Course:CSIS200/2025/Reimagining Purity Rings

Reimagining Purity Rings

Introduction

Purity rings are a Christian concept that was first introduced in the United States in the 1980s as a response to the ongoing "sex panic." This largely stemmed from the ongoing widespread of HIV and AIDS. Sex was directly associated with getting HIV or AIDS and demonized; simultaneously, abstinence was encouraged. By the 1990s, evangelical Christian groups in the US transformed this "sex panic" into "purity panic" and hence, began the purity movement.

When first established, the purity movement "aimed to preserve feminine virtue and purity by protecting young women and girls from prostitution, contraception, abortions, and male sexual predatory." It's main goal was to promote sexual abstinence. This promotion was done through various abstinence pledge movements.

The abstinence pledge movement in the US "began in 1993 with True Love Waits, a Southern Baptist initiative to promote sexual purity until heterosexual marriage." "True Love Waits was a written promise" of sexual abstinence, but shortly after another pledge program "called The Silver Ring Thing" emerged. The Silver Ring Thing "encouraged adolescents (specifically young and teenage girls) to wear a silver ring on their fing finger, symbolizing their commitment" to remaining sexually abstinent until marriage. The Silver Ring Thing, now known as Unaltered, still follows the same process of "getting teenagers to sign 'purity pledges' of sexual abstinence, followed by buying a 'purity ring' to symbolize the pledge'." Some young girls, teenagers, and women view purity rings as a commitment to their faith, God, and a representation of their moral strength. Conversely, others view it as a tool used to control their sexual choices.

Purity Rings

Sterling silver purity ring with engraving.

Significance

For some young girls and women, "purity rings symbolize more than just sexual abstinence; they represent a broader commitment to personal and spiritual purity." They have various different styles and the rings meaning can vary from individual to individual.

Choosing to wear a purity ring is a big commitment that involves "formal declarations, often signed, where you promise to stay abstinent." Families and loved ones are often present during these formal declarations to "witness and [maybe even] endorse your personal pledge." Family and religious expectations may be a driving factor in why some girls or women wear purity rings. Wearing a purity ring daily "serves as a constant reminder of your vow to value chastity." Over time, you realize that it is "more than just a piece of jewelry; it embodies a personal promise" that signifies self-control and empowerment. I

Purity rings are "also physical reminders of promises madeofte based on biblical teachings, such as 1 Thessalonians 4:3-8, which emphasizes purity." 1 Thessalonians 4:3-8 in New International Version, King James Version, and the New Living Translation all essentially state that in accordance to God's will you will avoid or abstain from sexual sin and activity. It is important to recognize that for some girls and women purity rings are very sentimental.

Purity rings are most commonly worn by young or teenage girls and on a surface level, "represent a pledge to remain celibate until marriage." However, on a deeper level, purity rings promote the idea that a woman's value is tied to her virginity and sexual restraint. For a long time virginity "has been a key factor in determining a 'woman's worth' and therefore their bodies are heavily policed." This is harmful view because it reduces a woman's worth to her sexual behavior and choices. It creates shame and stigma around normal expressions of sexuality.

The social construction of virginity is directly tied to. This definition demonstrates how they are inseperable.

Virginity

Purity rings promote the idea that women "giving up" their virginity means that they are "damaged goods; a used, impure woman [who is] unable to give her whole self to her future husband." But, this notion relies on defining virginity that is something real and measurable, when in reality virginity is merely a social construct. According to Katy Elliot, "a social construct is an idea created by society." "Social constructs are driven by the ideas and beliefs which exist in our societies." The expectations and ideas of traditional virginity are "the product of norms and ideas created by us humans." In other words, being a virgin is not inherently good or bad or even real. Purity rings rely entirely on the notion that maintaining your virginity until marriage is good; that losing your virginity to your husband is the correct way of losing it.

Purity Balls

Ceremony

Young girl in a white dress that closely resembles what girls wear to a purity ball.

A purity ball is a formal "promlike event" that is "attended by fathers and daughters." It consists of daughter laying a white rose "at the foot of the cross." The white rose "symbolizes a promise of abstinence, a pledge to hold off on sexual relations until marriage." They also sign a written pledge before getting their purity ring.In turn, father's pledge "to set an example for them [their daughter's] of what a godly father and a godly husband looks like." According to Ron Johnson, a senior pastor at a church in Crown Point, Indiana, the purity ball and the pledge to abstinence is not meant to place heavy-handed expecations on their daughter's. Instead, its the daughter's way of saying "This is my desire, to please the Lord with this area of my life." Johnson frames the purity ball and abstinence pledge as the daughters' personal choice, but this is arguable because many young girls may not be developmentally aware enough to understand the implications of the abstinence pledge. Furthermore, they be coerced by family, religious expectations, or feel pressured to fit in with their peers.

