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The Christianity Today women's blog provides news and analysis from the perspective of evangelical women. We cover news stories and books related to international justice and evangelism, pregnancy and sexual ethics, marriage, parenting, and celibacy, pop culture, health and body image, raising girls, and women in the church and parachurch.

Her.meneutics is edited by associate editor Katelyn Beaty and online editor Sarah Pulliam Bailey.

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April 27, 2011

Sex Sells - So Does Virginity

Nickelodeon star Miranda Cosgrove is being marketed as the embodiment of purity in a sex-saturated culture. Why Christians should be concerned.

Sharon Hodde Miller, guest blogger

In February I reviewed Peggy Orenstein's new book, Cinderella Ate My Daughter: Dispatches from the Front Lines of the New Girlie-Girl Culture. The book takes a hard look at the culture that imposes itself on our nation’s daughters, and challenges the notion that it is altogether harmless. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and I highly recommend it. In a media atmosphere where the facts are often harnessed to fuel fear, Orenstein manages to inform her readers with sobering research without crossing into full-on paranoia.

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In a more recent New York Times article, “The Good Girl, Miranda Cosgrove,” Orenstein continues her exploration of the themes in her book. The article features teen star Miranda Cosgrove, who shot to fame in her role on the hit Nickelodeon show iCarly. Cosgrove, who turns 18 in May, stands at the edge of a precipice with her adulthood stretching out before her. And like the teen stars that have preceded her, many are watching to see how she will emerge in the next season of life. Gracefully, clumsily, or catastrophically?

Orenstein is troubled by the media pressure cooker in which young women like Cosgrove exist. But even more concerning is the manner in which these young ladies’ virtue is marketed like a product. For the NYT, Orenstein wrote,

For as many seasons as the illusion can be maintained, [teens stars] remain, at least onscreen, uncomplicated, untroubled good girls, on the verge of, but never actually awakening to, their sexuality. There is a lot of money to be made — and a lot of parental anxiety to be tapped — by walking that line.

At this point in her career, Cosgrove shines as an unsullied embodiment of all the qualities a parent desires in a role model. No objections here. But things get complicated when Christians consider how to respond to an industry that uses morality as a marketing device. Should we praise these young women as role models, or hold them at arm’s length?

Cosgrove’s pristine image is inextricably tied to her career, a dynamic that presents us with two key problems. Orenstein summarizes the first one in her book. Of the partnership between morality and profit she writes, “I suspect that you cannot commodify a girl’s virginity without, eventually, commodifying what comes after” (129). In other words, the entertainment industry isn’t promoting chastity; it’s selling what sells. Up until a certain age, innocence is a powerful marketing image, but when purity no longer garners attention, these young starlets turn to what sells. And what usually sells is sex.

Orenstein thoroughly critiques the entertainment industry and its exploitation of innocence, so I won’t cover old ground here. But there is an additional problem that Orenstein does not broach, and it is here that Christian ethics provides a unique and powerful voice. The second problem we encounter in the combination of purity and profit is divorcing ethics from its necessary context.

In the entertainment industry and even in our churches, good behavior is often applauded regardless of motivation. Purity and abstinence are treated as stand-alone virtues, with or without a transformed heart. That is not to imply that a parent is wrong to praise her child when she makes a good decision. But such affirmation must occur within the larger context of Christian salvation. Without that language as a foundation for ethics, we stray dangerously close to works righteousness.

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The relationship between virtue and free grace is what makes Christian ethics Christian. This point could not be made clearer by Orenstein’s reaction to young women like Cosgrove. Orenstein condemns the industry that manipulates young women into unhealthy expressions of their sexuality, but she does not oppose the expressions themselves. In her book, for example, Orenstein worries not that her daughter will have premarital sex, but that she will have it for the wrong reasons. In fact, Orenstein hopes that her daughter will have a vibrant, healthy sex life long before marriage.

Here, Orenstein attempts to construct a context for her sexual ethics — namely one of safety and mutuality. For Christians, our understanding of sex and chastity certainly includes those elements, but we also acknowledge there must be more. A Christian conception of sex must be rooted in the One who created sex, love, and marriage. Within this context sex is to reflect the self-giving, sacrificial, and eternal love of Christ, which means it can occur only within the bonds of marriage. And most important of all, Christians mirror the character of God through our sexuality as a response to God’s love, not as an obligation. We do not need to earn that which we already have.

