BLARGH.

[apocalypsos]

I turned on the TV just in time to see an ABC News report on purity balls.

*scrubs eyeballs with bleach*

The creepiest was the guy who said that if your daughter is not a virgin on her wedding day, then what are you giving away when she gets married?

Ick. I don't think my skin is going to stop crawling anytime soon.

Comments

[wtfbrain.livejournal.com]

Oh, ew. God, that's just...

There was an article in Glamour a couple of issues back about the purity balls, and it was actually really well written, presenting the whole issue in a fairly non-biased way, with some insight into father-daughter relationships and how for some people this is a good way of building them. It was pretty much against the whole concept, for various reasons, but I was actually really impressed at how well it was written. I think my skin crawled pretty much the whole time it took me to read it, though. Ick.

[notrafficlights.livejournal.com]

Purity balls?

Should I be googling this phrase or not?

[siberian-skys.livejournal.com]

I wondered if I was the only one who wanted to go scrub my skin off after viewing that last night.

[looknleap.livejournal.com]

In the glamour article the author went to a ceremony where the fathers had swords and pledged to fight for their daughters virginity. Truly I tried to be open minded but yeah I wanted to bathe in bleach after reading it. My dad told me to be smart and safe and in a more general life sense there is nothing I could do that he wouldn't forgive. And wtf "what are you giving away"? Dude it's not yours and your her dad and ewwwww.

Oh by the way I found this journal through a rec for your supernatural stories. Your an amazing writer =)

Remember the Prime Directive, Captain...

[smallship1.livejournal.com]

There are many things about other cultures that I find creepy. This is obviously just another "other culture." We may feel that it ought to be stamped out as an outrage against human dignity, but do we have the right to judge?

*covers ears against resounding chorus of "HELL YEAH!!!"*

Oh well. Just thought I'd mention it. I'll be in my quarters practising new ways of steepling my fingers.

[abbylee]

I'm continually confused by these groups and how they're absolutely fine with talking about virginity ad nauseum, but are horrified if anyone wants to talk clinically about sex. I grew up in a household that was the opposite, I don't remember ever not knowing about sex, since we even had picture books on the subject. And yet, despite any explicit discussion about virginity and respecting ourselves, I managed to make healthy and safe decisions. Imagine that.

I feel so bad for these girls who have no relationship with their fathers beyond being their little princesses.

[puchuupoet.livejournal.com]

I read the phrase "purity balls" and immediately thought of Neuticles.

[just-katarin.livejournal.com]

Veiwpoints such as these make me sad for the girls in question, because it makes me wonder what their fathers see in them. If their fathers think the only thing of importance in their daughters is what's between their legs, then that's just sad.

Furthermore, the very idea of my father ever talking about my virginity or lack thereof makes me want to hide under the couch. I mean seriously, the embarrassment would be so strong with me.

[sabra-n.livejournal.com]

Yes, it's vitally important that girls be virgins at their weddings today, since it's so damn important that the family land go to someone with the patriarch's blood in their veins. Retrogressive nimrods.

-blue

[maechi.livejournal.com]

I have to agree with a couple other commenters; when I first read 'purity ball', I wasn't really thinking gowns & dancing; I was thinking that it was some newfangled tampon-shaped chastity belt. (Because, seriously, it's only a matter of time really.)

:/ I'd be a bit more judgmental about this whole virginity crap, but I got sucked into it when I was younger & still a Christian, so now I really just pity the girls.

Also! I've been wondering about your default icon for ages & I finally saw a trailer for the movie it's from. Little arms! <3

[amalthia]

my mind went to a weird place when I read purity ball....

[random-serious.livejournal.com]

The purity balls are horrid: way to exhibit that women are not really human to these people but commodities. Check out the stuff at Shakespeare's Sister, Pandagon, Feministe... good stuff, or you know, actually, bad.

[faith21.livejournal.com]

yeah, don't even get me started about that, but there's an interesting article in march's glamour magazine about them.

[zhiverny6.livejournal.com]

Huh. I thought "purity balls" would mean kind of the opposite, as in "We've been obsessing over girls' virginity for years; now we're going to require it of boys." I figured it was a contraption of some sort, like a male chastity belt, or possibly a pledge. "Behold! No one can touch my Balls of Purity!"

I'm trying to be open-minded, but the imagery of girls pledging their virginity to their dads is creeping me out. I'm all for letting kids grow up before they become sexual creatures, but this is... not that.

I was berated once at a wedding, repeatedly, by a complete stranger for refusing to take part in a "daddy-daughter" dance. (I'd twisted my ankle, but felt no need to explain this to her because, lady, who the hell are you?) As the night wore on, and she kept coming by, I started thinking of all the people who've been abused, or just have profoundly messed up relationships with their parents, and are bullied into these things. Some rituals are not for everyone.

[expastic.livejournal.com]

oh! oh! I saw that last night! I watched it with my Mom and we were so disgusted that we sent in a comment to abc news. :D

[acetal.livejournal.com]

I read the first paragraph and thought you were talking about the little pucks of disinfectant they put in urinals.

I read the third and went ugh a little, then thought you were talking about some sort of campaign for male virginity.

Then I read the comments and went gah! Happy International Women's Day.

[paradoxymoron.livejournal.com]

If the daughter is no longer a virgin, clearly, her father is giving away the box it came in.