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January 5, 2003
Virginity Ratings Service Downgrades Britney Spears Crucial Five Hours Between Wedding and Annulment Cited Certificates of Virginity, a Christian-based group that certifies the virginity of teen pop stars, said yesterday that it had changed the rating of singer Britney Spears to "probably no longer a virgin." During 2003, the group, based in Provincetown, Massachusetts, had assigned Spears a "possibly still a virgin" rating. The rating change came in the wake of reports that Spears, now 22 years old, had married childhood friend Jason Allen Alexander of Kentwood, La., in a quickie and very unexpected Las Vegas wedding ceremony at about 5:30 a.m. Saturday. Hours later, sources close to Spears said, she arranged an annulment, which was to be filed today when Nevada courts open. "Even though there was an annulment a few hours later, a rating change seems appropriate," said Patrick Bonney, president of the ratings group, which was created last year by Teens for Jesus, a conservative Christian advocacy group. "We have no information about what happened between Ms. Spears and Mr. Alexander in the crucial five or six hours between the exchange of vows at the all-night wedding chapel and Ms. Spears decision to arrange an annulment. But we have to assume the worst, so a downward rating change is the most conservative approach to the matter." Certificates of Virginity normally doesn't monitor the sexual activities of teen pop stars once they turn 20 and no longer qualify for the teen designation. But the group continued to monitor Spears because she had steadfastly maintained that she was a virgin saving herself for marriage. It was widely believed her canny business managers sought to preserve her virginal aura as a marketing strategy to the teen and pre-teen audience. For years, the popular singer, who got her show business start as one of the wholesome Mouseketeers on Disney's Mickey Mouse Club television program, had said that she would remain a virgin until she married. But in an interview last August in W magazine, Spears, then 21, confessed that she lost her virginity to long-time boyfriend Justin Timberlake, a singer with the group 'N Sync. Until that interview, Certificates for Virginity had maintained a "definitely a virgin" rating on Spears, based on numerous public announcements she had made about her virginity. Her relationship with Timberlake was a romantic sensation among her teen-age fans. Her virginity status became an obsession with some pop culture media. Despite the W magazine confession, Spears received the "possibly still a virgin" rating because under the Certificates rating system a single media report, even if it involves a purported direct quotation from the individual whose virginity is involved, is not sufficient to lead to a rating change. Despite the quickie marriage and almost immediate annulment, Bonney left the door open for Spears to maintain her wholesome virginal image for her legions of teen-age fans. "We are always willing to re-evaluate a rating if we receive verifiable information from a qualified medical doctor that someone is, in fact, still a virgin," Bonney said. He added that his staff had attempted to reach Ms. Spears manager and extend that offer, but so far had not received a response. "It's a terrible thing that we now live in a purported Christian society in which virginity is taken so lightly," Bonney said. "I have no idea who initiated the annulment. Perhaps Mr. Alexander did because he was emotionally shattered to discover that his beautiful bride in white was not as pure as he had been led to believe." Media reports said Spears wore a baseball cap and torn jeans to the wedding ceremony. Copyright William Stockton & Smithtown Creek Productions |
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