When I looked into virginity pledge rings the other day (for use in this post), I had no idea that the concept existed outside of a religious context. Today, the Ostkreuz blog features an interview with photographer Pepa Hristová about “sworn virgins” in Albania: “‘Sworn Virgins’ are women, who have sworn for a life-long virginity in order to fit into the role of men. This has nothing to do with transsexualism. Instead, it is about a rise in the hierarchy of the strictly patriarchal society in Albania; from there on they are classified as men.”