The image above comes from an ABC News photoessay about purity balls. There are thousands more pictures at Google Images, some of which are a bit creepy, and a brief discussion of the concept at Wikipedia.
What I have not seen discussed anywhere (and won't take the time to research) is why those who create purity balls for fathers and daughters don't do anything equivalent for sons.
I'd tend to assume the lack of an equivalent celebration for sons is just a matter of the well-established entrenched sexual double standard. Relatedly, but more from the perspective of the child involved, there are probably image issues. While some young women obviously embrace their virginity as something to be proud of and to proclaim publicly, I'd say a lot fewer young men are able wholeheartedly able to do so. How many high school-aged boys do you imagine would really be excited about publicly announcing and celebrating their "purity"?
ReplyDeleteIn the Eastern side of this blundered planet, man is the source of all plagues. Why celebrate man's abstenance?
ReplyDeleteIn fact if anything, man should take exams of openness and enlightenment. Perhaps celebrate maturity as a wiseman rather than a temporary virgin.
Celebrating purity at any point is trivial, but as humanizing entities, we understand the effort and actions taken. Hence we do not attack these harmless rituals.
What is even more interesting, how we ignore the major acts of wrong doing and whatever acompanies the act with plethura of festive rituals.
I wish to add this to the earlier comment from Mr./Mrs. Anonymous.