r/virgin•
ThereAreNoOwls

Does anyone else feel like damaged goods at this point?

So I'm a 35 year old virgin, never held hands, never been hugged (in a romantic context), never been kissed, no romantic or sexual experience whatsoever. This mostly stems from untreated neurological/psychological issues that started affecting me when I was very young.

The thing is, at this point, even if a woman did express interest in me, I don't think I could bring myself to reciprocate. Like a part of me thinks that the responsible thing to do is just own my history (or lack there off) and politely decline. After all, I don't know how to date. I don't know how to kiss. I have no idea what it takes to maintain a relationship. I never learned these skills. But that is ultimately my problem and I feel like it would be wrong to let it spillover onto someone else's life.

Another issue is that, because virgins are such outliers after young adulthood, people are going to assume you have at least some sexual/romantic experience by my age. So it can sort of feel like lying by omission to everyone you meet unless you tell them. Not that I ever do because I'm too embarrassed and ashamed.

IDK, am I out of my mind here?

Posted Aug 21, 2026, 2:36 AM UTC

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