Pure : inside the Evangelical movement that shamed a generation of young women and how I broke free
Edition
First Touchstone hardcover edition.
Publication Information
New York : Touchstone, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, Inc., 2018.
Physical Description
viii, 341 pages ; 24 cm
Summary
From a woman who has been there and back, the first inside look at the devastating effects evangelical Christianity's purity culture has had on a generation of young women--in a potent combination of journalism, cultural commentary, and memoir. In the 1990s, a "purity industry" emerged out of the white evangelical Christian culture. Purity rings, purity pledges, and purity balls came with a dangerous message: girls are potential sexual "stumbling blocks" for boys and men, and any expression of a girl's sexuality could reflect the corruption of her character. This message traumatized many girls--resulting in anxiety, fear, and experiences that mimicked the symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder--and trapped them in a cycle of shame.
Contents
- Movement I: The stumbling blocks. Sin, psychosis, or system ; The lie ; Pure destruction ; Sexual violence, classified
- Movement II: Stumbling through church. Man-made girls ; The virgin ; The tigress ; Family values ; The stained-glass ceiling
- Movement III: Stumbling out of church. Trapped ; Frozen ; The G(od) spot ; Dementor
- Movement IV: How we get over. Going home ; The no shame movement ; Sanctuary.