The Purity Myth: How America's Obsession with Virginity Is Hurting Young WomenFrom the bestselling author of Sex Object, a searing investigation into American culture's obsession with virginity, and the argument for creating a future where women and girls are valued for more than sexuality The United States is obsessed with virginity--from the media to schools to government agencies. In The Purity Myth, Jessica Valenti argues that the country's intense focus on chastity is damaging to young women. Through in-depth cultural and social analysis, Valenti reveals that powerful messaging on both extremes--ranging from abstinence-only curriculum to "Girls Gone Wild" infomercials--place a young woman's worth entirely on her sexuality. Morals are therefore linked purely to sexual behavior, rather than values like honesty, kindness, and altruism. Valenti sheds light on the value--and hypocrisy--around the notion that girls remain virgins until they're married by putting into context the historical question of purity, modern abstinence-only education, pornography, and public punishments for those who dare to have sex. The Purity Myth presents a revolutionary argument that girls and women are overly valued for their sexuality, as well as solutions for a future without a damaging emphasis on virginity. |
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Page 10
... , in college , as I'd listen to male friends deride their sexual partners as sluts and whores , I struggled to comprehend how intercourse could mean one thing for men and quite another for women . I 10 THE PURITY MYTH.
... , in college , as I'd listen to male friends deride their sexual partners as sluts and whores , I struggled to comprehend how intercourse could mean one thing for men and quite another for women . I 10 THE PURITY MYTH.
Page 11
... male peers . And as I talked to my queer friends , whose sexual experiences were often dismissed because they didn't fit into the heterosexual model , I started to realize how useless " virginity " really was . I started to see the myth ...
... male peers . And as I talked to my queer friends , whose sexual experiences were often dismissed because they didn't fit into the heterosexual model , I started to realize how useless " virginity " really was . I started to see the myth ...
Page 21
... male sect , given that some would probably end up not counting for many of their partners . But any way you cut it , virginity is just too subjective to pretend we can ginity is for some people . Culture , religion ,. define it . Laura ...
... male sect , given that some would probably end up not counting for many of their partners . But any way you cut it , virginity is just too subjective to pretend we can ginity is for some people . Culture , religion ,. define it . Laura ...
Page 22
... male - led institutions , have always been the ones that get to define and assign value to virginity . Blank posits that a long - standing historical interest in virginity is about establishing paternity ( if a man marries a virgin , he ...
... male - led institutions , have always been the ones that get to define and assign value to virginity . Blank posits that a long - standing historical interest in virginity is about establishing paternity ( if a man marries a virgin , he ...
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Common terms and phrases
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