Mormons wear clothes twice?

[Jenny]

I had so much fun reading Fresh Modesty that I decided to look for other conservative fashion blogs. I found Cute, Fat and Short. cutefatandshort.blogspot.com

I was intrigued because I like to think I'm cute and fat and short are accurate descriptors. The author is a garment wearing Mormon but does wear pants and she has short hair.

Anyhow she posted pictures of what she wore to work on Monday and then said:

here is how i wore the outfit on sunday-remember--mormons get to wear their outfits twice:)

Is this typical?

Is it because of the garments? Do they keep clothes clean by being a barrier between sweat/body odor and clothes?

I'll wear a pair of Jeans two or three times between washings and many of my work clothes double as church clothes, but I've never worn an outfit on Sunday and wore it again on Monday.

[louisa05]

I've done that and I'm not Mormon. In the winter, when I was working, I often wore the same thing on Monday that I wore to church on Sunday. But I put on a church outfit about 7:30 a.m. and we're home and I have changed before making breakfast by 9 a.m. So I wore it for an hour and a half tops. No need to wash something you had on for that short of time.

[kamcho_papio]

I've worn things twice or more between washings, due to material and circumstance, so I'm rolling my eyes at the specialness of it. I personally wouldn't do a Sunday-Monday turnaround, or at least not out of habit, but that's just me. Maybe Sunday and then on Tuesday, just so I didn't feel like I wore the same clothes two days in a row.

[gardenvarietycitizen]

Yeah, I wear clothes twice too.

Worse yet (maybe TMI) I had a true uniform for school from junior high on. It was a long pleated skirt to mid-calf, a white shirt, plus vest. Winter version made of serge, summer was thick cotton.

We had one uniform, perhaps two, and the only things changed daily was shirt and underwear. Unless something really untoward happened you cleaned the outer parts once a season since it had to go to the expensive drycleaning.

In my adult life, I wear jeans and polo shirt to work, I can easily wear clothes multiple days if I'm not sweating in it. If I am, even then if it's just "sweat from walking commute", I can wear Pair 1 Monday, then Pair 2 Tuesday, back to Pair 1 Wednesday (two days is the end) then Pair 2 Thursday, then Friday (hey it's the weekend!) it's on to Pair 3...

...I'll just sit over here in the Stinky Corner, never mind me. :)

[ADoyle90815]

I haven't heard that as a Mormon thing, but I've done something like that and I'm not a Mormon. Usually, it's jeans that I wear more than once before washing them, unless I spill something on them or have gotten them dirty. I also do the same thing with bras, as I get maybe 3-4 days out of one before it gets washed. Sports bras on the other hand, do get sweaty so they get tossed in the laundry basket after a single wearing. The only way I would do a Sunday-Monday turnaround is with a pair of slacks if I actually went to church, as I would have only worn them for an hour or so, while a Mormon wears her skirts or dress for at least 3 hours.

[OnceModestTwiceShy]

I think people wash their clothes way too much. Undies and camis, obviously, you want to wash after each wear, and bras after 3 or 4, but my wardrobe is mostly dresses and skirts (black shift dresses and black pencil skirts- I livez in them) and they really need to be washed (handwashed or, better, dry cleaned) once a month. Even jeans - they really don't need to be washed more than that. Tops I'll almost always wear twice unless I get really sweaty. I don't know, it just seems to me that overwashing ruins garments quicker. It seems to be mostly an American thing, like washing your hair every day. We're very fixated on hygiene as a society. Which is mostly great, but can be taken to extremes.

[Loveday]

I sweat a lot, always have, it's not just the recent hot flashes :lol: , so I tend to only wear clothes once before throwing them in the wash. Even bras--I've amassed enough of them thanks to sales and clearances that I can go for over two weeks wearing a fresh one every day before I have to get them into the machine. But I do wear jeans more than once, and church clothes if we come straight home afterwards. I tend to wear thin lounge/pj pants around the house all day, and only put on jeans when I make a shopping run or go out for a meal, so there's no sense tossing those in the laundry after just two hours' wear. Too much washing IS hard on them.

[Maggie Mae]

Yeah, I too had the school uniform that was washed rarely. I also wear pretty much everything, other than underwear and thin tank tops/camis and socks, more than once. Actually, I've worn my smartwool socks several times without washing, now that I think about it. It's not a big deal and it's not gross. I also never use hand sanitizer and only scrub down the house once a month. Only been sick once in the past year, and it was because I got it from my boyfriend who got it from his boss who got it from his children (who presumably picked it up from the school.)

We are obsessed with hygiene in this country and (in the case of washing our clothes every day) it is just feeding into the consumer culture. We buy cheap clothes, wash them frequently, they wear out quickly, we buy new stuff. We buy products from P&G and 3M to "kill germs" and they come in containers that are designed to appeal, even though soap and water or even just vinegar will work just fine. It's so manipulative.

