Jessica Valenti Sparknotes

The book by Jessica Valenti was released in 2009 and asserts that people in America are fanatical about the concept of “virginity.” It scrutinizes the effect of the Americans’ fixation of virgin/ whores and how these thoughts are affecting the women of all ages. Valenti thinks that virginity and feminism have become too much of an issue; celebrities seeking to invigorate their vaginas and keep their hymen intact even after losing their virginity is a clear manifestation of the obsession for virginity.
Valenti, a great feminist of the current generation and a famous activist in America dedicated to work towards women has been named amongst Guardian’s Top 100 women for her feminist efforts. Her book gained so much critical acclaim that a film
is based on this book as well. She is also a writer of blog Feministing.com and has written other books like Full Frontal Feminism: A Young Woman’s Guide to Why Feminism Matters, He’s a Stud, and She’s a Slut…and 49 Other Standards all Women Should Know. She also edited Yes Means Yes: Visions of Female Sexual Power and a World Without Rape. Being a feminist, her work depicts some kind of obsession for virginity. In The Purity Myth, she further explores the notions of purity, attributes of pureness and its implications on society. Throughout the book, Valenti presents reader with her personal experiences of sexuality, feminism and deficient of pureness. Although the issue of sexuality is a global taboo, Valenti discusses only the American standpoint. She mentions her “first time” experience and believes the loss of her virginity was an important marker of youth then at her time. Contrary to now, she explains that sexual acts did not define a woman; losing her virginity did not make her impure and did not change her personality. These misconceptions were society’s judgmental concoctions.
Furthermore, Valenti puts forward a strong point in support of young women who are misguidedly being branded as pure or impure/whore in respect to their virginity status. She gives the example of celebrities and stars that undergo surgeries to become pure again. The same celebrities who are role models for millions of fans across America, yet who do not show any character of intelligence, compassion or kindness. It is a common notion amongst American girls that morality lays in virginity. The rest of the women who are sexually active, like Valenti, are stripped of morality. Such girls are viewed as bad, sluts, used up or worthless.
Additionally, Valenti reexamines the female morality and supports morality based on ethics rather than on sexual status.
In detail she explains the repercussions of the purity myth by linking this to young women’s hypersexualization resulting in transformation of childhood or girlhood innocence to sexually enticing ones because of moral panic. She points out that by talking too much about youth and virginity, a disturbing message is delivered: young girls are the ones who are the most sexually attractive rather than woman. This message confuses the young women whether to be sexually attractive or be what they are in reality. It also makes them think of their value as a human being. There are many double standards regarding sexuality amongst most women. In extreme cases, some undergo surgeries to become virgins and appealing
again.
The purity myth affects the rights of women at times. Victims of sexual assault are often ignored by legislation and do not receive support if they are deemed “impure”. Valenti presented the Philadelphia case where a woman gang raped at gun point resulted into a “theft of service” instead of rape because the victim was a sex worker herself.
The most common victim of the purity myth is the sex workers. Sexual violence, as noted by Valenti, is increasing amongst black women rather than white women in which violence is decreasing. Such acts are often missed by media and legislation as women of dark color are viewed as someone impure and pay the price of not being white. Women with low income without any misgivings are said to be “irresponsible” despite their absent involvement in sexual activities. Valenti blames the criminals or the wrong doers for promoting the purity myth.
She mentions leaders, teachers, and other people who are promoting the myth of purity in much detail are not practicing abstinence themselves. She has discussed the ideology of masculinity and dominance by males briefly which in turn regard sexual assault as rational. American paternalism is the main source for the assumptions about men who know what would be best for women and for biasing that women cannot be good decision makers. In the book, Valenti shares numerous “damsel in distress” examples. She concludes that protection of women in relation to purity is just a step towards making an impure one behind house.
Valenti voices to all women to leave aside the paternal rules, behavior and expectations and take charge of defining their own sexuality. She has stressed in her book to condemn the abstinence programs and pledges taken to maintain virginity and instead she guides to teach sex as a responsible and moral act.
Conclusion
Valenti concludes that like any other act, sex should be one of the normal activities, and it should not be regarded as a reflection of a woman’s character. The ending chapter presents numerous ways to end the double standard related to the vagina and provides a broad list of blogs, books, organizations and magazines that are fighting the same battle.
Valenti is successful in engaging the reader with her informal style of narration combined with personal experiences.
Bell Hooks and Patricia Hill Collins, black feminist theorists have been mentioned at places. Maximum narration examines abstinence promoting authors, case studies and reports which altogether failed to address the key points or to put together practical data. However the book is not able to address the connection between sexual preferences and the purity. Purity is affected by class, and race is useless and fails to discuss about various other sections. Failure to make theoretical claims has limited its usage for academic purposes. It has offered ample examples on the use of myth against women.
There is no mention of promotion of good sexual health in society which only focuses on scaring and putting young woman into a traditional gender feature. Also society does not approve of expressions of women if they mention masturbation and lesbianism. Valenti's style of writing is natural and amusing at times which does not bog down reader of complex theory of feminism or anything of the
like.
The book has clearly defined sections and each section properly follows the previous one. Valenti herself describes the virginity concept which does not have any conclusive medical explanation, to the various aspects by which the sexual purity myth is directed to young women. All in all, The Purity Myth book is an interesting and captivating book written to readers not very knowledgeable in studies of gender and sex. All the arguments given by Valenti are feministic and provide an insight to consequences of application of the purity myth to virgins or whores. Someone looking for a different perspective on female sexuality aside from the media can read the book to gain insight.