the Celibate's spectacle

Is there even a male equivalent to the derogatory term 'whore'? That's a difficult one. The term used to describe a man lusting over multiple women should ideally be a manwhore. But it's not. The closest I can think of is a womanizer. And that places the word woman as if it were an object that is sought after. So men are described in relation to their own desire. But a woman is not described in relation to her desires — she is just outright boxed and humiliated for that same desire. A male seductive smile or raised eyebrow is charismatic, while a woman's darker shade of lipstick is 'asking' for it. As if modesty itself is gender specific.

Or find me the equivalents to a maiden, a spinster, or a damsel. You won't find any because there are none. Women have always been described by the scale of their 'freshness.' For whom, you ask? For men to deflower them. A celibate man is mocked for his inexperience while a virgin woman is exalted for her restraint. The epitome of a righteous woman? The 'Virgin' Mary.

Ask a woman to be pure, and we call it virtue. Ask a man the same, and there is no word for it — because no one ever thought to ask.