\n<\/p>\n
Virgins are few and far between in Bachelor Nation. Ashley Iaconetti<\/strong><\/a>, Sean Lowe<\/strong><\/a>, Colton Underwood<\/strong><\/a> and Becca Tilley<\/strong><\/a> are just a few of the cast members who famously spoke out on TV about holding onto their V-cards.<\/p>\n \u201cI feel like people think I\u2019m less of a man<\/a> because of that. And that\u2019s the hardest thing for me to hear,\u201d\u00a0Underwood said during the July 2018\u00a0Men Tell All<\/i>\u00a0special after his elimination from Becca Kufrin<\/strong><\/a>\u2019s season of\u00a0The Bachelorette<\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n The former Bachelor, who publicly came out as gay in April 2021<\/a>, further reflected on his decision to discuss his virginity on the show.<\/p>\n \u201cI love shedding light on positive\/impactful events in my life, but the truth is I have had struggles,\u201d Underwood wrote via Instagram in July 2018<\/a>. \u201cFor years I hid my feelings, including depression & anxiety. You see a portion of my life and a select few scenes that help portray a picture of who I am. I\u2019m here to tell you that I am not perfect and that it\u2019s okay to not be okay sometimes. If I have to continue to take cheap shots about my virginity \u2014 which is only a small part of who I am \u2014\u00a0so that others like me can feel comfortable & relate \u2014 Bring it on!\u201d<\/p>\n The\u00a0Coming Out Colton<\/a>\u00a0<\/i>alum continued: \u201cWhile I didn\u2019t plan on breaking down or speaking about my virginity on tonight\u2019s episode, it is clearly something that\u00a0I struggle talking about. When I heard the comments made by some of the other guys it triggered a response from me that was unexpected. While I respect their opinions, I\u2019m not here to prove a point, say I\u2019m better than anyone else or gain sympathy. It is what it is\u2026 my virginity shouldn\u2019t have to be defended or used to describe me as a person.\u201d<\/p>\n Underwood, who got engaged to Jordan C. Brown<\/strong> in February 2022<\/a>, is not the only Bachelor Nation star to discuss virginity on the show. Madison Prewett<\/strong><\/a>, for her part, revealed in a February 2020 confessional interview that she was saving herself for marriage<\/a> but she waited to tell Bachelor Peter Weber<\/strong><\/a> of her lifestyle choice.<\/p>\n \u201cOpening up about something like saving myself for marriage and that gift I one day want to give to my husband, that\u2019s a very intimate and vulnerable thing to open up about,\u201d Preset explained in an April 2020 episode of Kaitlyn Bristowe<\/strong><\/a>\u2019s \u201cOff the Vine\u201d podcast. \u201cIt\u2019s something I\u2019m extremely proud of and so grateful for in my life<\/a>, but it\u2019s still something that\u2019s intimate to talk about. That\u2019s something I wasn\u2019t just discussing with Peter, but I was inviting millions of people into that vulnerable place\u2026 I probably should\u2019ve shared it sooner and who knows if it would\u2019ve made a difference? Of course he\u2019s going to argue it might\u2019ve made a difference, but who knows?\u201d<\/p>\n