u/DrPablisimo

I'm not putting that out as a binary choice.

I started a thread asking if men wanted to date shorter women. Most didn't care, and some said women were generally the ones hung up on the issue.

I looked up average height in Indonesia and the Philippines with a Google search.

The average adult height in Indonesia is approximately 164 cm (5 ft 4.5 in) for men, and it is approximately 154 cm (5 ft 0.5 in) for women. These figures reflect national population averages across diverse ethnic groups.

The average adult height in the Philippines is approximately 163 cm (5 ft 4 in) for men, and it is approximately 150 cm (4 ft 11 in) for women. These measurements represent typical adult stature based on national survey data.

For western men (which I am assuming is the primary audience here) who want to find shorter women, either because of their own preference or that of many of the women they encounter, how many of you would consider looking for a girlfriend or bride in these countries?

I spent many years in Indonesia. One of the members of my household got to be about 5'7". He was considered a little short in the US, but when he reached that height in Indonesia, we went to the mall, and he was the size of adult men walking around there, or maybe even a bit taller.

Men: do you want to date (and/or marry) a woman taller than you? Or do you prefer dating someone shorter than you? Is the same height okay? If she is taller, how much taller is okay?

If you are already married, feel free to chime in.

I went overseas a few months after 'I Kissed Dating Goodbye' came out. I am not sure what constitutes 'purity culture.' I think I kind of missed it, if it still isn't going on.

But I heard a bit on NPR about someone who was raised in 'purity culture' and had written a book against. The announcer explained, as if it were shocking or odd, that the author's church strictly forbad premarital sex. As far as I know, every church I've ever even visited was against that. In the 80's, the youth pastor at my church taught a series on the topic, preaching against all kinds of extramarital teen sexual activity.

Was I in 'purity culture'?

I saw a documentary about purity culture. It featured a home school family where the dad and daughter went to a 'purity ball.' The dad matched a girl around 18 up with a young man for marriage. It showed having teens sign a pledge and get some kind of purity promise ring, pledging virginity until marriage. I think that video might have shown sex ed in a classroom where very kid had to hold a cookie as it was passed around, and then the teacher asked who wanted to eat it after everyone had touched it, then compared it to sexuality.

I read other commentary about 'purity culture' involving excessive blaming girls for boys being sexually interested in them.

I've never been to a church that had promise rings. I'm not in favor of it. I think all Christians should live sexually moral without declaring some kind of oath or going through a ritual for it. I've never been in a subculture that has daddy-daughter balls where they dance together. I do think it is a good idea for Christians to have our own dating and match up culture and that our own culture's version of dating is flawed.

Was I in 'purity culture'? What elements have to be there for something to be 'purity culture'? Are there specific denominations in a purity culture movement? Is it some churches and it spans across denominations? Does it still exist?

What is purity culture?