Perhaps you’ve heard stories from Kosovo’s past of bloody bed sheets being displayed for the neighbors to see. No, we aren’t talking about blood feuds, but rather another outdated cultural relic: the obsession with women’s virginity. The bloody bed sheets announced to the world that a newlywed bride had bled on her wedding night, supposedly proof that she was a virgin.

Though such practices have long since gone out of fashion, open discussion of ideas about virginity is still seen as shameful in many places, that is, unless the point is to shame girls and young women.

But what even is virginity, really?

This video was produced with the financial support of the European Union as part of the project “Citizens Engage”, implemented by K2.0 in partnership with GAP Institute. Its contents are the sole responsibility of Kosovo 2.0 and GAP Institute and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.

This video was made possible with support from the Rockefeller Brothers Fund. The opinions and views of the authors do not necessarily state or reflect those of the Fund. 

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