FINALLY we conclude the suck-fest that is chapter 4 of Raising Maidens of Virtue. Finally we can move on from the mountain of misogyny (at least for now. Don't worry divers, there's much more misogyny to come) and get on with the less overtly horrible parts of this book for a much-needed respite. But alas, there's not much rest for the weary, so stay tuned.

We're still working our way through Chapter 4 of Raising Maidens of Virtue, entitle "Homemade Homemakers." This is part 2 of what is now a three-part miniseries within this book review. Sorry! There was too much maddening, misogynistic material for me to just cut it off, this is one of the worst chapters in the book and I wanted to do it justice and expose just how bad it really is. Also apologies for the slight delay in getting this episode out, let's just say I got a case of the bends - as in, bending over this script for too long and realizing it would take one more episode to finish the chapter. Enjoy!

Part 1 of 2 because this chapter was too nauseating to do all at once. Take a deep breath, divers. This chapter is all about why women are meant to be literal accessories to their husbands and how even dreaming of anything else is out of the question. Bring your barf bags and maybe some hard liquor.

Apologies for the delay. We've been sick around here and it was simplest to just skip a week but we will continue to post weekly from here on out. This chapter is about learning contentment, managing your pride and ego, and how to give up on anything and everything in order to become a truly useless damsel in distress - I mean Maiden of Virtue!!!

We continue our exploration of this hideous book with a chapter that almost seems designed to disgust anyone with half a brain. Misogyny? Check. Creepiness? Check. Sexualization? Check. This isn't for the faint of heart, but it's worth diving into to examine exactly why this ideology is so astonishingly bad. Listen in to learn all about what mAiDeNs are supposed to be. Hint: it's a study in contradictions and mental gymnastics.

This week we're diving into chapter one of Raising Maidens of Virtue, by Stacy McDonald. It's a weird, awkward allegory/cautionary tale...probably. It's hard to tell exactly what the author is trying to say, but as you'll soon see, none of the interpretations are particularly pleasant. Join me on the first official chapter of this totally heinous, super insufferable book!

This week we're diving into a particularly puritanical book for adolescent girls called Raising Maidens of Virtue: A Study of Feminine Loveliness for Mothers and Daughters, by Stacy McDonald. It's basically a manual on how to be a trad-wife in training, but without anything useful like cooking tips and with a lot more talk about virginity. There's a lot of toxic waste to dig through, so we're just starting with the foreword and introduction.

Let's dive in to explore a brief overview of Purity Culture and the Sexual Prosperity Gospel. What is it? Why is it bad? What even is this podcast? If you grew up in any kind of conservative evangelical environment or if you're just a snarker or even just bored, let's take a look!