Mormonism modesty?

[alysee]

I don't know much about mormonism(not in the right area for that I suppose?) and I was wondering do women wear long skirts? And have modesty issues? Is it different then any other fundie group?

[babs]

I have a cousin who is a Mormon. I'd say she dresses modestly but she wears slack/jeans, etc in addition to skirts. Her skirts are below the knee but always fashionable. I can't speak to sleeve length because I usually only see her in the winter or fall when it's too cool to wear anything but long or 3/4 length sleeves. She wears makeup and jewelry which is always done tastefully. And she always wears the coolest shoes and boots :)

[Daenerys]

Brigham Young University have an 'Honor Code' which mentions acceptable dress/hair amongst other things: http://saas.byu.edu/catalog/2011-2012uc ... Invovement

The only other reference to them I've heard is an acquaintance who purchased her wedding dress from a Mormon company as she wanted one with sleeves when the boob-tube look was in Vogue, and Mormon brides are expected to cover their shoulders/upper arms.

[DistantStar]

In my experience your regular Mormons are concerned with modesty, but not nearly as insanely as the fundies. If they're temple-goers they have to wear clothes that cover their garments which leads to a lot of longerish sleeves (like elbow-length and such) and capri-type pants on the women for everyday, but nothing that jumps out as more than (often) a slightly frumpy Mom.

You wouldn't look at most of them twice, which is the real point -- actual modesty. Not the prideful kind.

[Dinorah]

I know some Mormons and it seems that they have modesty rules but those are relatively lax. Pants on women are fine and they're not into head-covering either, I think you just need to avoid clothing that's very revealing, and indeed wedding dresses need to have at least short sleeves.

[ChunkyBarbie]

In my experience your regular Mormons are concerned with modesty, but not nearly as insanely as the fundies. If they're temple-goers they have to wear clothes that cover their garments which leads to a lot of longerish sleeves (like elbow-length and such) and capri-type pants on the women for everyday, but nothing that jumps out as more than (often) a slightly frumpy Mom.

You wouldn't look at most of them twice, which is the real point -- actual modesty. Not the prideful kind.

This. I come from a LDS family.

[Jessica]

Well let me tell ya a story. I like to wear skirts 99% of the time. Back in California I would have people ask me"Hey, are you Mormon or something?" Then when I moved to Utah for college I had all the (Mormon) girls asking me "Hey, are you Baptist or Mennonite or something? Why do you only wear skirts?" :) The look here is jeans with a t-shirt and flip-flops. Pretty average, just no spaghetti straps or short shorts. You can wear a bikini if you want--no Wholesome Wear is required.

[mstee]

All of the mormons I've known don't wear anything that would make you see them and say "mormon!". They dress like average people, just not spaghetti-straps tank tops or mini skirts. And I've known mormons who run in marathons, and wear the spandex shorts and tops, because that's the appropriate attire for that sport. Or just regular bathing suits to the beach. I think I once heard someone mormon say that while modesty is important, it's also okay to go with the flow when it comes to sports etc. and not make a huge deal about that kind of stuff.

[Katiebug]

In my experience your regular Mormons are concerned with modesty, but not nearly as insanely as the fundies. If they're temple-goers they have to wear clothes that cover their garments which leads to a lot of longerish sleeves (like elbow-length and such) and capri-type pants on the women for everyday, but nothing that jumps out as more than (often) a slightly frumpy Mom.

You wouldn't look at most of them twice, which is the real point -- actual modesty. Not the prideful kind.

Exactly. I know several LDS and their attire doesn't jump out at you. For the Mormon men I know, there's really no apparent difference unless you can see their garments through their clothes (like a white shirt). Women who are endowed wear at least a short sleeve and don't have plunging necklines, and their shorts will be long Bermuda style ones or knee length capris. Skirts are knee length, too. It's all to cover the garments and I agree that nothing's really different from your typical American mom trying to cover her trouble zones. They wear normal swimsuits and workout apparel.

