At the MTV music awards, one of the hosts, British comedian Russell Brand, amused the audience by ridiculing Promise Rings, which many young people–including some celebrities such as the Jonas Brothers–wear to symbolize their pledge not to have sex before marriage. Later in the show, American Idol winner Jordin Sparks came to the mike and saidthis:
I just have one thing to say about promise rings. It’s not bad to wear a promise ring, because not everybody, guy or a girl, wants to be a slut.
What courage this took! What defiance of peer pressure! Here she is, trying to make a career in music with a new record out, scoring a prestigious attention-getting gig on MTV, on national TV watched by her target audience, and she calls out the host, going so far as call the perpetrators of adolescent sex “sluts”!
I liked her on “American Idol” but now I also respect her. And she is not alone. There are lots of teenagers and young adults with that same attitude.
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