MTV will debut the compelling new docu-series “Virgin Territory” on Wednesday, July 16 at 11:00 p.m. ET/PT. Each hour-long episode will explore the real-life stories of 15 young adults from across the country as they navigate the complexities of relationships and one of the most complicated and emotional decisions of their young adult lives: whether to have sex or remain a virgin. “Virgin Territory” will delve into the mindset of four young people each week – some who are hanging on to their v-card for as long as possible and others who are desperately hoping to lose it. For a link to the trailer, click here.
“MTV has a legacy of documenting the lives of young adults and openly talking about sex with thought-provoking programming such as ‘True Life,’ ‘16 and Pregnant’ and ‘Teen Mom,’” said Lauren Dolgen, EVP Series Development & Head West Coast Unscripted for MTV. “Through our ongoing partnership with the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, MTV will continue this tradition by elevating the discussion of responsible sexual health to include the topic of virginity in a way that our audience might find surprising.”
According to the CDC, on average, teens are waiting longer to have sex. And, studies show that less than half of American high school students have had sex – which is down nearly 15 percent vs. two decades ago.** According to new research being released soon by MTV’s It’s (Your) Sex Life campaign and the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, nearly 75 percent of young adults say they wish movies and TV “did a better job of exploring why people are virgins.” Additionally, nearly nine out of ten young adults (86 percent) “wish popular media like movies and TV shows portrayed virginity in a more realistic way.” Complete findings from the study will be released next month.*
“This research on the attitudes and feelings young adults have about virginity and the first time will be surprising to many,” said Amy Kramer, the Senior Director of Entertainment Media at The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy. “We hope ‘Virgin Territory’ will help young people think and talk about waiting so they can make the best decisions for themselves.”
In the series premiere episode, viewers will meet Dominque, Kyle, Lisa and Mikaela. Dominique is determined to keep her heart on lockdown until the right man comes along and plans to remain a virgin until after she’s married. Kyle has been keeping his virginity a secret from his hard-partying friends for fear of losing their respect, but he is determined to lose his virginity to someone special and not just by having a one-night stand. Lisa was raised in a religious family and firmly believes in not having sex before marriage. Now that she is engaged, Lisa is ready to fully commit to her fiancé and she can’t wait for their wedding night. Harassed by all of her friends as the lone virgin and getting shut down by a crush of hers, Mikaela finally musters up the courage to chase the guys she is interested in and is on a mission to find a man and lose her virginity.
*The survey took place January 7 to January 16, 2014. The study was conducted using GfK’s KnowledgePanel, which assures representative samples that are statistically valid and projectable to the population of adults 18 to 24. The margin of error for this study is +/- 4.4%.
**The Alan Guttmacher Institute. (2013). In Brief: Fact Sheet. Facts on American Teens’ Sexual and Reproductive Health.
