I am always glad to hear the other side of things, as it were. Thanks for commenting. *g*
I guess what perplexes me about purity rings (which are not something I grew up with, and which I see as being something for These Kids Today) is their ultimate purpose. I don't see why a personal-faith decision about your own body needs to be externalized like that, condensed into one single piece of jewelry. Like, more than dissuading sexual assumptions, it seems like it draws attention to your sexual availability/unavailability.
Plus the weird mixed messages that come with celebrities wearing them -- skimpy clothes, racy lyrics, PLUS PURITY RINGS SO YOU CAN'T TOUCH -- it's like the whole Britney Spears thing to the nth degree.
So while I understand that for an (unfamous) individual the ring is a symbol of your covenant with God (and I am a huge supporter of personal faith practices), the general culture around purity rings and purity pledges and all that abstinence stuff in the place of of information & discussion about sexual health and responsibility leaves me cold. Like I said, though, this could be very much a generational thing, and it's quite possible that our perceptions of purity rings come from extremely different angles!
no subject
I guess what perplexes me about purity rings (which are not something I grew up with, and which I see as being something for These Kids Today) is their ultimate purpose. I don't see why a personal-faith decision about your own body needs to be externalized like that, condensed into one single piece of jewelry. Like, more than dissuading sexual assumptions, it seems like it draws attention to your sexual availability/unavailability.
Plus the weird mixed messages that come with celebrities wearing them -- skimpy clothes, racy lyrics, PLUS PURITY RINGS SO YOU CAN'T TOUCH -- it's like the whole Britney Spears thing to the nth degree.
So while I understand that for an (unfamous) individual the ring is a symbol of your covenant with God (and I am a huge supporter of personal faith practices), the general culture around purity rings and purity pledges and all that abstinence stuff in the place of of information & discussion about sexual health and responsibility leaves me cold. Like I said, though, this could be very much a generational thing, and it's quite possible that our perceptions of purity rings come from extremely different angles!