Dear Listeners,
Purity culture is often described as a story about sex, shame, and private morality. But what happens when we take it seriously as a political system—one that decides whose bodies are protected, whose are disciplined, and whose are cast as threats to the social order?
That question sits at the heart of our latest episode of Whiplash, a conversation that builds on our earlier essay breaking down the history of Purity Culture. Emma is joined on the show today by Sara Moslener, a scholar of American religion, race, and gender, and the author of After Purity. Sara’s work helps us see purity culture not simply as a set of sexual rules, but as a racial and political project—one that trains white vulnerability, elevates innocence myths, and renders certain bodies as threats in need of control.
In this episode, Emma and Sara talk about how purity culture is deeply entangled with white womanhood, Cold War politics, bodily surveillance, and American nationalism. They explore how fears about “unruly bodies” continue to shape public life today—especially in attacks on queer and trans people—and why these logics feel so familiar across Christian traditions, including Catholicism.
Content statement. This is not a light episode. It touches on religious trauma, state violence, and the long afterlife of purity culture in our bodies and communities (a more detailed content statement appears in the intro to the episode). If you’ve ever felt that something about purity culture was deeply wrong—even after you deconstructed the rules—this conversation helps name why.
🎧 Listen to the podcast here on Substack (where you can read a transcript by clicking the button on the top of the episode page on the web), Spotify (which has video and in-app transcripts), Apple Podcasts (which has in-app transcripts), and YouTube.
Whiplash is fully listener-supported. If this episode resonates with you, the simplest ways to help are to share it, rate the show, or leave a review. Paid subscribers also make this work possible and help keep these conversations accessible to everyone.
Thank you, as always, for listening, reflecting, and showing up with us.
With gratitude,
Max & Emma
Related: Read our essay outlining the history of Purity Culture and how it uniquely targets queer and trans people.
