Episode description

Hi!

It’s Micah of Modern Hysteria. In our second full episode, multitalented writer and photographer Tiffany Torres Williams tells us about her experiences growing up in evangelical Christianity during the heyday of purity culture, and how it affects all of us in the bedroom (and our brains).

⚠️ Content warning: Mention of sexual assault and high-control religion

Purity culture — religious ideology in which sexual abstinence, particularly for women, is a measure of morality and worth; rooted in evangelical Christianity and conservative culture, which idealizes “purity” and rigid gender roles.

If you were exposed to purity culture, you may also:

* ongoing anxiety about not living up to “moral” standards

* might view yourself as “damaged goods” if you don’t meet those standards

* have overwhelming fear or dread of sexual intimacy (even in long-term relationships)

* feel uncomfortable with nudity

* have difficulty asserting boundaries or saying “no”

* experience pelvic pain or vaginisumus, involuntary tightening of the muscles around the vaginal wall, which makes penetration painful or impossible

* have difficulty with libido and arousal

* don’t like to talk about sex at all, even with your medical provider or partner

Tiffany explains that women who grow up in this subculture are taught they are responsible for upholding their purity and for mens’ moral failings. Not only does this set women up for failure and a lifetime of vigilance, but it teaches men and boys that they are not responsible for their own behaviors.

This episode was inspired by a question I put out on social media:

Can you go from virgin to vixen on your wedding night as women are expected to do in high-control religion? 

And, this related question:

How does purity culture affect women’s mental health as it relates to sex?

Unfortunately, our recording sesh got cut short for S1E2, so look out for a Part 2, and, in the meantime, comment below with questions for Tiffany or anything you’d like to add ↓

Connect with Tiffany

* 🌈 Follow on Instagram

* 🗞️ Subscribe to her Substack, Project 2025 Takedown

Up next, I chat with Laura Lemon of Hippiebilly Homestead about homesteading, motherhood, mental health, and postpartum (plus tradwife influencers like Ballerina Farm).

Thanks for listening!

— Micah

P.S. Our next (free, online) Women’s Sharing Circle is on Dec. 10, and we’re talking about feminine rage. Click here for more information