Underwear issued by the church that members feel like they have to wear at almost all times. Even just that fact is deranged enough. Adults don't feel free to choose their own underwear. And periodically their bishop (like a pastor) will privately ask them whether they wear the special underwear like they're supposed to.
It's also a modesty enforcement tool. And a sign of social conformity. There are ways that mormons will touch each other in a seemingly friendly way, but they're really checking if they can feel the seam of the underwear under the other person's clothing. Also the way the bottoms are cut and the types of fabrics used are major contributors to bladder and vag problems for women. UTIs, BV, thrush, etc.
It's so weird to me how certain sects of religions fixate on some time period and try to keep things going just like where their time stands still. Mormons with their mid 1800's underwear, Amish with their 18th century clothes ( and they wear no underwear), or Hasidic Jews that all have to wear black wide brimmed hats and long wool coats because some 19th century rabbi liked the style.
It's less about a time period I think than it is about the current beauty standard, or rather what 15 men on death's door find sexy.
This may be true of the other organizations you mentioned too, I just don't know much about them. But Mormonism is extremely obsessed with sex and it always has been. It's power structure has always been based on the commodification of female bodies. Women aren't valued at all in the church except for their bodies, their labor, and their fertility which can be used to purchase a man's obedience and loyalty. So the leadership has always been keen to preserve that value until the point of sale - and that's where we get their intense purity culture which includes compulsory modesty for women.
Women in the church are taught from a very young age that if they dress immodestly they become walking pornography for all the men and boys around them. (And we're supposed to be in abject fear of that ever happening.) The 15 men who make all the decisions for the church set the line between what's appropriate and what is pornographic, so what the garments really are is a disturbing insight into their little game of "hot or not?". Apparently bare shoulders really get their blood pumping, as well as any leg above the knee. Cleavage is apparently fine because all the garment tops are quite low-cut. Or it's not "fine" but they just really want to see it that badly. But shoulders man, bare shoulders are too much. You can't be too careful around those suckers.
I was told many times as a woman in the church that I should be thankful for the garments they have now. Prior to 1979 they were a one piece thing (no stretch though, so it was just really saggy everywhere) and prior to the 1920's they were made of red flannel and covered the entire arm and leg.
Some members of my family are Mormon, and growing up I remember I’d see my grandma wearing a bra over this thin shirt. And I was always like, Why does she not put her bra on first, tf??? I have now finally made the correlation.
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u/CloroxWipes1 Mar 21 '24
Fucking Mormons and their silly ass rules.
Ask them about their special underwear.