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of integrity and responsibility as he acts as a role model for his family. The father's protecting role over the daughter's virginity is emphasized throughout the night, as Wilson states "Fathers, our daughters are waiting for us… They are desperately waiting for us in a culture that lures them into the murky waters of exploitation. They need to be rescued by you, their dad." One widely used pledge for fathers reads: "I, (daughter's name)'s father, choose before God to cover my daughter as her authority and protection in the area of purity. I will be pure in my own life as a man, husband and father. I will be a man of integrity and accountability as I lead, guide and pray over my daughter and my family as the high priest in my home. This covering will be used by God to influence generations to come."
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father's duty to protect the young girl's heart, only giving away the key to her husband on her wedding day. The ceremonies close with a father–daughter waltz which aims to solidify the bond between father and daughter and elucidate the promoters' concept of a "proper date". Lisa Wilson, wife to Randy Wilson and co-founder of
Generations of Light, a popular Christian ministry in Colorado Springs, states "We wanted to set a standard of dignity and honor for the way the girls should be treated by the men in their lives".
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they encourage and engrave dysfunctional expectations in the minds of the young women, making them vulnerable to believing their only value is as property, and teaching them that they must subjugate their own mental, physical, and emotional well-being to the needs of potentially or actually abusive partners.
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Although the chastity pledges differ between organizations, the purity balls held by the creator of the concept, Pastor Randy Wilson, follow a symbolic ritual. Each father or mentor pledges to shield and protect his daughter; to live a pure life himself as a man, husband, and father; and, to be a man
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Opponents of purity balls claim that they encroach upon women's freedom of choice to date whom they please and to make their own independent decisions without the help of men. In this view, the philosophy of purity balls implies that young girls are not capable of making their own choices. Jennifer
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The ceremony is a formal event as daughters get dressed up in ball gowns, and the evening typically consists of dinner, a keynote speaker, ballroom dancing and a vow for fathers and daughters. The girls can range in age from their college years to four years old; however, the majority of girls are
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Proponents of these events believe that they encourage close and deeply affectionate relationships between fathers and daughters, thereby avoiding the premarital sexual activity that allegedly results when young women seek love through relationships with young men. Critics of the balls argue that
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Advocates of purity balls assert that they promote physical, psychological, and spiritual integrity. Randy Wilson, one of the co-founders of the purity ball, states that "The idea was to model what the relationship can be as a daughter grows from a child to an adult. You come in closer, become
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doctoral student, argues that, from a feminist perspective, the purity ball ritual can be considered sexist discrimination as it rarely applies to men, and ignores whether women desire heterosexual marriages. Freitag further asserts that the purity balls and virginity pledges give women fewer
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Remembrance gifts are given at some ceremonies to represent the girl's promise of chastity and the father's oath to protect her and guide her in her lifestyle. One form of token is a charm bracelet or necklace in the shape of a heart for the girl and a key for her father, which symbolizes the
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supports the idea of sexual abstinence prior to marriage. However, she has expressed concerns that purity balls are pervaded by a preoccupation with physical chastity which may inadvertently imbue the social construction of girls attending them with erotic attributes. She claims that this
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concluded "there is little hard evidence that purity balls have spread much beyond
Colorado Springs" in spite of claims that the events are widespread. The newspaper notes that chastity-promotion events may go by other names, such as "father-daughter balls," in other locations.
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available to answer whatever questions she has." Wilson did not want virginity pledges to become characteristic elements of purity balls as he questions the wisdom of such promises: "It heaps guilt upon them. If they fail, you've made it worse for them." In an interview with
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practices to mitigate the risks when engaging in sexual activity. Furthermore, Glamour states that the percentage of teenagers in a given area who have made virginity pledges is positively correlated with the frequency with which
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data supports the conclusion that teenagers making virginity pledges, including those promulgated through purity balls, usually do not adhere to the required standard of chastity, and are less prepared to utilize
177:. She says that the balls' central message is that women's sexuality is controlled by men. She further argues that the balls sexualize young girls; the event is often promoted as a "date." Writer and
90:. This event was created for the Wilsons' five daughters and the fathers that he viewed as not having a place in their daughters' lives. Randy Wilson is a director of the
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until marriage. Fathers who attend a purity ball make a promise to protect their young daughters' "purity of mind, body, and soul." The balls are considered a part of
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criticizes purity balls for implying that fathers, rather than young women themselves, have the freedom to control whether and with whom the young women engage in
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141:: "I applaud your courage to look your daughter in the eye and tell her how beautiful she is." Participants are described as "dates", and, according to
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magazine, could be mistaken for heterosexual romantic partners in the absence of information about their parent–child relationship.
