Rape Culture, Purity Culture, and Coercive Control in Teen Girl Bibles

by Caroline Blyth

In this fascinating book, Caroline Blyth takes a close look at Bibles marketed to teen girls and asks how these might perpetuate harmful gender stereotypes that lie at the heart of rape culture.



The author considers the devotionals, commentaries, and advice sections placed throughout these Bibles, which offer teen girl readers life advice on topics such as friendships, body image, and how to navigate romantic relationships. Within these discussions, there is a strong emphasis on modesty, purity, and sexual passivity as markers of young women's 'godliness'. Yet, as the author argues, these gendered ideals are prescribed to readers using rape-supportive discourses and the tactics of coercive control. Moreover, the placement of these various editorial inserts within the pages of sacred scripture gives them considerable power to reinforce deeply harmful ideologies about gender, sexuality, and sexual violence. Given the seeming popularity of these Bibles among Christian teen girls, the need to dismantle their damaging rhetoric is especially urgent.



This book will be of particular interest to those studying the Bible, religion, gender, and theology, as well as the general reader.

Genres: Nonfiction, Feminism, Religion

116 pages, Hardcover

First published February 11, 2021

Reviews

[Sarah]

I can't rate this book. Not because it isn't insightful or thoughtful, it is both of those things in spades. The author has clearly done her research and cares deeply about this subject. I am simply overwhelmed by the argument put forth in this short book, and need to contemplate it longer.

This book dives into the ways in which Bibles marketed at teen girls feed into purity culture and coercive sexual practices as well as take away from the messages that are truly conveyed by Scripture. By comparing the messages in the notes in these Bibles, Caroline Blyth makes it clear that they are all portraying the same message - one where girls are conditioned to accept they have little autonomy and every important decision is left up to the powerful men in their lives. This is up to and including God who, in the study and editorial notes throughout these Bibles, is portrayed as a controlling, all-knowing, angry, manipulative figure who desires to have nothing more than the ultimate control over the readers expression of their images, self-confidence, and sexuality.

This is a very damning book in its views of purity culture and conservative fundamentalism.

[Elena Mitchell · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was such an interesting book on a really important topic. i really want to know what it would be like if they analyzed a teen guys Bible and compared the two. the first two sections i was totally on board with but the last one i struggled a lot more with. overall very thought provoking and insightful.

[grace · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very strong introduction and first chapter, incredibly relevant to my current research so I found it very useful.

Chapter Two and Three were interesting and insightful, not something I had ever really considered beforehand. The final chapter (Three) wasn’t too much to my liking though.

[Sophie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written and structured but such a troubling topic