# Puriteen

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Online neologism

***Puriteen*** is a [portmanteau](/source/Portmanteau) of *[puritan](/source/Puritan)* and *[teenager](/source/Teenager)* used to describe a teenager or young adult whose views on sexuality are seen as [sex-negative](/source/Sex-negative) or moralistic. While the term's original creation is unknown, it began seeing use on [Twitter](/source/Twitter) in March 2021. It is frequently used, as noted by *[Rolling Stone](/source/Rolling_Stone)*, in reference to individuals who are "well-versed in the language of identity and sexual politics", but are highly critical of those who do not meet their personal standards, particularly in regard to their opposition to sexual content.[1] This has resulted in two separate discussions of what the term represents, with one topic focusing on the idea of "moral purity" against perceived inappropriate relationships in both real life and fictional representations, and the other topic being on the claimed lower amount of sexual activity and sexual relationships among those in [Generation Z](/source/Generation_Z) (Gen Z).

## Usage and analysis

The term first gained traction in the early 2020s specifically in reference to certain LGBTQ teenagers.[2] While not typically anti-[LGBTQ](/source/LGBTQ), the Gen Z individuals the term is referencing often oppose displays of [kink](/source/Kink_(sexuality)), such as wearing [leather gear](/source/Leather_community), at [Pride parades](/source/Pride_parades). According to author Leo Herrera, some of these arguments are not "organic", and are instead pushed by "far-right bad actors" to create conflict and advance anti-gay positions.[1] This has also resulted in terms such as the "new Victorians" coming into usage, along with descriptions such as the "most prudish generation in history".[3] Another common topic, particularly on the social media platform [TikTok](/source/TikTok), has been criticism of individuals involved in [age gap](/source/Age_gap) relationships, especially celebrities.[4] Saskia Tillers for *[news.com.au](/source/News.com.au)* brought up the concept of generational backlash against the opinions of their parents' generation, with Gen Z's more prudish nature being in response to the more sexual openness of their parents.[5]

Look up ***[puriteen](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/puriteen)*** in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

### Fandom and shipping culture

Some, such as *[Vox](/source/Vox_(website))* writer Rebecca Jennings, are critical of the term *puriteen*, arguing that most teenagers have far more nuanced beliefs about sex, and that only a minority are as prudish as the term implies.[1] In an analysis of the *Vox* article and the overall topic of [structural racism](/source/Structural_racism) in fandom spaces for the journal *[Feminist Media Histories](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Feminist_Media_Histories&action=edit&redlink=1)*, [literary studies](/source/Literary_studies) professor Rukmini Pande made a direct distinction between puriteens engaged in "moral 'purity'" and those members of fandom that try to bring up long "systematically sidelined" issues of racism in fan culture and fan media.[6]

Comparatively, *Vox* writer Aja Romano correlates the concept of "puriteenism" with that of "[antishippers](/source/Antishipper)" in [fandom](/source/Fandom), who oppose depictions of fictional sexual or romantic relationships ("problematic [ships](/source/Shipping_(fandom))") which they deem morally objectionable. Romano also discusses how [culture war](/source/Culture_war) issues in the early 2000s have resulted in sex-negative movements being combined with other anti-LGBT and anti-sex groups, including [trans-exclusionary radical feminists](/source/Gender-critical_feminism).[7]

In the 2025 book *Affect in Fandom: Fan Creators and Productivity*, Polish [cultural studies](/source/Cultural_studies) professor Aldona Kobus wrote the chapter titled "In Defence of Popular Culture: Affect and Engagement in Jane Austen’s *Northanger Abbey*" that discussed modern fandom, shipping, and puriteenism in comparison to the connection between fiction and reality in [Jane Austen](/source/Jane_Austen)'s work. Addressing the critical morality of puriteens regarding "consumed fiction and the consumer's mindset and behavior", Kobus pointed out that such moral panics have happened repeatedly in history and were a representation of [generational conflict](/source/Generational_conflict). The self-policing of puriteens, however, is more unique and the overall fandom conflict was, in Kobus' opinion, an example of a lack of media literacy.[8]

