Trigger Warning!
We’re talking about sexual trauma as a result of religious abuse and purity culture. If that sounds like too much, feel free to skip this episode. Take care of yourself, Dear Listener.

This week on Honestly, Dear Listener, we’re talking about how we grew up and, in particular, the real downer we’ve come to know as purity culture. As so many listeners were, we were raised in Evangelical Christian fundamentalism which valued a women’s sexual purity above all else. As a result, we didn’t understand our bodies and how they worked and we were presented with purity rings from our parents that contractually bound us to abstinence until marriage. As you can imagine, it was smooth sailing from there—psyche!—quite the opposite!

Stay tuned for part 2 next week!

References:

• Qveen Herby - American rapper and singer
• “Surfbort” - lyric from “Drunk in Love” by Beyonce
• “Soulmate” - song by Lizzo
• “How Purity Culture Harms Mental & Sexual Health” - online article by choosingtherapy.com
• Vaginismus - Wikipedia page

Check out our other episodes about spiritual deconstruction/fundamentalism:
- 21: How Fundamentalism STILL Affects How We Create PART 1 02.09.24
- 22: How Fundamentalism STILL Affects How We Create PART 2 02.16.24
- 59: Fundamentalism, Mental Health, and Creativity 11.15.24

TIMECODES:
0:00 - Intro
2:30 - The Qveen Herby show!
3:38 - Writing about more than romantic love/self-care
7:16 - “Pussy” as feminist energy
9:33 - We grew up as Christian Evangelical fundamentalists
21:20 - Lack of sex education/body awareness in purity culture
24:03 - “If you have sex, no one will want you.”
26:25 - Purity/promise rings!
37:17 - How purity culture has affected how we create

Hosts: Emily Hatch and Carrie Schaeffer
Instagram: @honestlydearlistener
Youtube: youtube.com/@honestlydearlistener