Transporting Movement Ideology into Popular Culture: Right-Wing Think Tanks and the Case of “Virgin Chic”

Abstract

This article argues that social movements can contribute to the development and integration of new narratives into the cultural stock by sponsoring new rhetorical frames and by sponsoring legislation, thus entering into policy debates. A case study of a new cultural narrative, dubbed “virgin chic,” shows the imprints of the American Right. Through analysis of the mobilizing efforts of right-wing think tanks, this article shows that the Right's development of the “family values” frame and its sponsorship of federal bills aimed at legislating morality resulted in “virgin chic.” Analysis of the origins and career of this narrative shows that it circulated widely (and continues to circulate, 20 years after its emergence in 1990), and that it successfully carries right-wing ideology into popular culture.