Move over, Steve Carell, there’s a new 40-year-old virgin.
Rhasha Newkirk, a 42-year-old divorced virgin who is interested in BDSM, is one of the subjects of TLC’s new reality series “Virgins” (premiering Monday, June 9 at 9 p.m.).
“I actually feel great about being a virgin,” Newkirk, who lives in Jacksonville, FL, exclusively told The Post.
“I think the main misconception about being a virgin late [in life] is that people just think that you’re weird,” Newkirk, who has a YouTube channel, added. “They think, ‘Oh, there’s something wrong with you.’ And there’s absolutely nothing wrong with it. [Someone’s reasons] could be cultural. It could be the way you grew up.”
She quipped: “I’m not embarrassed at all.”
The show follows four virgins in their 30s and 40s as they navigate dating and their social lives.
In addition to Rhasha, there’s Sonali, a 37-year-old in Hollywood, Calif., who has some conservative attitudes about sex; Alex, a 34-year-old in Reading, Penn., who still lives in his parent’s attic and is awkward with women; and Deanne, 35-year-old Los Angeles, Calif., resident who is picky and dismissive towards most men who ask her out.
Newkirk said that the reason she’s still a virgin in her 40s is because “I know what I deserve.”
She added that she grew up watching her father pay for lunch and buy flowers for her mom.
“He’ll do all these things, and that’s what I’m used to…Some men today aren’t stepping up to the plate like they should. And, I’m not going to tolerate the bare minimum.”
Rhasha was married briefly to a South Korean man she met on a dating app. But, he was allegedly using her for Green Card status, so their marriage was never intimate, she explained.
As to how she can possibly know that she’s into BDSM – the practice made famous by the “50 Shades of Grey” series — she told The Post she’s aware of her interest because she’s “got the Google!”
Newkirk added that since she’s “not young,” she’s aware of various sexual practices, even if she hasn’t participated in them yet.
“Just being curious about things…I know everything,” she said, including what she “wants to explore.”
“I think when [people] see someone who’s an older virgin, they’re like, ‘how? Like, don’t you have urges?’ Absolutely, I have urges. But, I have my self-love.”
Newkirk said that she knows her situation is unique.
“But I also know that I’m not the only one with this type of story. And, I feel that people who choose to have their virginity [late in life] need representation,” Newkirk shared.
“You don’t have to follow society or a timeline that guides people on how to do things. It’s okay to be true to yourself and be authentic to yourself, and trust the journey that it will happen at the right time.”
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
