''The Purity Myth: How America's Obsession with Virginity Is Hurting Young Women'' (2009) is a book about

virginity Virginity is the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. The term ''virgin'' originally only referred to sexually inexperienced women, but has evolved to encompass a range of definitions, as found in traditional, modern ...

by feminist author

Jessica Valenti Jessica Valenti (; born November 1, 1978) is an American feminist writer. She was the co-founder of the blog Feministing, which she wrote for from 2004 to 2011. Valenti is the author of five books: ''Full Frontal Feminism'' (2007), ''He's a Stud, ...

. The book was first released onto hardback on March 24, 2009, through Seal Press. Valenti argues that there is a prevalent false notion promoted within the United States that a woman's worth is predicated upon whether or not she is sexually active, implying that the loss of virginity can negatively affect her. A DVD tie-in titled ''The Purity Myth: The Virginity Movement's War Against Women'' was released in 2011.

Summary

In the book, Valenti discusses a variety of societal elements that promote

chastity Chastity, also known as purity, is a virtue related to temperance. Someone who is ''chaste'' refrains either from sexual activity considered immoral or any sexual activity, according to their state of life. In some contexts, for example when ma ...

and discourage pre-marital sexual activity in women and teenage girls. She states that many

sex education Sex education, also known as sexual education, sexuality education or sex ed, is the instruction of issues relating to human sexuality, including emotional relations and responsibilities, human sexual anatomy, sexual activity, sexual reproduc ...

programs in the United States only promote abstinence-only education, which she feels gives an unhealthy attitude towards sex and women. Valenti also states that the myth uses virginity as an "easy ethical road map" to teach women that, unlike the ability to abstain from having sex, their beliefs and actions hold no bearing to their value as human beings. Valenti does not discourage chastity but shows disapproval over

virginity pledge Abstinence pledges are commitments made by people, often though not always teenagers and young adults, to practice abstinence, usually in the case of practicing teetotalism with respect to abstaining from alcohol and other drugs, or chastity, wi ...

programs such as purity balls and the Silver Ring Thing for the aforementioned reasons. Valenti also argues that over-emphasize and idealization of virginity promotes the

Madonna–whore complex In psychoanalytic literature, a Madonna–whore complex, also called a Madonna–mistress complex, is the inability to maintain sexual arousal within a committed, loving relationship. First identified by Sigmund Freud, under the rubric of ''psychic ...

, which makes many women and teen girls

hypersexualized Sexualization (or sexualisation) is to make something sexual in character or quality or to become aware of sexuality, especially in relation to men and women. Sexualization is linked to sexual objectification. According to the American Psychologi ...

and unable to live up to the expectations placed upon them. Valenti also states that she believes that the concept of virginity is a myth, as the actual definition of the term is abstract and differs depending on the person, religion, or situation. Valenti explains that she was unable to find an exact medical definition of virginity in the

Harvard Medical School Harvard Medical School (HMS) is the graduate medical school of Harvard University and is located in the Longwood Medical Area of Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1782, HMS is one of the oldest medical schools in the United States and is consi ...

library and that the popular concept of virginity does not fit both genders.

In other media

Commentators have linked Valenti's views on virginity to discussions of sexual assault victims and the

rape and pregnancy statement controversies in the 2012 United States elections During the 2012 United States election cycle, in federal and state elections, a series of controversies arose as a result of statements by Republican Party candidates about rape, pregnancy, contraception, abortion, and related topics. The first ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Purity Myth, The 2009 non-fiction books Books by Jessica Valenti English-language books Non-fiction books about sexuality Seal Press books