Sanfte Krieger und Hohepriester

Eine Analyse von Maskulinität auf Keuschheitsbällen in den USA

Abstract

Chastity balls (Purity Balls) among evangelical Christians in the United States embody the ideals of Purity Culture (PC). At these events, the father-daughter relationship is central. In this paper, I focus on the conceptions of masculinity among evangelical Christians in the U.S. and on the ideals of Purity Culture. The aim of this paper is to investigate which notions of masculinity underlie Purity Balls in order to explain why these events promote a specific representation of masculinity. To address the research question, existing literature on Purity Balls, Purity Culture, and conceptions of masculinity in the United States was analyzed. The literature indicates that Purity Balls offer participating fathers an opportunity to enact a gentle and protective masculinity without relinquishing patriarchal control. Masculinity is affirmed not only through economic factors or aggressive behaviour, but also through spiritual and sexual purity. This dynamic provides important insights into the interplay between religious practices and gender roles and helps to illuminate the mechanisms through which conservative gender ideals are reproduced in modern societies.