I (30F) have never had sex or even been remotely physically intimate with anyone before.
It's something I carry a lot of shame about. I used to get quite anxious about sex in general, leading me to the conclusion that I just wasn't ready when I was younger. However, at a certain point in maybe my mid-20s, the anxiety shifted from the act itself more to the fact that I'm at the age I am and wouldn't know what I'm doing.
It feels like everyone had their awkward stage of exploration in their late teens/early 20s – and I've never had one. I really want to start dating (something else I've barely done), but this just feels like a huge cloud hanging over me. It's preventing me from dating because I'm so mortified to tell someone that I've never been kissed let alone had sex.
I'm scared that when the conversation eventually comes up, I'll be judged by the person I'm with for my lack of experience. But I also don't want to keep quiet about it because I'm pretty sure it'd become apparent very quickly that I haven't done it before.
I would love to hear from anyone that had been in a similar situation as me – how did you communicate this to your partner?
I would also love to hear from people in a similar age bracket who have BEEN the partner. Have you had someone come to you about this? How did you react? Did it bother you?
If you've never been someone's first, how would you feel if someone you had become romantically involved with told you that you would be?
I would just really love some other perspectives, sage wisdom, nuggets of advice… literally anything.