### Sexual activity of Gen Z

In analyzing published governmental and scientific statistics to determine the viability of the puriteen label to the generation in question, *[GQ](/source/GQ)* writer Maddie Holden found that Gen Z, on average, are having less sexual activity, along with having fewer partners and at older ages than previous generations. At the same time, the age group is far less [evangelical](/source/Evangelical) than other generations, being far more accepting of subjects like [same-sex marriage](/source/Same-sex_marriage) and [premarital sex](/source/Premarital_sex).[3] Expanding on statistics about sexual activity, the president of the Spanish Association of Clinical Sexology (AESC), José Díaz, noted that the decline in sexual activity has been occurring for over forty years, long into the generation prior including [millennials](/source/Millennials), meaning employing the label puriteen to only Gen Z individuals is misapplying the cultural impact of surrounding generations.[4]

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:0_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:0_1-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-:0_1-2) Dickson, E. J. (June 14, 2021). ["Are Sex-Negative 'Puriteens' Actually Taking Over the Internet?"](https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/puriteens-sex-negative-lgbtq-pride-tiktok-twitter-1180208/). *[Rolling Stone](/source/Rolling_Stone)*. Retrieved August 24, 2021.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** Iqbal, Soaliha (November 14, 2024). ["Not Everything Is For Children: Sabrina Carpenter, smut, and Gen Z's collective regression around sex positivity"](https://junkee.com/articles/sabrina-carpenter-vs-puriteens). *[Junkee](/source/Junkee)*. Retrieved March 16, 2026.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:1_3-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:1_3-1) Holden, Maddie (July 30, 2021). ["Gen Z Are "Puriteens," But Not For The Reasons You Think"](https://www.gq.com/story/gen-z-puriteens). *[GQ](/source/GQ)*. Retrieved August 12, 2023.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Pais_4-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Pais_4-1) Vazquez, Karelia (July 10, 2023). ["Ah, to be young and scandalized: Who are these 'puriteens,' anyway?"](https://english.elpais.com/society/2023-07-10/ah-to-be-young-and-scandalized-who-are-these-puriteens-anyway.html). *[El País](/source/El_Pa%C3%ADs)*. Retrieved August 12, 2023.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** Tillers, Saskia (August 31, 2021). ["Gen Z are being called the 'puriteens'. But is it true?"](https://www.bodyandsoul.com.au/sex-and-relationships/gen-z-are-being-called-the-puriteens-but-is-it-true/news-story/5f9575a3a33667c76ca6dcaecb0f7ea2). *[news.com.au](/source/News.com.au)*. Retrieved August 25, 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** Pande, Rukmini (January 2024). [""Get out of here you anti": Historizing the Operation of Structural Racism in Media Fandom"](https://online.ucpress.edu/fmh/article/10/1/107/198682/Get-out-of-here-you-anti-Historizing-the-Operation). *[Feminist Media Histories](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Feminist_Media_Histories&action=edit&redlink=1)*. **10** (1). [University of California Press](/source/University_of_California_Press): 107–130. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1525/fmh.2024.10.1.107](https://doi.org/10.1525%2Ffmh.2024.10.1.107). Retrieved March 16, 2026.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** Romano, Aja (May 24, 2023). ["Puritanism took over online fandom — and then came for the rest of the internet"](https://www.vox.com/culture/23733213/fandom-purity-culture-what-is-proship-antiship-antifandom). *[Vox](/source/Vox_(website))*. Retrieved August 25, 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** Kobus, Aldona (2025). "11. In Defence of Popular Culture: Affect and Engagement in Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey". [*Affect in Fandom: Fan Creators and Productivity*](https://library.oapen.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.12657/99302/1/9789048554706.pdf#page=230) (PDF). [Amsterdam University Press](/source/Amsterdam_University_Press). p. 230-231. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [9789463725668](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9789463725668). Retrieved March 16, 2026.

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Puriteen](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puriteen) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puriteen?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.