Abstract: I examine how Latina sexual constructions influence their use of pap smears. This ethnographic study of 43 Latinas, between the ages of 16-42, living in Los Angeles documents how their gender socialization includes a hyper vigilance of their virginity that promotes the perception of the body as a place of sex and sin and how beliefs conflict with the content of cervical cancer screening messages linking the need for pap smears with sexual activity. Furthermore, I examine how Latinas cope with previously identified risk factors for cervical cancer on a day to day basis and how they interpret different strategies for maintaining and optimizing their health within the context of cultural dynamics and socioeconomic realities. There are three main findings. First, virginity is a barrier to having pap smears, because if a young woman is not pregnant there is no reason for her to have a pap smear. For unmarried, sexually active women the link between sexual activity and pap smears means that they avoid having pap smears. Second, women who prioritize their health are more likely to have pap smears not only to maintain their own health, but as a strategy to compel husbands, boyfriends, or lovers to be honest about their own sexual health. Third, decisions to have pap smears by Latinas who are recovering drug addicts has less to do with self-interest but rather to meet their responsibilities as mothers. Latinas' narratives illustrate that when women felt in control of their bodies they were more likely to value their health. Yet, when they perceived their bodies as objects, which was often coupled with a negative self image, it jeopardized their mental and physical health. When women actively worked at changing their way of thinking they were more likely to prioritize their health because they made a conscious decision that their bodies had value outside of socially prescribed roles as wife and mother. My research contributes to a broader understanding of Latina health by asking how cultural interpretations and constructions of sexuality influence health behaviors.