Broader Social & Political Impact(s)

Some people view purity balls as “’creepy’ because of the underlying notion of the father controlling their daughter's sexuality.” The idea of fathers controlling and “maintain[ing] ownership over their daughters” can be seen as problematic. This is because it frames "virginity as a commodity-as it was seen back in the days in which daughters were exchanged as property." During a purity ball, "girls as young as age six pledge their virginity to their dads, who in turn pledge to hang on to said virginity until an appropriate husband comes along, to whom the fathers can transfer ownership of their daughters." This transfer not only treats virginity as a commodity but also positions the daughters themselves as objects to be controlled and exchanged. Purity balls reinforce gendered power structures by promoting the idea that girls' bodies need to be monitored and controlled by male authority figures, whether that be their father or future husband.

Families & Their Policing of Purity

The role of families in promoting purity rings is not solely limited to fathers in purity balls. Many families believe that young women do not have the ability "to manage their own sexuality" and therefore they must control their sexualities for them. Sexuality in this instance refers to the sexual purity and the sexual choices young girls make, whether that means partaking or refraining from sex.

Conservative Christian families and parents firmly believe that in order to be "good parents" they must educate their daughters on the importance of purity. Purity pledges are much more than a personal decision young girl's make for themselves; they are representative of their "family's understandings of important educational points about sex, sexuality, and gender." Young women's purity rings serve as a constant reminder of their families expectations that "also serve as rhetorical devices that bolster a daughter's sexual agency, specifically to sexual advances."

Parenting For Purity

Parenting for Purity advertisement for a talk by Jason Evert on sexual morality.

Community initiative such as Jason and Crystalina Evert's "Chastity Project" such as encourage parents to take an active role in shaping their children's sexual values through abstinence-focused teachings. "Parenting for Purity" is one of many episodes on a podcast called Lust is Boring. Jason and Crystaline Evert are a Christian married couple who also offer live and online discussions which promote chastity.

The episode and live discussion of "Parenting for Purity" focuses on guiding parents to talk to their children, specifically their daughters to remain abstinent till marriage. In this talk, Every explains how parents are responsible in closely monitoring their children's behavior, friendships, media consumption, and dating practices to guard their purity. Evert portrays parents and families as gatekeepers who should ensure that their children avoid sexual activities. This means that both parents and families must strictly surveil their children to prevent them from giving into their "temptations." This often consists of shaming and creating fear around sex.

The heavy emphasis on parental oversight creates additional pressure for young girls to show their commitment to purity overtly. In this context, purity rings become a symbolic proof of obedience and commitment, not just to religious values, but also family expectations. Purity rings become less of a personal choice for girls, and more of an obligation to satisfy their parents and community beliefs.

Shaming & Fear-Based Messages

Shaming and fear-based messaged are central tools in many abstinence focused initatives such as the "Chastity Project." They are used as a form to encourage young girls to remain "pure." Abstinence focused initiatives emphasize the general idea that:

Bible itself claims sexuality at all times must be withheld from until marriage, and marriage is meant to last unending and without divorce (as defined by Jesus)...We were made to handle this incredibly invasive and emotionally personal connection with one person we trust and love fully, and cannot handle this otherwise without an emotional toll or disassociation with sex being "fun" and no more emotional than an game of chess.

To prevent pre-marital sex, the Christian community often turns to creating fear-based messages and shame surrounding sexual activity. Two of the most common sources of fear that for young girls are the risks of pregnancy and the possibility of contracting sexually transmitted infections. Parents and families often hold these fears over young girls heads to discourage them from having sex or making pledges to purity. By committing to purity pledges, girls are framed as being less likely to experience pregnancy before marriage or contracting sexually transmitted infections.

Depiction of Jezebel by John Byam Shaw.

Shaming, Jezebel, & Purity Culture

Fear-based messages are usually accompanied with shaming. Shaming plays a central role in how abstinence culture controls young women's sexualities. The Christian community often uses terms such as promiscuous, whore, and "Jezebel" to shame women who have sex outside of marriage. The term Jezebel has many definitions, the most popular being, "a black woman with an insatiable appetite for sex." Labels such as Jezebel or whore "can cause feelings of moral failure and guilt" that persist for years.

Purity pledges and purity rings prevent are often presented as a way for young women to avoid being labeled with these stigmatizing terms. Many girls feel pressured to participate bevasue they do not want to be associated with negative stereotypes. By publicly signaling their commitment to abstinence they seek to protect their reputation, for their own sake and their families. Purity pledges and rings are often a response to pressure that comes from family, peers, or religious communities rather than comprehensive, personal decisions.

About the Author

Gurleen Mann (she/her/hers) is a fourth year undergraduate student at the University of British Columbia. She is majoring in Political Science and hopes to pursue a career in law. She is particularly interested in how sexuality operates within different communities, cultures, and religions. As a young South Asian women, she seeks to open conversations regarding sexuality within her community which go beyond societal and cultural norms. She hopes to empower individuals to explore their sexualities and challenge existing stereotypes.