(NewsNation) — After a 2015 TV segment showing House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and his daughter at a “purity ball” emerged, many are curious about the event and what purity culture entails.
Purity culture
Purity culture is a subculture within Christianity that emphasizes subjective individual “purity,” generally associated with female chastity.
It strongly emphasizes sexual abstinence until a couple is married. It also advises modest clothing for women and to avoid dating.
The segment from a German news station that was unearthed by ABC News features Johnson and his then-teenage daughter at a “purity ball,” where his daughter vowed to him to live a life of purity and signed a pledge to abstain from sex until marriage. The video has since disappeared from the German TV station’s website.
History of purity culture
The movement reached its height in the 1990s and early 2000s but has largely faded from mainstream culture, according to The Conversation.
According to The New York Times, the first ball was held in 1998 in Colorado Springs, Colorado, by Randy Wilson. The gathering would become the archetype for future events that featured a formal dinner and dancing and ended with the pledges of fathers and their unmarried daughters.
What is a purity ball?
Purity balls are formal dance events where girls pledge to abstain from sex until marriage while fathers pledge to protect their daughters.
Despite their decline in popularity, they’re not extinct. The next purity ball is expected to take place on March 2, 2024, in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Girls must be between ages 12 and 18 to participate.