Purity culture

By the time I was 13, the message had come through loud and clear: Thinness was next to Godliness, and I could never achieve either without extraordinary means.

Purity Culture & Weight: Jesus Loves Skinny People​

By 13, I clearly understood: Thinness was next to Godliness, and I could never achieve either without extraordinary means. Jesus loves skinny people.

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I understood in no uncertain terms because of purity culture that having sex outside of marriage was the worst thing I could do as a young woman.

Purity Culture Isn't Just About Sex

I understood in no uncertain terms because of purity culture that having sex outside of marriage was the worst thing I could do as a young woman.

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Sex, Shame, And Sex-Esteem: Unlearning Harmful Attitudes Toward Sexuality

It’s time we stop teaching shame and start spending more time fostering healthy sexual identities in young girls.

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Wearing clothing that shows off my body is a way of publicly declaring that my body is good.

Retail Therapy: Healing From Internalized Sexism Through Shopping

For me, after growing up in evangelical purity culture, few things have been as healing and empowering as shopping.

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I want my daughter to explore her interests and invest in herself.

I Don't Want My Daughter To Grow Up Like Me

Fortunately, when I look back at my childhood, it was mostly happy. I had parents who loved me. I had plenty of friends. I had access to food and shelter and education and more. Yet even with all my privilege, I don't want my daughter to have the same adolescence as me.

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If someone doesn’t want to have sex, now or ever, that is her choice.

We Can Respect Virginity & Celibacy Without Supporting Purity Culture

I eventually began to accept that truly being a feminist means embracing the idea of “my body, my choice” in all its incarnations. If I truly believe that women have the right to accessible birth control, the right to safe abortions, the right to consent to sex, and the right to make any decision regarding their own body, it also means I should believe women have the right to decide to never, ever have sex. There are two things that made it hard for me to come to that realization: virgin-shaming and purity culture.

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