Poet Hollie McNish used her appearance at Latitude Festival to argue that the concept of virginity carries far too much cultural weight, describing it as a "man-made myth" that has historically been used to control, shame and define people, particularly women. The 43-year-old, whose new poetry collection Virgin explores the theme, said no other "first time" experience is treated as so transformative, and that the anxiety surrounding the word has affected her since childhood.

McNish recalled first encountering the concept of virginity aged five in a school nativity play, noting that only Mary's purity was ever mentioned, never Joseph's. She described losing her own virginity at 19, expecting some dramatic change in herself that never came, and said the experience was unremarkable and painless, joking she "lost nothing except a sandal". McNish, who lives in Cambridge, previously won the Ted Hughes Award for her book Nobody Told Me and has become one of the UK's most widely shared poets through her books, live performances and social media videos.