Cinemascope: The Purity Myth

Cinemascope is a regular blog post where I will share with you movies and TV shows I think are worth watching.



Released in 2011.

Plot line: In this video adaptation of her bestselling book, pioneering feminist blogger Jessica Valenti trains her sights on "the virginity movement" -- an unholy alliance of evangelical Christians, right-wing politicians, and conservative policy intellectuals who have been exploiting irrational fears about women's sexuality to roll back women's rights. From dad-and-daughter "purity balls," taxpayer-funded abstinence-only curricula, and political attacks on Planned Parenthood, to recent attempts by legislators to de-fund women's reproductive health care and narrow the legal definition of rape, Valenti identifies a single, unifying assumption: the myth that the worth of a woman depends on what she does -- or does not do -- sexually. In the end, Valenti argues that the health and well-being of women are too important to be left to ideologues bent on vilifying feminism and undermining women's autonomy.

This documentary is based on a book I've got on my to-be-read list, but I somehow missed this when it was released. It's a short and disturbing documentary that highlights the value patriarchal systems place on women's virginity. This has been an issue for hundreds if not thousands of years, and the fact that many still believe stuff like this is 2017 is mind boggling. Where is the outcry about boys and their purity? Typical double standard that makes my head hurt. There is so much more to a woman than her virginity status people, but if you read my blog you don't need me to remind you of that.

You can see the trailer here. If you have yet to see it, this is a documentary worth watching.