The Purity Movement: A Criticism

The Channel 4 documentary on “The Virgin Daughters"

widely preaches the misconception of

tallying the level of respectability a girl is owed

against the personal choice of indulging in (a) sexual partner(s)

alongside religious dogma prior to matrimony.

Personally triggered by the lack of openness

within patriarchal families of the Bible Belt in the United States

and blind sided by devout faith-

the opening scene of the documentary

focuses on a father- daughter purity ball

wherein girls as young as aged 5

vow into a premarital life of chastity.

Though the idea of protecting their daughters

against the presumptuous notion of a wretched world

seems rather noble in theory-

Born into a household that robs these young girls

of the liberty of individual thought

while subsequently conditioning them to seek validation

and consent

is a slippery slope into a naive coma

that is parasitical on a heterosexist movement such as this.

The rather concerning double standard

regarding boys and a lacking opprobrium

for not having a defined chastity oath

to suppress their carnal desires

never surfaces the meticulously articulate documentary.

The concept leaves a vast ocean of misogyny

running thick, through intricate families

that build their foundation

on the fragile emotions of young girls.

-Nicole Ruth