ABC News has unearthed footage from German television of Speaker Mike Johnson preparing for and attending a purity ball with his (then) 13 year old daughter.
"This looks like a wedding," a news reporter says in German in a 2015 n-tv news segment that was unearthed by ABC News. "But they are not bride and groom -- but rather father and ... daughter," the reporter adds, referring to Johnson and his then-13-year-old daughter, Hannah.
The German news segment documented Johnson and his family preparing for and then attending a purity ball, a controversial formal dance event, popular among some conservative Christians, that gained notoriety in the early 2000s. At a typical event, fathers and their teenage daughters dress in formal ball attire for a night that involves dinner and dancing and culminates with the daughter signing a pledge to her father to abstain from dating and to remain sexually abstinent until marriage. — ABC
For those unfamiliar with purity balls here’s a quick primer.
Three days before her 15th birthday, Elise Forte is at a formal ball. She's radiant in a spaghetti-strapped white tulle gown. Brilliants scattered in her updo catch the soft light of Colorado Springs' five-star Broadmoor hotel. In between dinner and dancing, Elise sits demurely across from the tuxedoed man who brought her here—her father, Jerry Forte. Elise's mother, Denise Forte, accompanied them and kneels by Elise's side. She hands her daughter a box.
Elise opens it to discover a piece of jewelry she knows well—her mother's confirmation ring. To explain why she's chosen to pass the heirloom along, Mrs. Forte reads Elise a letter.
"Dear Elise. This is the day of the Purity Ball... We are so excited... This ring is made of gold..., a precious metal, and shaped into a heart, and it signifies how precious your heart is to God, to us, and to your future husband, who God is preparing you for... The diamond chip is a sign of purity, a reminder that you are committing to purity in heart, soul, mind, and body until marriage... You will be able to give your husband the gift of purity, rare and precious."
Mr. Forte slips the band onto his daughter's ring finger. With a tender smile, he hands her another box. In it Elise finds a man's ring. Her creamy brow furrows in confusion. Mr. Forte explains that just as Elise now wears a ring representing her promise to be pure until marriage, he will wear one, too, as a sign of his dedication to the same goal. "It is in the form of a shield," Mr. Forte reads, "symbolizing my commitment to protect and shield you from the enemy. Inside the shield is a heart, which is your heart, which I am covering. Across the heart are a key and a sword—the key is the key to your heart, which I will safeguard until your wedding day, and the sword is the protection I pledge to you... On your wedding day, I will give this ring to your husband. I love you, my jewel, my princess. Daddy." — Oprah
Additionally, the father/daughter couples often have photos that are similar to wedding pictures taken. See this Huffpost article for a selection of photos.
Much of this stems from a belief in some conservative Christian circles that a wife and children are under their husband’s “headship”. Daughters remain under the father’s headship until she is married. At that point headship transfers to the daughter’s husband. Quite Duggariffic I know (though I don’t think the Dugs did the purity ball thing but I digress).