The Mormons I know tend to dress their children in this manner. I've been given the rationale that then it won't necessitate a big wardrobe change once they are endowed as young adults. It doesn't seem to play any role in how the boys are dressed although it can impact how girls dress, especially as they enter the teen years.

The FLDS and other fundamentalist Mormons are a different ball of wax entirely.

[Clementine]

I used to read a couple of Mormon fashion blogs and I had no idea the writers were Mormon until after a couple of months when they mentioned it. They both loved pencil skirts, cute blouses and cardigans, high heels, sort of 50's housewife meets Anthropologie. They both use pants and jeans a lot too.

I guess they are modest, since they don't show a lot of skin (knees covered, no sleevless dresses or tops, no cleavage visible), but they don't look like classic fundies and are not frumpy at all.

I only remember one of them now - found her through NieNie:

http://www.cardiganempireDOTcom/

[babs]

I think there was a Mormon gal on What Not to Wear one time. Stacey and Clinton respected her request for modesty when they did recommendations. She had really great clothes by the end of the episode.

I know that my cousin wears skirts all day on Sabbath and she teaches (I'm not sure what the class is called) the high school kids every day before they go to regular school. She said she wears a skirt to that but she said she does that because it makes her feel like the kids are more respectful to her.

[mirele]

Well let me tell ya a story. I like to wear skirts 99% of the time. Back in California I would have people ask me"Hey, are you Mormon or something?" Then when I moved to Utah for college I had all the (Mormon) girls asking me "Hey, are you Baptist or Mennonite or something? Why do you only wear skirts?" :) The look here is jeans with a t-shirt and flip-flops. Pretty average, just no spaghetti straps or short shorts. You can wear a bikini if you want--no Wholesome Wear is required.

And there's reasons for all that!

Basically, the Mormon dress code is that it has to cover up the temple garments. Those are (for women) a chemise with cap sleeves and what are essentially bike shorts. If it covers that up, it's acceptable. Some parents try to dress their kids from very small like they're wearing temple garments, with the expectation that "some day you'll get your endowments and you'll be wearing garments, so you shouldn't get used to sleeveless."

Moreover, you're not expected to wear the garment 24 x 7. I've heard of some fanatics who do, but when you go swimming, it's perfectly appropriate and, indeed, expected, that you're going to wear the usual clothes for swimming. Because it's more important that the garment not be displayed! So...shorts that cover the garment bottom, acceptable. Shirts with tiny sleeves, acceptable if they cover the garment top. Years and years ago, I remember someone at church quietly bitching about a returned female missionary whose clothing was so carefully tailored to just barely cover the garments.

I should note that there is a dress code for church, which is: women need to wear dresses and men need to dress up like they worked for IBM in the 1960s (i.e., suit, white shirt and tie). Kids also are dressed up. When I last went to church, I used to flout the dress code by wearing salwar kameez, which bewildered people to no end. Now I'm not a member and so I don't dress up for church on Sundays.

[bananacat]

Mormonism is such a giant, diverse groups. Women in the cult-like FLDS of course wear those prairie dresses, but most Mormons are more mainstream. I've had Mormon friends and would have never even known if they hadn't told me. From the mainstream Mormons I know, their biggest modesty rule is that regular clothing has to cover the temple garments. It's not that hard to do, but I guess they couldn't pull of a miniskirt or a spaghetti-strap shirt.

[Charliemae]

Unless I am way off here Mormon women are expected to wear dresses or skirts when they attend church. One of my best friends is an ex-Mormon and this is one of her reasons. She told me she couldn't figure out why God would care if women wore skirts while they talked to him. Wait, are women allowed to talk to God in Mormonism? Or is that a headship thing?

[xReems]

One of my friend is mormon and her style doesn't scream "Hey, I'm a mormon!" She is fashionable but when she wears shorts, they're knee length and when she goes swimming, she doesn't wear a bikini but she does wear a more modest two piece (halter top and bikini shorts). I don't think their modesty is as extreme as the fundies, unless you're part of FLDS.

[mirele]

Just a reminder...the FLDS are not part of the main Mormon (LDS) church, and haven't been since the 1930s. Nor is that family on "Sister Wives," they're part of the Apostolic United Brethren, another 1930s polygamist offshoot.

