Jennifer Baumgardner has an outstanding piece in Glamour (which is thankfully available in its entirety on line) about purity balls, a not exactly new, but still creepy and complex phenomenon whereby fathers and daughters engage in a public ritual affirming the daughter’s intention to abstain from sex until marriage, and the father’s intention to act as the protector of his daughter’s “purity”.

From the piece:

That first ball got some positive local and Christian press, as well as inquiries from people in 21 states interested in throwing their own. Today, South Dakota’s Abstinence Clearinghouse—a major association of the purity movement—sends out about 700 “Purity Ball Planner” booklets a year (tips include printing out the vows on “beautiful paper” and serving wedding cake for dessert). While the Wilsons make no money from their ball, a cottage industry for accessories has sprung up. Roam the Internet and you’ll find a $250 14-karat pearl-and-diamond purity ring; for $15, you can buy a red baby-doll T-shirt with ‘I’m Waiting’ emblazoned on the chest, its snug fit sending a bit of a mixed message.

The article is particularly recommended for the way that Baumgardner gets even a little bit close to her subjects. Most of the coverage of purity balls has been a freak show, and while I remain far more uncomfortable with what is actually going on inside families where men are explicitly taking ownership over their pubescent and pre-pubescent daughters sexuality than Baumgardner seems to be, I greatly appreciate the opportunity to hear from people who aren’t set up to look and sound like aliens, and the chance to form opinions for myself without quite so much empty rhetoric.

Read more - Glamour: Would you pledge your virginity to your father?