Silver Ring Thing (http://www.silverringthing.com)
There are also support services, chat rooms, forums, hotline and other
things to help the kids keep their promise. They wear these rings until
such time as they are married, and then they take them off.
There is also a "secondary virginity" aspect of this movement. You can
make the promise, and put on the ring no matter what your previous sexual
history might be.
This is an interesting "thing". :)
I am intrigued by the outward sign of their promise (the ring). This is
worn where everyone can see. Will it "ward off" those who are only
interested in sex, or will it engender the "gunslinger syndrome" (seeing
if you can "bag" one of the people with the rings) or even get someone
raped.
I wonder if the positive peer pressure will make chastity "cool" in high
schools.
"Supposedly." But in reality? Peer pressure is the big influence. Every
generation wants to rebel against the last, but they all rebel to the same
drum. They are no more "authentic." When I was their age, pre-marital
sex still happened, but it was frowned on. I doubt whether it was as
widespread as it is today.
I have a lot of respect for the family values taught in Catholic schools,
even though I am not a Catholic myself. The other denominations could take
a leaf out of their book. Possibly it is only girls in Catholic schools
who wear it, but hopefully they will influence their friends. What about
the Catholic boys? Will there be a double standard again? Not if I know
Catholic values.
I assume that the manufacturers would gladly sell such rights to
fundamentalist teenagers.
My daughter was given one from her boyfriend, who just graduated from
the Catholic high school she attends.
She has explained that his parents are convinced that they are fucking
and that she has given up on changing their minds. I thank her for
protecting herself for her own sake, not for what other people think.
What she shares to her mom add credibility IMO that this is genuine on
her part.
Since my daughter expleined to him on the day (at the fair last fall) when
he became smitten with her that she did not believe in premarital sex, I
believe her that they don't "have sexual relations" and probably do not do
genital petting -- despite his willingness.
(My wife was aware from discussions in _her_ Catholic high school that
the famous phrase that Bill Clinton used was technically true for him.
The term "sexual relationships" only refers to PIV intercourse.
It was a Jesuitical* phrase that was misleading but technically true.
But she had many discussions about the difference between technical
virginity and what is commonly implied by it. Her peers were aware in
the late 1960s that oral/genital sex was not "sexual relationships".)