[Guest Anonymous]

Unless I am way off here Mormon women are expected to wear dresses or skirts when they attend church. One of my best friends is an ex-Mormon and this is one of her reasons. She told me she couldn't figure out why God would care if women wore skirts while they talked to him. Wait, are women allowed to talk to God in Mormonism? Or is that a headship thing?

Women can talk to God, but they can't hold the priesthood. Never fear though, because 12 year old boys can!

[Soulhuntress]

Women can talk to God, but they can't hold the priesthood. Never fear though, because 12 year old boys can!

:lol: That was a bigger problem for me than having to wear a dress to church. That was one of the disconnects that sent me running for the exits. DH finds the 12 year old priests and 19 year old elders both blasphemous and hilarious. A pastor friend calls them "youngers" :lol:

[Kaylee]

Moreover, you're not expected to wear the garment 24 x 7. I've heard of some fanatics who do, but when you go swimming, it's perfectly appropriate and, indeed, expected, that you're going to wear the usual clothes for swimming. Because it's more important that the garment not be displayed!

This. I have a good friend who is Mormon and does triathlon and running events. She is endowed and dresses modestly most of the time (ie, longer shorts, sleeves on tops), but wears the regular short/tight shorts and tank tops or sports bras for events and working out because it's expected that normal and even modest clothing will be different for sports and swimming than for everyday life.

The funny thing about J. is she assumed I was Mormon when we first met and asked me which ward I was a part of. I usually wear pettipants (like shorts made from a slip material) under skirts & dresses, both for modesty and to prevent chub rub, and she had noticed the "line" and thought I was wearing garments. Slightly awkward moment, but at least I knew what they were so she didn't end up having to explain.

[ADoyle90815]

It's true that there are times when Mormons who have been through the temple don't have to wear garments, and swimming is one of those times. I have Mormon step siblings and when they swim, the women just wear a tankini that covers the stomach, or a one piece swimsuit you can buy anywhere swimsuits are sold. They aren't the type of Mormon who believes that one must wear church clothes all day on the Sabbath, and they change out of those clothes when they get home from church. Most of the time, the women wear pants or knee length shorts that cover the garments, and shirts with at least cap sleeves so the top of the garment is covered. They let their kids wear sleeveless shirts, and thigh length shorts, as they're not the type who believes in making their kids wear clothing that covers garments before they're old enough to go to the temple on their own.

[mstee]

Do most mainstream mormons wear the temple garments under their regular clothes everyday, or only under their clothes for church? I know that you only have to start wearing them once you're married, but I was under the impression that most young married couples these days only wear their garments to church on Sundays.

[mirele]

It's true that there are times when Mormons who have been through the temple don't have to wear garments, and swimming is one of those times. I have Mormon step siblings and when they swim, the women just wear a tankini that covers the stomach, or a one piece swimsuit you can buy anywhere swimsuits are sold. They aren't the type of Mormon who believes that one must wear church clothes all day on the Sabbath, and they change out of those clothes when they get home from church. Most of the time, the women wear pants or knee length shorts that cover the garments, and shirts with at least cap sleeves so the top of the garment is covered. They let their kids wear sleeveless shirts, and thigh length shorts, as they're not the type who believes in making their kids wear clothing that covers garments before they're old enough to go to the temple on their own.

This is true. Mormons don't generally walk in lockstep, not even when the General Authorities tell them to empty out their bank accounts for the sake of passing Prop 8.

[skankbiscuit]

My husband's family are all fairly devout LDS. They wear their garments under all their clothing choices all week. They are fine with removing them for sports, swimming, or sex.

I do see lots of women (especially the younger ones) who cover everything up, but what they wear is skintight. Like a long denim skirt that is tight with a slit up the back, and a super tight tee. Still "modest" because no skin is showing, but still defrauding (mormons don't use that word though)

[readergirl]

What does it mean when you say someone is "endowed?"

[skankbiscuit]

It means they have been through the temple. A person "takes out endowments" when going through the temple. So they are referred to as "endowed"