UCSF

This dissertation examines the embodied experiences of those raised as women within evangelical purity culture. Purity culture is an evangelical Christian movement that promotes strict rules around sexual abstinence before marriage, modest dress for women, and conservative gender roles. Utilizing 65 in-depth interviews, I illustrate how the structures and norms of purity culture shape embodied experiences and the body itself. First, I analyze expectations of female bodily submission to male authority and the "Kingdom of God." Women's bodies are seen as not their own, but objects to be controlled by men and the church for men’s gratification, childbearing, and evangelical proselytizing. I next examine how thinness operates as a manifestation of purity culture values like bodily discipline, modesty, and whiteness. I then demonstrate purity culture as a "spiritualized rape culture," outlining how its norms foster vulnerability to assault through withholding sexual education and patriarchal power dynamics. I also examine narratives that blame women for "tempting" men and “causing” assault and abuse. Finally, I analyze embodied consequences of purity culture experiences including sexual dysfunction, disembodiment, and disordered eating. This novel focus on embodiment and health impacts within purity culture expands understanding of this influential religious movement, revealing how religious culture can profoundly impact corporeal realities, with findings relevant to scholars, practitioners, religious leaders, and those with lived experiences.