The Secret Lives Of Mormon Wives burst on to the reality TV scene on September 6, and fans have been unpacking its ins and outs ever since.
Hulu dropped all eight episodes of the show at once, giving newly minted fans of the show a lot to pore over — and the very nature of the show’s centralized culture was a phenomenon in and of itself.
One of the most burning questions viewers had after binging The Secret Lives Of Mormon Wives pertained to Season 2.
Hulu has yet to formally renew The Secret Lives Of Mormon Wives, but all signs indicate a renewal and a second season are likely, and the cast was compensated handsomely before the show was even a hit.
The Secret Lives Of Mormon Wives perhaps shares some similarities with Bravo’s Real Housewives franchise, but in many fascinating ways, it represents a whole new world.
From Swig soda to “soft swinging,” The Secret Lives Of Mormon Wives introduced viewers to a ton of interesting cultural features unique to both Utah and Mormon culture, providing a glimpse into the tenets of The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-day Saints (often abbreviated as “LDS.”)
Mormon culture is at the very least perceived as conservative in nature from the outside, a perception challenged by the cast in both their words and actions.
Before we delve into the “momfluencers” of #MomTok and their view of LDS rules, we’ve recapped each episode individually:
Secret Lives’ Mormon Momfluencers On LDS Rules
As indicated in our recap, the titular Mormon wives opened up about LDS rules in the first episode.
And in that scene, some described the most common Mormon prohibitions “impossible” to follow:
“The very start of the episode features clips of the women talking about the rules of Mormonism with which they grew up, [which include] no swearing, [a limit of] one piercing, no caffeine, no alcohol, no tattoos, and, of course, no sex before marriage.
“One of the women even mentions that she had her first child at the age of 16. That said, not all the women found these rules to be worth following, and some even consider them ‘impossible’ to adhere to.”
In that same episode, Taylor Frankie Paul credits the stringent expectations of Mormon culture for the creation of “MomTok”:
We were raised to be these housewives for the men, serving their every desire.
Well, I’m like, ‘f*** this,’ so I created MomTok.
Their description of a stifling culture wasn’t an exaggeration either, irrespective of the rules they may elect not to follow.
Less than a decade ago, in 2015, a Mormon woman penned an op-ed about the “reality” of hewing to LDS rules, in a piece that uncomfortably illustrates how truly groundbreaking The Secret Lives Of Mormon Wives is:
“A reality of being a Mormon woman is a heightened consciousness about modesty. Because of the sacred temple garment that most wear and take pains to conceal, it can be difficult to shop at regular stores for clothing … sometimes an outfit that conceals well may still ‘slip.’
“This can feel embarrassing, is something that we Mormon women often check regularly, and other women also ‘police’ this sort of thing for us, reminding us if something is showing that shouldn’t.”
In particular, the author says that Mormon women “police” one another’s outfits, describing a nightmarish level of scrutiny for things as small as ill-fitting clothing.
The Church itself does its fair share of policing, and on August 16, it issued a statement in advance of The Secret Lives Of Mormon Wives.
The statement read in part:
“The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, like other prominent global faith communities, often finds itself the focus of the attention of the entertainment industry. Some portrayals are fair and accurate, but others resort to stereotypes or gross misrepresentations that are in poor taste and have real-life consequences for people of faith.
“While this is not new, a number of recent productions depict lifestyles and practices blatantly inconsistent with the teachings of the Church. Others irresponsibly mischaracterize the safety and conduct of our volunteer missionaries. We … regret that portrayals often rely on sensationalism and inaccuracies that do not fairly and fully reflect the lives of our Church members or the sacred beliefs that they hold dear.”
In a broader cultural context, it’s no wonder Marie Claire deemed the show “surprisingly feminist,” though we’ll all have to wait for Hulu to confirm Season 2 of The Secret Lives Of Mormon Wives to dig deeper into the conflicts of faith and feminism it raises.