In the Victorian era, defamation law was invoked to affirm the rigid sexual mores of the day. Statements that implied a lack of female chastity had ruinous consequences, and judges took it upon themselves to safeguard "defenseless and helpless women against false and malicious imputations, that tend to humiliate and degrade them in society." Hardin v. Harshfield, 12 S.W. 779, 779 (Ky. 1890). Affirming the patronizing view of women as being "sexually pure," the Kansas Supreme Court explained: "The world is censorious, and a woman's or a maiden's reputation for modesty and chastity is an asset of inestimable value. Its loss renders her poor indeed." Cooper v. Seaverns, 105 P. 509, 515 (Kan. 1909).