Stories of Sexual Embodiment Post-Purity Culture

Sexual embodiment encompasses living, experiencing, and perceiving the world, self, and relationships through the sexual body; societal messages either foster connection or disconnection to the sexual body and self. Disconnected sexual embodiment in people raised as girls is associated with negative sexual health outcomes such as sexual dysfunction, low sexual agency, and high sex guilt and shame. Purity culture’s messages are associated with these negative sexual health outcomes, yet its role in sexual embodiment is unexplored. This study asks, How do people raised as girls experience sexual embodiment after purity culture? Body mapping was utilized for embodied arts-based narrative engagement. Visual narrative analysis and thematic analysis of body maps revealed six main themes across five participants’ body maps: overwhelming emotions; confusion; protection of the sexual body; barriers to embodiment; desiring and attempting embodiment; and healing. These themes contribute to understanding people raised as girls’ experiences of sexual embodiment over time.