Educational Media Reviews Online

In The Purity Myth, Jessica Valenti, author of the book by the same title, argues that "moral panic" in response to the sexual liberalization of women has resulted in the reemergence of traditional ideas of purity. Sexting, Girls Gone Wild and hookup culture have inspired a host of reactionary phenomena, including pop culture icons who vow to wait until marriage, hymen restoration surgeries and "purity balls," where girls, dressed to the nines, pledge their virginity to their fathers. One of the main tenets of the virginity movement, federally funded abstinence-only education, has been found to be rife with factual inaccuracies and overly dependent on disputed studies. In this way, Valenti argues, abstinence-only education is not based on science, but rather on ideology. Similarly, the 3 year long battle blocking approval of selling Plan B (the "morning-after pill") over the counter was based not on the argument that the pill was dangerous to women, but that it "rewards" irresponsible women. While the ultimate goal of the virginity movement would seem to be a return to more traditional gender roles, robbing women of hard won choices in their home-life and workplaces, one of the most dangerous effects is the redefinition of women's ethics as the "ethics of passivity": young women who are praised for their virginal qualities are defined by inaction and not judged for their integrity, intellect or accomplishments.

This film makes excellent use of clips from current feature films, music videos, reality shows, conservative commentary, historical social hygiene films and purity balls to illustrate the image of the virginal ideal. Valenti is both passionate and extremely familiar with her subject: in fact, she is so well-versed in the virginity movement arena that important facts are occasionally delivered in a blur of her rapid cadence, potentially leaving a student or researcher (or a reviewer!), backtracking several times before they can completely note the details of what has been said. Nonetheless, this film is highly recommended for media studies and gender and women studies courses for the quality and uniqueness of its content. It also has potential as an addition to select high school health classes for mature students—though the topic has potential to lend itself to controversy, the discussion of gender roles, ethics and abstinence-only education would be particularly relevant and thought provoking in the high school environment. There are, however, limited select clips that could prove problematic to show in an American high school classroom without parental consent. Media Education Foundation has a low-resolution, full-length preview available for purchase consideration, which would seem to be particularly helpful for high school level health educators who would like to evaluate the film before purchase.