Purity Culture Harms: Healing Shame, Reclaiming Pleasure, and Body Autonomy

Purity culture has shaped how many people experience shame, sexuality, and body autonomy—especially within religious environments. In this episode, Jessica explores the lasting harms of purity culture and how healing, pleasure, and self-trust can be reclaimed.

Purity culture has left deep scars—especially for people of the global majority, women, queer folks, and those navigating the intersections of religion, culture, and colonialism.

Jessica breaks down how purity culture isn't just a 1990s evangelical trend—it has roots in colonial control, patriarchy, and the policing of marginalized bodies.

You'll hear trauma-informed insights, somatic healing practices, and compassionate tools to help you release shame, reconnect with desire, and reclaim your pleasure.

✨ If you've struggled with shame around your body, desire, or relationships, or you're supporting someone who has, this episode offers resources, reflection prompts, and hope for a more embodied, liberated life.

✨ Topics we cover:

What purity culture is and how it extends beyond white evangelicalism

How it uniquely impacts BIPOC, Asian, and Latine communities through colonialism

The hidden harms: shame, sexual disconnection, and silencing of desire

Somatic + body-based practices for healing

How caregivers can teach consent to protect kids from purity culture's harm

Steps toward reclaiming pleasure, autonomy, and embodied freedom