Purity culture discourages girls from understanding their own biology because their bodies belong to their future husbands only. It prizes girls because they are presumed to be virgins and are naive about their bodies. Purity culture values a female’s virginity above all else, so it prizes girls over women. Listed below are 5 additional problems with purity culture: Not only does it teach girls and women that what happened to them was their fault but it also teaches them that they are now worthless to a future husband because they are no longer a “virgin”, an archaic and meaningless term that has been historically used only for girls and women. What makes this belief so problematic is that it adds additional trauma to girls and women who have been raped or sexually assaulted. Purity culture is harsher on girls and women and is popular among Christian circles. Purity culture is a set of beliefs that promote that sex is only for marriage and pre-marital sex permanently damages a person. Elizabeth Smart was raised in a traditional Mormon household and was brought up within purity culture. Years later, Elizabeth Smart recalled that she felt “dirty and filthy” after being raped and was too ashamed to come home. Elizabeth Smart’s captor held her hostage only a few miles away from her home and raped her repeatedly for 9 months.Īt the time, many asked, “Why didn’t she just run away?” In 2002, 14-year-old Elizabeth Smart was kidnapped from her childhood bedroom in Utah.