At 33, Lauren Harkins has never dated or had sex, but she insists she hasn’t missed out on any important life experiences and is happy with herself.
While her friends were having their first loves and navigating their way through early relationships, Lauren felt disinterested, seeing them as “childish” and “too complicated.”
Deciding that romance wasn’t for her, Lauren, from Portland, Maine, admits she never felt the need to prioritize having romantic relationships in her life and has therefore remained a virgin.
“I’m a virgin but I’m not traditional, usually it’s one thing or the other but I’m very happy on my own,” she continued, describing it as a “unique situation.”
“Your 20s are a very confusing time; everyone is figuring out their career and dealing with all this stuff; it just wasn’t something I wanted to do,” she added.
At 33, Lauren Harkins has never dated or had sex, but she insists she hasn’t missed out on any important life experiences and is happy with herself.
After her father, William Stacey, died in 2006, Lauren said it changed the way she prioritized her romantic relationships.
As an only child, Lauren said she is happy to be on her own and believes having a partner is “not necessary” to lead a fulfilling life.
“When I looked around, there wasn’t anyone that I was friends with or had a relationship with whose life I wanted to emulate, and I was very happy to do my own thing,” she explained.
“I have never looked to others as an indicator of how my life will unfold, but instead have chosen to follow my own intuition about what is best for me at any given moment,” she reflected.
Now 30, Lauren says she’s finally open to a relationship, as long as she meets the right person, and admits it’s the first time she’s felt ready.
“If someone comes along that I really click with, then I’ll be happy with that, but otherwise I’m very happy being alone,” she said determinedly.
However, he does have some standards for the type of partner he is looking for.
“I want someone who is way more established than me, I just want to be someone who is better than me in every way,” Lauren said enthusiastically.
Now, at 30, Lauren feels for the first time that she might be open to a relationship.
Lauren is willing to try new things and is now traveling the world.
Lauren is willing to try new things and is now traveling the world after working in a correctional facility for two years.
“I don’t want to live a traditional lifestyle,” he continued.
‘I’m a very goal-oriented person, emotionally independent and I love my freedom – I just want to live life to the fullest.’
Lauren is willing to try new things and is now traveling the world after working in a correctional facility for two years, living primarily off her late father’s trust fund.
“I love adventures and trying new things,” she said. “I love immersing myself in new cultures.”
The world traveler, who documents her adventure on social media, has been to Morocco, Peru, the Cayman Islands, the Bahamas, France, Germany and the Netherlands.
Although her family and friends have never pressured her to date anyone, Lauren admitted that they have trouble understanding why she doesn’t want to have sex.
The world traveler, who documents her adventure on social media, has been to Morocco, Peru, the Cayman Islands, the Bahamas, France, Germany and the Netherlands.
While her family and friends have never pressured her to date anyone, Lauren admitted they have trouble understanding why she doesn’t want to have sex.
“Most people who are virgins at my age reserve themselves for one husband and tend to be religious,” she said.
“I don’t belong to any particular religion, but since I don’t sleep with just anyone and I live a super modern feminist lifestyle, that group doesn’t know what to do with me either,” Lauren explained.
“It’s like I’m too traditional for feminists, but not traditional enough for traditional people, so I’m trying to break that barrier,” she added.
She says she maintains high standards when it comes to finding a partner and encourages people to do the same.
“I get hundreds of messages from people in similar situations, so I feel like I’m helping people,” she said, adding that she’s “pretty normal” despite her unique lifestyle.
“I am healthy in mind and body, I am not socially awkward or repressed,” she said.
“I think it’s important to destigmatize this lifestyle. I’m just a person who took a while to mature, that doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with me,” she said.