There is nothing wrong with affirming and admiring the goodness of people outside the church as a sign of common grace. I heartily commend Cosgrove for her dedication to being a good role model. But here a caution is also in order. The entertainment industry simultaneously capitalizes on the innocence of young women while shaping our language about sex and chastity, and that language is antithetical to the gospel of Christ.

Though Orenstein’s beliefs may not be entirely compatible with the Christian faith, she challenges us to question how we talk about sex and chastity. Christians may discourage premarital sex and uphold fidelity in the name of Christ, but that doesn’t mean our language about virtue is, essentially, Christian.

Share |

Posted by Katelyn Beaty on April 27, 2011 8:56 AM

Comments

Spot on.

Posted By: Gina | April 27, 2011 9:44 AM

Some of the most intelligent articles on this website come from this blog. Thank you for a provoking read. I concur - "Spot on."

Posted By: Nadine | April 27, 2011 10:11 AM

Very well put! I would add that it may do some good to think about what we mean by salvation. I was raised with a salvation/sanctification divide, which to my understanding always seemed like on the one hand going to heaven, and on the other hand becoming a better person by growing closer to the ideal God set.

But what I am beginning to see is that maybe they are not so different after all? Salvation is being saved from a condition where good change is impossible - we will always be a sinner, always be rotten at heart without Christ's sacrifice. Salvation is what makes heart-change possible, it is what Kant referred to as the "change of heart" necessary to combat radical evil.

So while a truly Christian ethics cannot be separated from salvation, I think a truly Christian salvation cannot be separated from ethics, in some sense either. Problems of commodification and the like might be helped if we kept that in mind.

That's my $.02, at least!

Posted By: Marta | April 27, 2011 10:16 AM

Awesome! This puts into words what I have felt and thought for years as I watched one wholesome star after another have incredible falls that undermined the good role model I had tried to present to my kids.

Thanks for sharing this. It has given me something to think about and share with my family.

Posted By: Edwin Crozier | April 27, 2011 10:26 AM

Marta, that's a great point! Thanks for adding your 2 cents :)

Posted By: Sharon Miller | April 27, 2011 10:39 AM

As the mom of two young daughters, I am very conscious of the image of girls that Miranda's and other Nickelodeon and Disney shows present. These shows, while not promoting sex explicitly, glorify characteristics of girls that are in no way modest or godly. Young girls are portrayed as sassy, bratty, flirtatious, self-absorbed, and obsessed with boys above all else. I am always amazed that people are suprised when these teen stars get all sexed up as soon as they turn 18. It's a mistake to assume that just because there is no sex specifically represented that these shows or stars provide "an unsullied embodiment of all the qualities a parent desires in a role model." I am grateful, however, that they will provide an opportunity to set up the conversation about godly character when my daughters get a little older.

Posted By: Sara | April 27, 2011 11:32 AM

I started to write that I greatly appreciate that a book exists in the Christian market that critically examins sexuality and Christian faith beyond quoting a few Bible verses and rehashing the same-old. But I can see now from a second read that the book is probably not Christian market. So, instead, thank you for bringing light to a book like this on a Christian forum and making a correlation to the spirutual aspects. I wish there were more (any?) books like this in Christian publishing that examine the negative sexual culture and how as women we can work against that. I hope this book provides some talking points for women with their families

Posted By: Stephanie | April 27, 2011 12:28 PM

Thanks for this thoughtful article.
Stephanie is right that we need more christian voices examining the complexities of sexuality in our culture without reducing it to a few dictums about when sexual acts are and are not ok. Perhaps a long-term project for someone, but also inviting a firestorm of criticism for whoever does it!

Posted By: Bethany | April 27, 2011 12:49 PM

Nice points.

You wrote, "Should we praise these young women as role models, or hold them at arm’s length?", and I think the answer is neither. We should treat them as human beings just like every other human being, and talk to our daughters about them as such. We can talk with our kids about the pressures and temptations 'role models' face, and how virtue can be commodified, and our tendency to want human beings to be perfect. We can talk ahead of time about the *why* of purity, and take care to explain the differences between ethics and Christian ethics. It may not be a panacea, but one thing's for sure: if we're not talking about these kinds of things with our kids, no one else is going to do it for us.