[Cran]

I often do this, and sometimes not twice, but thrice.

Usually, I wear a skirt and tights underneath, and a shirt on top, with a sweater if it is cold. The tights, underwear and shirts get changed every day, but certainly not the skirt and the sweater if I've been lounging around at home or had a usual day of work (nothing that would make me break into a sweat).

So... nah... really don't see why I should make myself more work by putting that through the wash - hang dry - iron cycle. Wears the fabric down, too.

ETA: Don't like the woman from cute&fat at all. Don't think she's cute at all, not necessarily because of her outfits, which I would classify as normal, but I don't like the overall impression I get from her.

[ILoveJellybeans]

I do this as well-my skirts and leggings usually last a few days before washing, but I often wear my pyjamas when I am in the house as its more comfortable. I only change my tshirts every day (and underwear) because I have loads of colourful tshirts with fun pictures on.

[Rachel333]

Never heard that before, and the only relevant google result was this thread. Not sure where she got it.

As an aside, I think it would be pretty rare to find an LDS woman who doesn't believe in wearing pants, yet you pretty much have to wear a skirt to church (just a social rule I guess). I've seen LDS feminists talk about wearing pants to church like it's a major subversive action. I think there was some kind of pants wearing solidarity day within the past year. Kind of odd now that I think of it. I've always just worn skirts when I've been to sacrament meeting, since I don't really feel like it's my place as a non-member to challenge that.

[silverspoons]

I live in southern Utah and one year at our office Christmas party I got the office fashion award because I noticed outfit rotation. Growing up with a dad that wore a suit and tie everyday, I was used to my mom bringing 5 shirts to the dry cleaner on Saturday. I noticed that my LDS co-workers wore the same clothes more then one day in a row. I would joke with the guy about it a lot. The male co-workers would wear the same pants all week. The general feeling was since they did this on their mission, the just continued it after. My husband went on a LDS mission and only had three pairs of pants(not suit pants, docker type pants) and they did the wash every Monday so he had to wear the same pants for 2-3 days.

I do know that many wear the same sunday church outfit several weeks in a row without washing (but it is for 3-4 hours).

I have my daughter change her clothes everyday, in fact I have her change her underwear twice a day, once in the morning, and once before bed. Her LDS friends will sleep over and sleep and wear the same clothes the next day and they don't car and the parents don't care. Kids were the same jeans all week. I don't live in a poor LDS neighborhood. Maybe this is why they don't need 5 washers like the Duggars? I have asked parents about the kids changing clothes and sometimes because kids will be at my house for almost 48 hours without changing and the parents are okay. My daughter noticed (guess she is picking up the fashion rotation from me) that teachers wear the same clothes more then once in a row, my daughters says skirts and jeans she usually sees 2-3 times in a row on all her teachers.

Now is it a LDS thing, I don't know. Is it just the way they handle laundry in 2013 with kids and careers? Maybe? I do know a lot of women that wear a bra all week, 7 days in a row before washing. That is an LDS thing for sure because the bra never touches your skin. My LDS SIL's only own 2-3 white/nude bras while I have my rainbow assortment of 20+.

[Gertie]

I do know a lot of women that wear a bra all week, 7 days in a row before washing. That is an LDS thing for sure because the bra never touches your skin.

Really? The Mormon undergarments go UNDER the bra, or...? Interesting!

I have a German colleague who wears every outfit twice, always two days in a row. She is definitely not mormon! I also have no problem wearing stuff a few times, depending what it is, how long I've worn it, and what I did while wearing it. But I don't usually wear the same thing two days ina row.

[Cran]

I imagine it could be quite comfortable if you wear a thin slip underneath your bra, especially if it is wired. I've done this not with bras, but with corsets, who are difficult to wash and should not absorb moisture, but it was not made out of cotton but some modern stuff and did not make wrinkles. THAT would be pure torture!

I can't imagine how the Victorian women did it, with chemise and slip and all under their corsets.

http://www.tudorlinks.com/treasury/arti ... nder1.html

[emily]

As a former Mormon who has lived in Utah, I can confidently say I have never heard of this practice. Not even in a joking manner like green Jello, Mormon Standard Time or funeral potatoes. We wore outfits once and then washed, with the exception of jeans that stayed unsoiled and fancy dresses.

These days I wear scrubs to work, which (obviously) get washed each time. I do change my undies in the morning AND before bed also, however I don't wash my bras as often. This is in part due to the fact that I only have 2 and partially because they're pretty much already falling apart. If I could, I'd love to own more bras, (especially fun, colorful ones) and I'd wear a different one every day.

I imagine it could be quite comfortable if you wear a thin slip underneath your bra, especially if it is wired. I've done this not with bras, but with corsets, who are difficult to wash and should not absorb moisture, but it was not made out of cotton but some modern stuff and did not make wrinkles. THAT would be pure torture!

