Not So Pure and Simple

The themes of The Construction of Masculinity and The Sexual Double Standard are central to the novel and discussed here together because they are closely related. Masculinity is entwined with the sexual double standard because the double standard assumes certain traits are inherently masculine: the drive for sex, the sense of sexual conquest, and the objectification of women for the purpose of sex. This form of masculinity is toxic because it reduces women to objects to gratify men; it devalues women’s choices, and it denies that women are equal partners. The double standard shames women for behavior that is applauded in men. For example, women who pursue sex or make clear they enjoy sex are labeled “sluts” or worse. The teenage mothers in the novel bear the burden of raising their children and bear the shame of their situation while the fathers of their babies escape accountability. Cressie works to dismantle this type of toxic masculinity on her YouTube channel; MJ is a prominent example of healthy masculinity, and he acts as a role model to the teenage boys.

Early on, Del describes how Green Creek High School is known for the nine girls who got pregnant the previous year in a strange fluke.