In what seems to be the latest Hollywood fad, a growing number of young stars are proclaiming their commitment to remain abstinent until marriage.  Included are Miley Cyrus, The Jonas Brothers, and even Victoria Secret model Adriana Lima. (I raised my eyebrows at that last one, too.) Some can’t help but wonder, though, whether celebrity pledges of purity are less about their morals and more about the money:

“[Stars who pledge their virginity] help win over parents who see their kids getting bombarded with sexual imagery and lyrics,” [said Joey Bartolomeo, a senior writer at celebrity magazine US Weekly.] “Virginity certainly helps them get a bigger following.”  

Branding a young star is a key challenge for any publicist to the stars, and pure and innocent is often the best place to start, PR guru Lizzie Grubman said.

“Purity is always best,” said Grubman, who added that she has no doubt managers and publicists are encouraging these young stars to proclaim their abstinence publicly. “To have a good girl or a good guy always works, and it’s very, very rare that anyone comes out and talks about their lack of virginity.”

Thoughts?