The Mormon garments are available in a variety of materials; some cotton, some synthetic, even stretchy ones. They also offer a choice of necklines and some have lace trim. In the early days- as late as the 1970's maybe?- they were one-piece, and ankle-length. If you're so inclined, you can google "mormon garment history" you'll find a bunch of ex-mormon sites that have pictures.

Really? The Mormon undergarments go UNDER the bra, or...? Interesting!

Yes, under the bra.

Once when I was a teenager, my mom's friend was bending over to put a movie on for her kids and I noticed the bright red satin thong she was wearing over her garment bottoms. This was the only time in all my years around garment-wearers that I'd heard of someone wearing 'unholy' panties over their holy ones. I did have a roommate when I lived in BYU housing who would wear white briefs under her garmies during her period, though, so I guess that is OK.

[emesbe]

I'm pretty sure she says Mormons can wear things twice because of garments. But obviously she doesn't know what she's talking about, cause most people I know do that.

And you can wear your garments/bra in whatever order you choose.

[Rachel333]

I'm pretty sure she says Mormons can wear things twice because of garments. But obviously she doesn't know what she's talking about, cause most people I know do that.

And you can wear your garments/bra in whatever order you choose.

I have heard that some temple workers will tell women they have to wear the bra over the garments.

[emesbe]

Yes, they used to do that. Current "practice" (and most likely there are some old matronly fuddyduddies who don't like change) is that you can do it however you want.

[emily]

Yes, they used to do that. Current "practice" (and most likely there are some old matronly fuddyduddies who don't like change) is that you can do it however you want.

I remember my Laurel leader telling me that they HAVE to go under the bra because they're meant to symbolize how closely we are meant to hold our covenants with our Heavenly Father and we can't be placing our worldly underwear closer to our bodies than our covenants with Him. This wasn't too long ago... maybe 10-ish years ago.

[Rachel333]

Okay, that's what I figured.

Does it not matter if the symbols touch the skin or not then?

[emesbe]

I think it's more a matter of women being sick of men telling them how to wear their clothes. Or maybe one of the apostle's wives told him how stupid that is.

[emesbe]

I remember my Laurel leader telling me that they HAVE to go under the bra because they're meant to symbolize how closely we are meant to hold our covenants with our Heavenly Father and we can't be placing our worldly underwear closer to our bodies than our covenants with Him. This wasn't too long ago... maybe 10-ish years ago.

"worldly underwear" :lol:

I know people are very attached to the way they do things, and think it's the only right way. Several members of MoFem groups who are temple workers say they have been told very specifically NOT to tell women which way to wear them. Just say "however you feel most comfortable". It's a more recent thing, within the last 5-10 years, I would guess. And, your Laurel leader was most likely told in the temple to do it that way. It's another frustrating thing about Mormonism.

Times, they are a'changin'.

I wear mine under the bra because that's the way I saw my mom do it, and it's just what I automatically did.

[bionicmlle]

"worldly underwear" :lol:

I know people are very attached to the way they do things, and think it's the only right way. Several members of MoFem groups who are temple workers say they have been told very specifically NOT to tell women which way to wear them. Just say "however you feel most comfortable". It's a more recent thing, within the last 5-10 years, I would guess. And, your Laurel leader was most likely told in the temple to do it that way. It's another frustrating thing about Mormonism.

Times, they are a'changin'.

I wear mine under the bra because that's the way I saw my mom do it, and it's just what I automatically did.

So, do you have many "sets" of garments? I'm guessing you could wear panties if necessary or do some come with panty-like features? Undergarments are so fascinating -- I remember learning about conservative jewish women buying black pantiliners....

[emesbe]

Yes, I have a drawerful. No, they don't really have panty-like features. Although about half of my bottoms are men's bottoms. They have a wider waistband that I like. I, and most women I know, wear panties when using pads during period/postpartum.

You can find pics online, just google "mormon garments" and you'll most likely find some.

[Soldevi]

I have always found fascinating this kind of discussion, especially if Americans are involved. I have learned that some people over there change bathing towels after every shower or change pillowcases nightly or bed sheets weekly. And I always start to feel dirty after reading, lol.

I change underwears (panties, thights, slip dresses and such) and socks daily but other clothes only after they become stinky or otherwise dirty. And I don't get funny looks if I wear same outfit more than once in a week. I don't own jeans but I have understood that jeans should be rarely washed so that they keep their shape. Same goes with wool garments, less is better.

Bedsheets maybe every 2-3 weeks depending on what season we are living and 2-3 weeks is what is usually recommended in magazines. In summertime more often. And I think I am a typical Finn in this matter and I also feel that in general we are not any more unhygienic people than any other living in a western country. There is a recommendation that one shouldn't use disinfectant products at home. And I think there is currently a recommendation that in a family with small children one shouldn't vacuum daily.