Posted By: Julia at LotsaLaundry | April 27, 2011 1:03 PM

I will start by saying that I applaud Miss Cosgrove for her convictions and celibacy, no matter what the motivation. My problem with her show (and other like shows from Disney et. al.) is that they teach the wrong approach to dating, relationships, and in the larger christian scope what we call purity (your article also alluded to this). The bible clearly states that there should be not even a hint of immorality or improper behavior, which is a line that television and movies cross not only frequently but constantly. I like the approach of the article here to think outside the traditional christian box, and agree 100% with the idea of carefully examining the marketing. While much of the world may want their children to identify with these characters and their virtue, I believe as followers of a great god we should hold ourselves to a higher standard...that of the bible. I am a happily married father of 3 and my wife and I kissed maybe 5 brief times before our wedding day and all of these were in public (not a private setting where temptation can intervene). This is the standard or virtue and purity that I hope my children will follow, not the one from highly marketed television shows. Thanks for the article.

Posted By: Carl | April 27, 2011 4:00 PM

I agree with this article. Also there is a comment above that says that these shows give girls characteristics about being flirtatious and others. I watch those shows since I'm a young girl and what that comment says is absolutely true. When I first started watching iCarly, it was innocent and and simple enough. After maybe a year or two, it started to change. More talk about bras, and kissing, and stuff like that appeared an the show. I talked about it with my friend and she noticed the same thing. I've also noticed that when teen stars get to age 18, people expect them to "act grown up". While they should be mature, being "grown up" isn't what they should be. Take Miley Cyrus for example; she was a sweet girl and innocent and then out of the blue she quit "Hannah Montana" and was caught doing a legal drug. Eighteen in Hollywood, seems to be the "sex age". What I mean by that is that when girls get to that age they are expected to be sexy, or start to be more open about sex. I love Miranda Cosgrove, and I hope that she will just simply be herself and won't let these pressures change who she is.

Posted By: Mikayla | April 27, 2011 7:50 PM

"The entertainment industry simultaneously capitalizes on the innocence of young women while shaping our language about sex and chastity, and that language is antithetical to the gospel of Christ."
- i can not more agree with it...

Posted By: Woman | April 28, 2011 1:56 AM

What happens when these "role models" end up in sordid affairs? Brittney Spears, anyone? I agree that they should be treated like human beings, not put on pedestals.

Also, it is completely unethical to use a woman's (or man's) chastity to make money. But I'm not surprised. The almighty dollar is always the bottom line, even when it means exploitation.

I'll say it again: MEDIA LITERACY is crucial for our kids. Start teaching it to them young so they don't fall into the commercialization and sexualization of their childhoods.

Posted By: Robyn | April 28, 2011 11:32 AM

I personally think we should stop butting into the sex lives of girls and women. It's a private matter that is none of our business. Maybe if we didn't talk about it so much, our kids wouldn't be so wrapped up in it. Either desperate to be sexy at 12 or being 15 and feeling overwhelming pressure to be "clean".

Aren't there better things to worry over?

Posted By: Dawn | May 6, 2011 2:27 PM

When I see a young star whose purity or lack thereof being talked about, the one thing that comes to mind is that I need to remember to pray for this young woman. Hollywood and the media will use whatever they need to use to make money. It is a business for them, and actresses like Miranda Cosgrove are commodities for them. Nothing more. If there are victims in this kind of situation they aren't our children. The victims are the young stars who are used for their talent and beauty. Now they get perks of course and I am sure doing this kind of stuff can be a lot of fun. But they do not need our critisms. They need our prayers and God's wisdom. Pray that Miranda stays pure. Pray she is protected. Pray God puts godly counselors around her who will help protect her from the sharks in her world (and ours).

Posted By: Jane Hinrichs | May 9, 2011 9:37 AM

When people speak of morality or Christianity, what is expected out of these young women is that they are pure and virgin. However, the world today has different views of it except of course the super faithful and devoted Christians. What is important here is the real personality of the person, not what she portraits in the movie or TV.
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Posted By: Classy | August 4, 2011 5:48 PM

When people speak of morality or Christianity, what is expected out of these young women is that they are pure and virgin. However, the world today has different views of it except of course the super faithful and devoted Christians. What is important here is the real personality of the person, not what she portraits in the movie or TV.

Posted By: Full Term Pregnancy | August 5, 2011 12:38 AM

I will agree on the thing that true love waits. Because of the poor government now, many were able to sex and just take advantage everything knowing that they could destroy their dignity if they are to sell sex.

Posted By: kortingsbonnen | November 3, 2011 6:58 PM

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