virgins!

Here's an interesting article about stars whose appeal is driven in part by "purity."

That means you, Miley Cyrus. The Jonas Brothers. Jordin Sparks.

The author says that in making chastity such a huge part of their public image, these celebrities are simply marketing their sexuality in a back-handed way. Here goes:

On the surface, the reason why these performers are taking virginity pledges has to do with religion. But why advertise this particular aspect of religion? Because by talking about how they’re not having sex, they’ve discovered a sly way to market their sexuality. There’s an unsettling exhibitionism in all of this. Since these artists are putting issues about their sexuality front-and-center, it’s hard to see them and not immediately think about their sex lives. Do we really need to know Joe Jonas isn’t getting any?

The same piece cites this article pointing to abstinence clubs that have gained prominence at a variety of big-name colleges.

What do you think? Are you offended or inspired when someone makes abstinence part of his/her public persona?