College Candy

While catching up on my celeb blogs this week, I discovered that among a smattering of other celebrities, the Jonas Brothers have confided in US Weekly–which is exactly where I’d go if I wanted to bare my soul–that they’re all still carrying their V-cards around in their velcro wallets. And they’re keeping it that way til marriage.

US Weekly said on February 22:

“The popular band of brothers wear purity rings as “promises to ourselves and to God that we’ll stay pure till marriage,” Joe, 18, tells Details magazine in their March issue.”

Twenty dollars says at least ten teenybopper girls heard about this and demanded a Tiff’s ring from Daddy on the spot. And what father wouldn’t oblige to keep his little girl pure til marriage?

Mine might not, depending on how expensive my taste was.

Sex is such a debacle for single stars, isn’t it? Especially when they’re obligated to spill to the tabloids. Damned if you do (to hell?), damned if you don’t (by society?). I honestly couldn’t handle the pressure of being a teen pop sensation. Whose morals do you follow, your own, or the ones created for you by the people who happen to sign your paycheck?

For all of us, there comes that turning point where you start wondering who of your friends has and who hasn’t had sex, and then wonder whether you should or shouldn’t have. At the end of the day, though, you’ve got to have your own reasons lined up for your behavior. It’s stressful enough worrying about your own emotional capacity for the situation, your health, the potential for pregnancy, and every other nail-biting concern associated with sex.

Now, imagine having your career riding on the line because your image isn’t up to par along with the rest of it. With all the mixed signals out there, the video girls and sex being equated to another triumph of sorts, and at the opposite end of the spectrum the wholesome pop-star making money on the Disney Channel, how do you choose? Can you be a sex symbol (albeit a tween to teenage one) without actually having sex?

The Jonas Brothers are 15, 18, and 20. It’s a respectable, responsible decision they’ve made. But should the older siblings be punished by the media if, say, a year down the road they’ve had a change of heart? I’m not saying they shouldn’t try and keep their vows, that’s not my point at all. By all means, let them all stay celibate forever. I just don’t think it’s fair that the media should demand that information.

Who cares if they’re having sex or not? Will a fan really sleep with someone because her teen idol did, or wait until someone puts a ring on her finger before hopping into bed because that’s what the Jonas Brothers said to do? Or is it all going to come down to the influence of her peers, friends, and potential partner?

Where do celebs even fit in the mix of the moral ranking of virginity? Should they pledge chastity, or is it better to have them endorse safe sex?

Tell us what you think.