In the essay, osteophage covers the background of the term "purity culture" in its usage to describe a 1990s-2000s cultural movement among American Christians concerned with instilling "sexual purity" in youth, and to critique the harms of that movement. According to osteophage's findings, the term "purity culture" emerged in public discussion no later than 2008.
The essay proceeds to critique the appropriation of the term "purity culture" that later emerged in 2010s media fandom spaces, particularly Tumblr and Tumblr-influenced spaces, in ways that do not meaningfully engage the definition and purpose of the term. Notably, osteophage's criticism includes the Fanlore article on Purity Culture in Fandom.
Join us for our annual IFD Fanlore Challenge from Feb 14–20. Tackle fun editing challenges & earn dazzling drink-themed badges. Find out more on the help page!
Femslash is a genre of fanworks about women characters in a romantic/sexual relationship, and Femslash February is an annual challenge to create fanworks for these pairings. All month long Fanlore will be spotlighting articles related to femslash fandom, so keep an eye on our social media for more.
In addition to the highlighted articles, we would love your help in expanding the femslash pages on Fanlore. Not sure where to start? Check out our femslash fandom category.
We hope you’ll join us for this year’s month of sapphic appreciation!
