Purity Ball
Encyclopedia
A purity ball is a formal ball dance
event attended by fathers and their daughters. Purity balls promote virginity
until marriage
for teenage girl
s, and are almost exclusively associated with Evangelical Christian
churches in the United States. Typically, daughters who attend make a virginity pledge
; a pledge to remain sexually abstinent
until marriage. Fathers who attend pledge to protect what they view as their young daughters' "purity of mind, body, and soul.". Proponents of these events contend that they encourage close and deeply affectionate, but chaste, relationships between fathers and daughters, thereby avoiding the fornication that allegedly results when young women seek love through relationships with men of their own age. Randy Wilson, a clergyman involved in the creation of purity balls, advises fathers to praise their daughters' physical attractiveness
in effusive but polite terms: "I applaud your courage to look your daughter in the eye and tell her how beautiful she is."
criticizes purity balls for purportedly putting young women in positions of inferiority and alleged interference with their personal freedom and autonomy in determining whether and with whom to engage in sexual relations.
The National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health
claimed that teenagers making virginity pledges such as those promulgated through purity balls usually do not adhere to the required standard of chastity, and are less prepared to utilize safer sex
precautions in mitigating the risks of sexual activity when it does occur. Furthermore, the study asserted that the percentage of teenagers in a given area who have made virginity pledges is positively correlated to the frequency with which sexually transmitted diseases occur. An article by TIME Magazine also echoed the same sentiments.
Conservative journalist
Betsy Hart
, while supporting the idea of sexual abstinence prior to marriage, has expressed concerns that purity balls are pervaded by a preoccupation with physical chastity which may inadvertently imbue the social construction of girls attending them with erotic attributes, while shifting attention away from maintenance of the internal moral and spiritual virtue which she believes is required by the tenets of the Christian
faith.
Ball (dance)
A ball is a formal dance. The word 'ball' is derived from the Latin word "ballare", meaning 'to dance'; the term also derived into "bailar", which is the Spanish and Portuguese word for dance . In Catalan it is the same word, 'ball', for the dance event.Attendees wear evening attire, which is...
event attended by fathers and their daughters. Purity balls promote virginity
Virginity
Virginity refers to the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. There are cultural and religious traditions which place special value and significance on this state, especially in the case of unmarried females, associated with notions of personal purity, honor and worth...
until marriage
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
for teenage girl
Girl
A girl is any female human from birth through childhood and adolescence to attainment of adulthood. The term may also be used to mean a young woman.-Etymology:...
s, and are almost exclusively associated with Evangelical Christian
Evangelicalism
Evangelicalism is a Protestant Christian movement which began in Great Britain in the 1730s and gained popularity in the United States during the series of Great Awakenings of the 18th and 19th century.Its key commitments are:...
churches in the United States. Typically, daughters who attend make a virginity pledge
Virginity pledge
Virginity pledges are commitments made by teenagers and young adults to refrain from sexual intercourse until marriage.They are most common in the United States, especially among Catholic and Evangelical Christian denominations....
; a pledge to remain sexually abstinent
Sexual abstinence
Sexual abstinence is the practice of refraining from some or all aspects of sexual activity for medical, psychological, legal, social, philosophical or religious reasons.Common reasons for practicing sexual abstinence include:*poor health - medical celibacy...
until marriage. Fathers who attend pledge to protect what they view as their young daughters' "purity of mind, body, and soul.". Proponents of these events contend that they encourage close and deeply affectionate, but chaste, relationships between fathers and daughters, thereby avoiding the fornication that allegedly results when young women seek love through relationships with men of their own age. Randy Wilson, a clergyman involved in the creation of purity balls, advises fathers to praise their daughters' physical attractiveness
Physical attractiveness
Physical attractiveness refers to a person's physical traits which are perceived to be aesthetically pleasing or beautiful. The term often implies sexual attractiveness or desirability, but can also be distinct from the two; for example, humans may regard the young as attractive for various...
in effusive but polite terms: "I applaud your courage to look your daughter in the eye and tell her how beautiful she is."
Criticism
Writer and feminist Eve EnslerEve Ensler
Eve Ensler is an American playwright, performer, feminist and activist, best known for her play The Vagina Monologues.- Personal life :...
criticizes purity balls for purportedly putting young women in positions of inferiority and alleged interference with their personal freedom and autonomy in determining whether and with whom to engage in sexual relations.
The National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health
National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health
The National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health is the only nationally representative study of adolescent sexuality, which has spawned over one thousand peer-reviewed publications on many issues related to adolescent health and sexuality, and other adolescent health risk behaviors.The Add...
claimed that teenagers making virginity pledges such as those promulgated through purity balls usually do not adhere to the required standard of chastity, and are less prepared to utilize safer sex
Safe sex
Safe sex is sexual activity engaged in by people who have taken precautions to protect themselves against sexually transmitted diseases such as AIDS. It is also referred to as safer sex or protected sex, while unsafe or unprotected sex is sexual activity engaged in without precautions...
precautions in mitigating the risks of sexual activity when it does occur. Furthermore, the study asserted that the percentage of teenagers in a given area who have made virginity pledges is positively correlated to the frequency with which sexually transmitted diseases occur. An article by TIME Magazine also echoed the same sentiments.
Conservative journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
Betsy Hart
Betsy Hart
Betsy Hart is a syndicated columnist and conservative commentator who is a frequent contributor to CNN and the Fox News Channel. She also appeared frequently on ABC's show Politically Incorrect....
, while supporting the idea of sexual abstinence prior to marriage, has expressed concerns that purity balls are pervaded by a preoccupation with physical chastity which may inadvertently imbue the social construction of girls attending them with erotic attributes, while shifting attention away from maintenance of the internal moral and spiritual virtue which she believes is required by the tenets of the Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
faith.
See also
- Silver Ring ThingSilver Ring ThingSilver Ring Thing is a virginity pledge program which encourages teens and young adults to remain celibate until marriage. It is based in the United States and was until 2005 funded by the U.S. federal government...
- Virginity pledgeVirginity pledgeVirginity pledges are commitments made by teenagers and young adults to refrain from sexual intercourse until marriage.They are most common in the United States, especially among Catholic and Evangelical Christian denominations....
- Purity ringPurity ringPurity rings are worn as a sign of chastity. The practice originated in the United States in the 1990s among Christian-affiliated sexual abstinence groups....
- Abstinence-only sex education
- Father-daughter danceFather-daughter danceA father-daughter dance is a dance between a daughter and her father. Father-daughter dances are common at Western wedding receptions, although not all weddings have a father-daughter dance. In situations where a daughter's father is not available, he may be substituted with a man of an older...
External links
- The Purity Ball: Time Magazine photo essay of a purity ball