Hulu’s The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives has, unsurprisingly, taken the nation by storm. Between the allure of seedy gossip and possible swinging, the show has taken on a form of its own. The series far surpasses anything that Sister Wives could conjure up and shows another side of the otherwise secret world of the Mormon religion. But could a simple reality TV show be the catalyst needed for change when it comes to conservative religion?
The theme of the Mormon Church
During Episode 7, fans watched as Jen Affleck was gaslit to holy hell by her husband, Zac Affleck. The more I continued to watch, the more I was sure that Zac wasn’t just getting a bad edit. The aspiring doctor became irate when Jen attended a Chippendales show in Las Vegas with her friends. The Mormon wife knew nothing about the destination and didn’t even interact with the strippers. She had done nothing wrong. But Zac flew off the handle and threatened divorce. In that moment Jessi Ngatikaura noted, “It’s kind of a theme with our church, though, and kind of what the problem is. Everyone is getting married before their brains even develop.”
It was then I realized I wouldn’t just be watching another reality TV show. The series pulsed with religious conflict. I later watched a scene with Whitney Leavitt as she tried to debate whether she could hawk a sex toy on her social media for $20,000. She was struggling with the morality of it all. But what I struggled with was assuming the conservative religion had taken a step out of the dark ages. Whatever happened to church and state?
The influencers discussed tough topics
According to the Mormon religion, “chastity is a virtue, homosexuality is a sin, and the father is the presiding authority in his family.” But this group of #MomTok stars wanted to change the world, one reel at a time. In each episode, without fail, one of the influencers would note that they wanted to be pioneers in their religion and change the culture of the church. The women weren’t asking for much. They started small, within their own families, and launched a safe space on the internet to talk about the struggles of motherhood and Mormonism. Gone were the days of long braided hair and pastel petticoats. But the heaviness of suppression still lingered in the air.
The Mormon Wives fought gender roles
Some of the cast had small wins. Mayci Neeley launched a successful baby business, and Jessi owned her own hair salon and line of products. All the women were the breadwinners of their homestead, which must have come with some power. Taylor Frankie Paul was the most genuine of them all, no matter how damaged. From Episode 1, she was open about her lack of monogamy and wanting to embrace her sexuality.
Women have played a submissive role in religion for a very long time. Many fundamentalist faiths like the Mormon church, Evangelical faith, or Orthodox Judaism ask that women submit to their husbands. According to a study reported by USA Today, “Women are less inclined to be involved with churches that don’t want us speaking up, that don’t want us to be smart.” Young women are running from organized religion faster than ever because they no longer want to be second-class citizens.
It’s time for a change
The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives might just be a new binge-able series to some, but to the women behind the camera, they are trying to make a change. Even though these women may have stepped out of the cultural norms by going under the knife or heading to Las Vegas for a girls’ weekend, they are still firm believers in their moral code. Conservative religion wants the status quo to never change, but these new stars are showing there isn’t anything to be afraid of when it comes to embracing the new. These Mormon wives are just being honest about how they questioned the system.
The Mormon Church is scared. Just last month, they published a commentary entitled When Entertainment Media Distorts Faith. In the OP-ED, the author wrote that a “number of recent productions depict lifestyles and practices blatantly inconsistent with the teachings of the Church.” According to the article, these “Stereotypes or gross misrepresentations are in poor taste and have real-life consequences for people of faith.”
These ladies, and I can only assume how many others in hiding, aren’t asking for a total overhaul of conservative religion. They are just asking for a seat at the table.
TELL US – DO YOU THINK THE MORMON WIVES WILL ENVOKE A CHANGE?
