In Knoxville Tenn, December 13th was Kathy Krugers wedding day, and also the day she had her first kiss. In a culture where casual sex is the norm, some Tennesseans have taken the purity pledge to a whole new level, through a practice that some teens call the “Virgin Lips Movement”.

Religious leaders say these examples of super abstinence deserve admiration and not derision, especially in a time when the only social taboo would seem to be violating the ‘third date rule’. When asked about how they know they want to get married if they haven’t even kissed yet, they reply I’m not going to marry someone because they’re a good kisser. Other arguments from super abstinence are put forward such as saving the first kiss for the wedding day to guarantee the marriage wasn’t based on “the physical”, but instead based in the emotional and the spiritual.

Not everyone agrees however, Jessica Valenti, author of ‘The Purity Myth’, notes that 95 per cent of Americans have premarital sex, and trying to save your first kiss for marriage may be an unrealistic expectation. If teens don’t succeed, and turn into a slobbering mess in front of 200 people, it would be a huge letdown leaving them feeling like failures.

I personally believe that so long as it’s the individuals choice, and not a view they are being forced to adopt by an influential figure, then so be it. If they and thier partner are truly happy to save even thier first kiss for the wedding day then who is anyone to say they are being foolish. With high divorce rates in this stressful age we live in, perhaps more marriages would benefit from not basing mutual attraction on physical satisfaction only. Not for me however, I quite like the idea of premarital sex and will be carrying on liking it for a very long time. Each to thier own, you can read the full article here.