment at reading a poem about potatoes, despite now considering him a favorite poet.