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126:"just old enough… have begun menstruating" as purity ball guidelines advise. Some ceremonies state a minimum age requirement.
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took his daughter to a purity ball in 2015, describing women as "prey" who must be taught to avoid "predators."
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says that there is a scientific controversy as to the efficacy of the virginity pledges at purity balls.
465:"Speaker Mike Johnson and daughter were profiled attending 'purity ball' in 2015 German TV news segment"
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Purity balls were most notorious during the early 2000s, but they continue. US speaker of the House
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opportunities to explore their future mates and presume that the girls will marry men, ignoring
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450:"Family Talk with Dr. James Dobson: A Father's Commitment to His Daughter, Part 2"
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In 1998, the first purity ball was organized by Randy and Lisa Wilson in
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301:"Purity Ball Colorado Springs | Generations of Light, Randy Wilson"
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714:"Father-Daughter Purity Balls Still Drawing Crowds, Criticisms"
414:"'Purity Balls' Get Attention, but Might Not Be All They Claim"
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360:"'Purity Ball' Get Attention, but Might Not be All They Claim"
58:. Typically, daughters who attend a purity ball make a
137:Wilson advises fathers to praise their daughters'
545:"Would You Pledge Your Virginity to Your Father?"
432:"Randy Wilson: National Director, Men's Ministry"
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196:National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health
603:"Dancing the Night Away, With a Higher Purpose"
333:Would you pledge your virginity to your father?
46:. The events are attended by fathers and their
38:event typically practiced by some conservative
757:"Hart: Girl's sexuality is personal property"
663:Why is the pressure to Be Pure only on Women?
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98:. The balls were promoted on the radio by
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171:criticized purity balls in her 2010 book
27:American style of Christian formal dance
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221:Southern Illinois University Carbondale
489:from the original on February 28, 2012
348:; January, 2007; Jennifer Baumgardner.
307:from the original on September 3, 2010
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847:Women's rights in the United States
551:from the original on April 15, 2012
463:Steakin, Will (December 20, 2023).
412:Oppenheimer, Mark (July 20, 2012).
358:Oppenheimer, Mark (July 21, 2012).
613:from the original on March 5, 2014
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837:Christianity in the United States
516:"The Pursuit of Teen Girl Purity"
601:Banerjee, Neela (May 19, 2008).
755:Betsy Hart (February 3, 2007).
688:The Pursuit of Teen Girl Purity
384:. July 17, 2008. Archived from
206:sexually transmitted infections
807:Sexual abstinence and religion
50:daughters in order to promote
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576:"Father Daughter Purity Ball"
277:Abstinence-only sex education
793:photo essay of a purity ball
703:; July 17, 2008; Nancy Gibbs
378:"The Pursuit of Teen Purity"
94:, and previously worked for
832:Dances of the United States
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84:Colorado Springs, Colorado
88:United States of America
842:Modesty in Christianity
436:Family Research Council
139:physical attractiveness
92:Family Research Council
483:"Generations of Light"
735:"Daddy's Little Girl"
282:Father-daughter dance
208:occur. An article in
151:Beliefs and rationale
817:Christian practices
522:on December 8, 2013
452:. February 3, 2012.
96:Focus on the Family
822:1998 introductions
693:2008-07-21 at the
607:The New York Times
364:The New York Times
338:2007-09-04 at the
186:sexual intercourse
64:sexually abstinent
669:on April 19, 2012
639:on March 17, 2012
388:on March 18, 2012
267:Silver Ring Thing
16:(Redirected from
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637:the original
633:"The Pledge"
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115:Mike Johnson
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100:James Dobson
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36:formal dance
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18:Purity balls
767:November 9,
617:January 28,
311:November 7,
272:Purity ring
230:bisexuality
219:Freitag, a
32:purity ball
801:Categories
288:References
250:Betsy Hart
247:journalist
226:lesbianism
182:Eve Ensler
62:to remain
740:March 23,
719:March 23,
673:March 22,
643:March 18,
586:March 22,
555:March 22,
526:March 25,
493:March 18,
392:March 15,
255:Christian
164:Criticism
52:virginity
40:Christian
691:Archived
611:Archived
549:Archived
487:Archived
469:ABC News
336:Archived
305:Archived
261:See also
213:magazine
201:safe sex
179:feminist
121:Ceremony
56:marriage
345:Glamour
257:faith.
192:Glamour
144:Glamour
78:Origins
48:teenage
238:incest
232:, and
54:until
34:is a
769:2009
742:2012
721:2012
675:2012
645:2012
619:2014
588:2012
557:2012
528:2012
495:2012
394:2012
382:Time
313:2010
211:Time
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