Pure

More about the book

The author explores the effects evangelical Christianity's purity culture has had on a generation of young women - in a combination of journalism, cultural commentary, and memoir. In the 1990s, a "purity industry" emerged out of the white evangelical Christian culture. Purity rings, purity pledges, and purity balls came with a dangerous message: girls are potential sexual "stumbling blocks" for boys and men, and any expression of a girl's sexuality could reflect the corruption of her character. This message resulted in anxiety, fear, and experiences that mimicked the symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - trapping these girls in a cycle of shame