“I can tell by just looking at her.”
You may have heard this statement before. It’s often said by older women (mothers, aunties, grandmothers, and the like) in reference to a girl they believe has recently lost her virginity. Though such conclusions can’t be definitively confirmed, there are many in our community who place a lot of stock in such deductions. And according to some interesting research being done on adolescent psychology and behavior, our grannies may have been right all along.
One thing that these wise mothers may be cluing into is how a young maiden who has “lost her innocence” behaves and carries herself upon gaining sexual experience. Sex makes teens feel older (http://www.livescience.com/health/070620_teens_older.html); and it seems to be especially true for girls. Plus, a teen girl who is dating an older boy or an adult man, tends to rate herself as much more mature than her peers.
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