The Purity Myth

by Jessica Valenti

  NATIONAL COUNCIL FOR RESEARCH ON WOMEN

  The council comprises a network of more than one hundred U.S. research, advocacy, and policy centers; part of its mission is to ensure “fully informed debate, policies, and practices to build a more inclusive and equitable world for women and girls.” (www.ncrw.org)

  NATIONAL INDIAN WOMEN’S HEALTH RESOURCE CENTER

  NIWHRC is a national nonprofit organization whose mission is to help American Indian and Alaska Native women achieve optimal health and well-being throughout their lives. (www.niwhrc.org)

  NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH

  The National Institute for Reproductive Health offers breakthrough education programs and encourages advocacy strategies proven to expand access to quality reproductive healthcare. (www.nirhealth.org)

  NATIONAL LATINA INSTITUTE FOR REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH

  The mission of NLIRH is to secure the fundamental human right to reproductive health and justice for Latinas, their families, and their communities through public education, community mobilization, and policy advocacy. (www.latinainstitute.org)

  NATIONAL NETWORK TO END DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

  NNEDV is a membership and advocacy organization of state domestic-violence coalitions; it makes sure that national policymakers hear and understand those coalitions’ needs. (www.nnedv.org)

  NATIONAL PARTNERSHIP FOR WOMEN & FAMILIES

  Formerly the Women’s Legal Defense Fund, the National Partnership was founded in 1971 and uses public education and advocacy to push for workplace equality, healthcare, and policies that help people meet work and family demands. (www.nationalpartnership.org)

  NATIONAL SEXUAL VIOLENCE RESOURCE CENTER

  The center serves as the nation’s principal information and resource center regarding all aspects of sexual violence. (www.nsvrc.org)

  NATIONAL WOMEN’S POLITICAL CAUCUS

  The National Women’s Political Caucus is a bipartisan, multicultural grassroots organization dedicated to increasing women’s participation in the political field and creating a political power base designed to achieve equality for all women. (www.nwpc.org)

  PLANNED PARENTHOOD FEDERATION OF AMERICA

  PPFA is the nation’s leading women’s healthcare provider, educator, and advocate, serving women, men, teens, and families. Planned Parenthood provides quality healthcare and services, offers medically accurate information, and advances effective health policies. (www.plannedparenthood.org)

  RAPE, ABUSE & INCEST NATIONAL NETWORK

  The Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network is the nation’s largest anti- sexual assault organization. RAINN operates the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1.800.656.HOPE and the National Sexual Assault Online Hotline; publicizes the hotlines’ free, confidential services; and educates the public about sexual assault. (www.rainn.org)

  SAFE HORIZON

  Safe Horizon is the nation’s leading victim-assistance organization. Based in NYC, the group provides support, addresses violence, and promotes justice for victims of crime and abuse, their families, and their communities. (www.safehorizon.org)

  SISTERSONG WOMEN OF COLOR REPRODUCTIVE

  HEALTH COLLECTIVE

  SisterSong is a network of local, regional, and national grassroots agencies representing women of color in the United States. The collective works to educate women of color and policymakers on reproductive and sexual health and rights, and advocates access to health services, information, and resources that are culturally and linguistically appropriate. (www.sistersong.net)

  THE WHITE HOUSE PROJECT

  The White House Project aims to advance women’s leadership in all communities and sectors—including the U.S. presidency—by filling the leadership pipeline with a richly diverse critical mass of women. (www. thewhitehouseproject.org)

  WOMEN’S SPORTS FOUNDATION

  The Women’s Sports Foundation—the leading authority on women’s and girls’ participation in athletics—advocates for equality, educates the public, conducts research, and offers grants to endorse sports and physical activity for girls and women. (www.womenssportsfoundation.org)

  WOMEN’S VOICES. WOMEN VOTE

  Women’s Voices. Women Vote started with one goal in mind: to increase unmarried women’s participation in the electorate and policymaking process. (www.wvwv.org)

  YOUNGER WOMEN’S TASK FORCE

  A project of the National Council of Women’s Organizations, YWTF is a nationwide, grassroots movement that focuses on issues affecting younger women; it’s also an amazing resource for women who want to organize locally. YWTF has youth-led chapters across the country. (www.ywtf.org)

  A note about local organizations: The organizations and groups listed here work overwhelmingly at the national level. But I can’t stress enough how important finding local, grassroots groups in your community is.

  magazines

  Finding progressive news sources isn’t always easy; these magazines are a great place to start.

