May 20, 2009

Purity and virginity

Filed under: Gender,Media,Politics,Sexuality — Tags: , , , — Melanie @ 5:58 pm

Here’s an interview with Jessica Valenti of Feministing.com on our culture’s obsession with virginity (remember Natalie Dylan and her virginity auction?).

Valenti takes on the many ways that a woman’s morality and personal worth are tied to her sexual purity — from abstinence-only education to blaming rape victims, honor killings to finger-wagging over hookup culture. She points the finger of blame back at conservatives and argues that it’s the myth of virginity, not “Girls Gone Wild,” that’s hurting this generation of young women. Those two competing influences have more in common than some might think: Both teach women that their most valuable commodity is their sexuality.


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