Here is a rough draft of a paragraph from my thesis. This paragraph will most likely change (drastically) for obvious reasons, but it's too good not to share.
Enjoy!
One of the central metaphors in
the discussion of female sexuality and purity is that of the sexual gatekeeper.
In this illustration of abstinence, young women are the gatekeepers of their
virginity. In order to protect their virginity from lustful, ravenous men, women
are to dress and behave modestly. They must monitor their behavior to ensure
that they do not excite the lust of men and therefore endanger the sacred
virginity. In this metaphor, women are detached from their sexuality. Part of
staying pure is to not engage with ideas of sexuality outside of matrimony.
Within this metaphor, when women do not properly guard their flower they are
then blamed. There is also the implication that the gate to the pleasurable
garden of her vagina cannot be locked again until she recommits herself to a
life of second virginity. However, the narrative of second virginity typically
relies upon a sexual trauma or violence occurring before the young women
recommits herself to life a purity. An implication of that narrative in
conjunction with the gatekeeper metaphor is that once the gate to sex is opened
it cannot be closed without revirginization. As such, a young woman might as
well create some nice walking paths and start charging for entrance because she
is now a whore.
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