  The American Prospect (www.prospect.org)

  Bitch magazine (www.bitchmagazine.com)

  ColorLines (www.colorlines.com)

  In These Times (www.inthesetimes.com)

  make/shift (www.makeshiftmag.com)

  Ms. magazine (www.msmagazine.com)

  New Moon (www.newmoon.com)

  Salon (www.salon.com)

  Shameless magazine (www.shamelessmag.com)

  The Nation (www.thenation.com)

  Tint Magazine (www.tintmag.com)

  WireTap (www.wiretapmag.org)

  Women’s eNews (http://womensenews.org)

  Women’s Media Center (www.womensmediacenter.com)

  blogs

  Alas, a Blog (www.amptoons.com/blog)

  AngryBlackBitch (http://angryblackbitch.blogspot.com)

  AngryBrownButch (www.angrybrownbutch.com)

  Bitch Ph.D. (http://bitchphd.blogspot.com)

  Black and Missing but not Forgotten (http://blackandmissing.blogspot.com)

  Broadsheet (www.salon.com/mwt/broadsheet/index.html)

  Change Happens: the SAFER Blog (http://safercampus.org/blog)

  Echidne of the Snakes (www.echidneofthesnakes.blogspot.com)

  Economic Woman (http://economicwoman.com)

  Feminist Law Professors (http://feministlawprofs.law.sc.edu)

  Feministe (http://feministe.us/blog)

  Finally, a Feminism 101 Blog (http://finallyfeminism101.wordpress.com)

  Global Voices Online (www.globalvoicesonline.org)

  I Blame the Patriarchy (http://blog.iblamethepatriarchy.com)

  Lynne d Johnson (www.lynnedjohnson.com/diary)

  Muslimah Media Watch (http://muslimahmediawatch.blogspot.com)

  Our Bodies, Our Blog (www.ourbodiesourblog.org)

  Pam’s HouseBlend (www.pamshouseblend.com)

  Pandagon (www.pandagon.net)

  PopPolitics (www.poppolitics.com)

  Racewire (www.racewire.org)

  Racialicious (www.racialicious.com)

  Radical Doula (http://radicaldoula.wordpress.com)

  RH RealityCheck (www.rhrealitycheck.org)

  Shakespeare’s Sister (www.shakesville.com)

  Shapely Prose (http://kateharding.net)

  The Curvature (http://thecurvature.com)

  Trans Group Blog (http://transgroupblog.blogspot.com)

  WIMN’s Voices (www.wimnonline.org/WIMNsVoicesBlog)

  Women and Hollywood (http://womenandhollywood.blogspot.com)

  Women of Color Blog (http://brownfemipower.com)

  Women’s Health News (http://womenshealthnews.wordpress.com)

  books

  How the Pro-Choice Movement Saved America

  by Cristina Page

  Killing the Black Body: Race, Reproduction, and the Meaning of Liberty

  by Dorothy Roberts

  Promiscuities: The Secret Struggle for Womanhood

  by Naomi Wolf

  Rapture Ready!: Adventures in the Parallel Universe of Christian Pop Culture


  by Daniel Radosh

  Righting Feminism: Conservative Women and American Politics

  by Ronnee Schreiber

  Sex in Crisis: The New Sexual Revolution and the Future of American Politics

  by Dagmar Herzog

  The War on Choice: The Right-Wing Attack on Women’s Rights and How to

  Fight Back

  by Gloria Feldt

  Virgin: The Untouched History

  by Hanne Blank

  Virginity Lost: An Intimate Portrait of First Sexual Experiences

  by Laura Carpenter

  index

  A

  abortion: campaigns against; difficulty obtaining; false links to breast cancer ; federal funding against; Hyde Amendment; “ informed consent” laws; measures against Roe; misinformation on; as personal choice; precedent banning; punishment for; requiring ultrasounds for; women as victims of; written male consent for

  Abortion Access Project:

  abstinence: defined; in pop culture; as strength; venerating

  Abstinence Awareness Week:

  Abstinence Clearinghouse:

  Abstinence Comes to Albuquerque:

  abstinence-only education:; activism against; anti-empowering ; commodifying virginity ; funding for; ineffectiveness of; mainstreaming; misinformation in; recent changes to; results of ; state refusal of

  abuse, sexual: of children; of dolls; gender stereotyping in; by moral order “guardians”; pornographic; by sex traffickers; shaming women for; statistics; victims as blamed for; of women of color; women’s excuses for ; see also rape

  ACLU:

  activism:

  Adam Walsh Child Safety and Protection Act (2007):

  Administration for Children and Families (ACF):

  Adolescent Family Life Act (1981):

  adoption:

  advocacy, for the sexually exploited:

  Advocates for Youth:

  aggression:

  A-H guidelines:

  Allen, Charlotte:

  Alpha Center:

  American Association of University Women:

  American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists:

  American Psychological Association (A PA):

  Angier, Natalie:

  anti-aging, vaginal:

  anti-choice legislation:

  antifeminism:

  anti-obscenity laws:

  A Return to Modesty: Discovering Lost Virtue (Shalit):

  Arnet, Heather:

  AskMen.com:

  athletes, female:

  Axe commercials:

