It's an age-old debate- the purity of a woman versus the allowed promiscuous behavior of a male.

Girls attend balls with their fathers and wear promise rings, while boys inherit dirty magazines and are expected to have sex. It's 2017 and we still live in a world where a girl's sexuality is either hushed or broadcasted, whereas a boy's is hung like a medal on a wall. Every year an image is created of "the girls who are insecure about being even remotely sexual" and "the girls who aren't ashamed of their sexuality," who are then labeled as sluts. With political parties and labels aside, it comes down to the simple fact that we, as a society, judge someone's sexual behavior based on their gender.

On the dating website OKCupid, a question comes up when answering things about yourself to compare your compatibility to other members. It says, "Is a man who has slept with 100 people a bad person?" A following question is asked, stating, "Is a woman who has slept with 100 people a bad person?"

You would be shocked by how many people answer those two questions differently. It seems as if whether you have XY or XX chromosomes determines the amount of people it is socially acceptable for you to have had sex with- As if another person's sex life is really anyone's business at all.

A common theme in this debate is a person's "number." The "number" can mean different things, but it seems to come down to the amount of people that you have had sex with. However, many people associate this number with a woman's self worth or love and respect for herself, when really those values have nothing to do with an amount of sexual partners in the first place. So the question becomes why. Why when a woman says a number higher than society deems acceptable, is she put into a certain category? The pure or impure. The celibate versus the sex-crazed. Virgin or slut. Why is it okay for a woman to have sex if it's with a long-term boyfriend but not when it's between two people not in a relationship? So many questions, with so few answers.

A "number" for a man, however, is a completely different thing. It is met with rewards, pats on the back, and high-fives from friends and those alike. As the number goes up, so does the reputation and credibility of the man. So why then, does the response to a person's sexual "number" vary depending on their gender, and more importantly, why does it have so much to say?

What does virginity mean to you? Not only is the definition personal, but it is also flexible and ever-changing. Yet, we are somehow stuck in the old world view of things where a woman's worth is determined by the state of her hymn and a man's worth depends on the age when he lost his. Suddenly, we are in an age where people don't feel the need to abide by society's rules and regulations of when and with whom one's virginity should be lost. That doesn't, however, mean that society doesn't judge them and the life choices they make. Virginity, however personal, will remain a part of how people and society look at you for the foreseeable future.

Many people like to bring religion into this discussion, which is a fine and valid argument in some cases. According to the Bible, sex is something sacred and to be shared when a man and woman join in marriage. If one wants to believe that this is true, then that is fine! But why should one's religious beliefs be pushed onto other people and become the social standard for everyone?

All in all, I don't believe that society will ever be on the same page as to a socially acceptable time to define men and women to a sexual identity and presence in the world. People will always have different opinions and reasons for as to why their way of thinking is "right." However, we, as human beings, can decide not to judge someone or put them into a certain category according to their sex life and accept that it may be in fact, just none of our business.