‘Secret Lives of Mormon Wives’ cast aren’t the only influencers sowing curiosity about the church
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Until recently, the dominant image for those outside the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was male missionaries wearing white shirts and name tags evoked by the popular Broadway show. “The Book of Mormon.”
But there’s another unofficial face male-ruled church It has emerged in American pop culture: digitally savvy female influencers, often seen in sports, a giant soda in hand, and varying degrees of adherence to church teachings.
These There are influencers It found a curious and enthusiastic audience across the country their faith and families. Some explain the principles of what is commonly known. mormon churchBut others point out the rules they frequently violate — drinking alcohol, having premarital sex and, in one high-profile example, a “soft-swinging” scandal that spawned the wildly popular Hulu reality series “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.”
ABC tried to capitalize on that attention by casting “Mormon Wives” star Taylor Frankie Paul in “The Bachelorette,” but was recently forced to recast the role. cancel the season that has already been shot After video of a domestic violence incident emerged.
These viral moments and “Mormon Wives” reflect a version of the faith that seems more progressive and tolerant than church leaders and other Latter-day Saints might like. “The Internet has really challenged the church’s ability to maintain its own narratives about itself,” said Nancy Ross, an associate professor at Utah Tech University who studies Mormon feminism.
Misrepresentation could have ‘real-life consequences’, church says
The church attempted to distance itself from “Mormon Wives.” expression without naming the show specifically, ahead of the premiere of the first season in 2024. Some media depictions of Latter-day Saint women resort to “stereotypes or gross misrepresentations that have real-life consequences for people of faith who are not in bad taste,” it said.
Camille N. Johnson, president of the church’s women’s Relief Society organization, said in an emailed statement that in light of recent media attention, it is important to seek reliable sources of information about the church and its members.
“Millions of Latter-day Saint women around the world strive to live faith-filled lives based on love for God and all of His children,” she said.
It would be impossible for the cast of “Mormon Wives” to fully represent the millions of women in the church. But they are not the only Latter-day Saints who are influential online, nor are they the only ones with large followings.
Most are women in their early twenties, married with young children. They share about experiences like young motherhood and buying a house before turning 25. Lauren YarroThe Latter-day Saint content creator and podcast host said he can see that this is an unfamiliar image to some.
“Our culture is fascinating to an outsider, and I can see why that draws people in,” he said. “The Mormon timeline is interesting to the rest of the world. I think most people have an innate desire for a happy marriage and a happy family life, and we tend to create those in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.”
Cultural admiration for the church continues
The beliefs and practices of church members have often been the subject of intense interest and scrutiny because they differ from other religions. Some of these include the belief that church leaders can receive revelations from God or the practice of wearing revelations under clothing. deep religious significance.
Latter-day Saint influencers is not a new phenomenon, but they have found staying power by driving popular culture discourse and documenting their lifestyles. Many use content creation as a way to both be stay-at-home parents and provide income for their families. Many prominent creators live in Utah, home of the church’s administrative and cultural headquarters, but there is a wide range in how much they bring their faith into their content.
While “Mormon Wives” and its controversial star Paul are high-profile actors who have attracted public attention recently, the actors talk little about the church. Rosemary Avance, an assistant professor at Oklahoma State University whose research includes religious identity and digital media, said there was “very little reference” to the cast’s faith as people hooked on the show from its title. Many of the players have left the church or are no longer active in it.
“It was clearly a marketing strategy on the part of the people who put these shows together. They think it will attract people, and it does,” he said. “It’s not like these women are sitting around talking about secret temple practices that they shouldn’t be talking about, or challenging the authority of the church in some way. They just don’t talk about it.”
Avance sees parallels between now and about 15 years ago, when Republican Mitt Romney was running for president and “The Book of Mormon” opened on Broadway. At the time, people wanted to know “what was going on behind the scenes of Mormonism.”
“People think they know a lot about it (Mormonism) and they’ve heard a lot about it because there are prominent stories and public figures and those narratives circulate, but they’re almost always second, third hand,” he said. “A lot of people don’t know any Mormons, and they may have never met a Mormon, or even if they have, they don’t know it, so those are the preconceptions that you hear and think you have about Mormonism.”
‘Hidden Lives’ gets mixed reactions from influencers
Creators like Yarro, who has spoken openly about her beliefs online and follows the church’s teachings closely, said “Mormon Wives” does not represent their experiences in the church or their lives in Utah. Latter-day Saint creators who spoke to The Associated Press emphasized that they placed the blame not on individual actors but on the show’s production and the way it Hollywoodized their beliefs. Hulu representatives did not respond to a request for comment.
“The only thing I don’t like about what they do is that sometimes they play around with things, they twist things, they use things that are sacred to us as church members and they deflate that and make it seem like a mockery to us.” he said. Shayla Egananother Latter-day Saint content creator.
Some of the more religious members use their online platforms to respond to and correct more explicit social media content or “Mormon Women” stories that they believe are not in line with their understanding of church teachings or experiences.
Mimi BascomThe Latter-day Saint content creator, who says the mission behind her social media presence is to “show that church members are real people,” often creates videos responding to “Mormon Women” clips. He finds the show “a net positive for our church” because it gives lay members the opportunity to “share what we truly believe and make it more known to the world.”
Bascom was always ready to serve a mission, but after his marriage he could no longer do so. She said creating church-related content felt like a way for her to “still live that.”
“We want to be missionaries and spread the good word of the Gospel,” he continued, “and this is just another way to do it.”
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