  B

  Badgley Enterprises:

  Baumgardner, Jennifer:

  beauty: indoctrination on physical; obsession with; pathologizing aging; queens

  Betito, Laurie:

  Binge:

  birth control. See contraception

  birth rates:

  Bitch magazine:

  Biting Beaver:

  Black Women’s Health Imperative:

  blame, of rape victims:

  Blank, Hanne:

  blogs:

  Blustain, Sarah:

  bodies, womens’: pathologizing; removing personal control over

  books, progressive:

  born-again virginity:

  Bradley, Katelyn:

  bralettes:

  Bratz:

  breast cancer:

  Bringing Up Boys (Dobson):

  Brownback, Sam:

  Brownmiller, Susan:

  Bruen, Melissa:

  Bush, George W.:

  C

  Carder, Angela:

  Carpenter, Laura:

  Carr, Mary Alice:

  celebrity:

  Center for American Women and Politics:

  Center for Reproductive Rights:

  Center for Women Policy Studies:

  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):

  cervical cancer vaccine:

  cesarean sections:

  chastity: as alternative to porn; as “empowerment”; idealized; as innate ; legislating; publications ; womanhood via

  Chaudhry, Lakshmi:

  children, moral:

  child “supermodels”:

  choice, sex as a:

  Choice USA:

  Choosing the Best Path:

  Churchill, Jolene:

  Clare Boothe Luce Policy Institute:

  Collins, Patricia Hill:

  Community-Based Abstinence Education Program (CBAE):

  compassion:

  comprehensive sex education:

  Concerned Women for America:

  Conner, Tara:

  contraception: abstinence-taught teens against; banning education on; and birth rate drops; education; emergency ; misinformation on ; pharmacists’ refusal to dispense ; as provoking promiscuity; refusing emergency; statistics; use by secondary virgins

  control:

  Corinna, Heather:

  Cosgrove, John:

  Cosmopolitan:

  criminalizing abuse victims:

  crisis centers:

  Crouse, Janice Shaw:

  Cytotec:

  D

  d’Addario, John:

  “damaged goods”:

  dancing, dirty:

  date rape:

  dating: arguments against; debunking fears of; father/ daughter; “hookup culture” statistics

  debasement, pornographic:

  Deep Throat:

  Deltano, Keith:

  Deni, Teresa Carr:

  DePetro, John:

  depression:

  desirability: commodifying underage- ; of naiveté; of purity porn stars

  desire:

  Details:

  Dial, Ashley:

  Dickens, Morgan:

  Dobson, James:

  dolls, love:

  dominance:

  double standards: in alcohol consumption ; protection/punishment- ; of sexual “dirtiness”; see also virgin/whore dichotomy

  drinking, as rape risk:

  Drinking Liberally:

  Ducat, Stephen J.:

  Duplantis, Lloyd:

  Durham, M. Gigi:

  E

  Eden, Dawn:

  education: comprehensive sex; equality in; of friends/peers; sex as “dirty” in; on violence toward women; see also abstinence-only education

  electron-Blue:

  emergency contraception (EC):

  emotions:

  empowerment:

  equality, as blamed for rape:

  ethics. See morality

  evangelicals, Christian:

  Evert, Jason:

  F

  Facebook:

  Fair Fund, Inc.:

  fame:

  Family Research Council:

  family values:

  Family Violence Prevention Fund:

  fashion: Abercrombie & Fitch boycott; infantalizing; schoolgirl

  FDA:

  federal funding: for Abstinence Clearinghouse; for abstinence education; for crisis pregnancy centers; for purity balls ; state refusal of

  Female Chauvinist Pigs (Levy):

  female genital mutilation:

  The Female Thing (Kipnis):

  femininity:

  feminism: blogs; feminists against abstinence education; as feminizing boys; as harming morality; porn informed by; pro-sex; vs. raunch culture; scapegoating; treatises on rape; as used by the virginity movement; virginity movement against

  Feministing.com: abstinence education discussion on; as activism forum ; anti-choice activists against ; electron-Blue; Friedman, Ann ; Martin, Courtney; reaction to this book on

  feminization:

  femiphobia:

  fetal protection laws:

  fetishizing women:

  Figueroa, Lisseth:

  Filipovic, Jill:

  Focus on the Family:

  forgiveness:

  foster care:

  Francis, Joe:

  Fredell, Janie:

  Friedman, Ann:

 
Friedman, Jaclyn:

  Friends:

  Full Frontal Feminism (Valenti):

  G

  Gardasil:

  gay sex:

  gender roles, traditional: in abstinence education; aggression vs. passivity; disdain for the feminine in; feminism as undermining; feminist rhetoric for; feminization of boys; legislating; media stereotyping of; paternal morality; at purity balls; as purity myth’s goal ; returning to; sex as allowable in; vs. sexual interest