Plus, having sex doesn’t make you a woman. That is so freaking cliché. If you want to have sex, have sex, but don’t make it this huge thing that carries all this weight.
-- Willowdean (chapter 3)

Importance: Ellen has been talking to Willowdean about losing her virginity to Tim since not long after they started dating a year and a half ago. Willowdean, who has no sexual experience, is as open and supportive of Ellen as she knows how to be. The thought of Ellen losing her virginity before her makes her uncomfortable, but Willowdean tries to be as objective as possible. Dumplin’ is a more progressive novel as most Texans today advocate abstinence over safe sex. The novel is feminist and forward-thinking, promoting that women have the right to do what they want with their bodies.

Maybe ‘cause you don’t always have to win a pageant to wear a crown...
-- Donna (chapter 11)