Plastic in Provo - The Stepford Image of Mormonism?

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_DarkHelmet
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Re: Plastic in Provo - The Stepford Image of Mormonism?

Post by _DarkHelmet »

Fifth Columnist wrote:I have a family member who said the Holy Ghost prompted her to get fake boobs. From this I think it is safe to say that the higher incidence of fake boobs in Utah stems from the increased spiritual sensitivity of Mormon women to the promptings of the spirit. In fact, we can probably go even further and say that fake boobed women are, in general, more righteous than their natural boobed sisters who aren't as receptive to the still small voice.


This is an excellent point. I wonder if the revelation on breast implants was specific just to that woman, or maybe she is meant to spread the word to others. I think a revelation to all the sisters would have to come from the prophet. So it must be an individual thing. If it is a revelation that only comes through worthiness, then it makes sense that the most valiant and spiritual would be receiving this calling.
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_Jonah
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Re: Plastic in Provo - The Stepford Image of Mormonism?

Post by _Jonah »

DarkHelmet wrote:In fact, it seems like just about every web site I visit the women have big fake boobs.

LOL!!!
I'm experiencing the same "problem".
Red flags look normal when you're wearing rose colored glasses.
_just me
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Re: Plastic in Provo - The Stepford Image of Mormonism?

Post by _just me »

stemelbow wrote:This is an american cutlure issue. Its not as if LDS women are blowing away all other groups of women in amount of plastic surgery. Or I don't think that's necessarily the case.

So Utah is ranked 8th per capita? Does that mean LDS have more self-image problems then everyone else? Not really. this is beyond an LDS issue.

Anyway, I think hard as I can and I don't know one woman in our ward who has had breat implants. Must be another anomoly.


What exactly do you think a woman with breast implants looks like? You think that by looking at the chests of all the fully dressed (in layers) women at your ward you are going to magically know who has had augmentation?

Of course this issue is greater than the LDS culture. However, it is a complex issue that is relevent to the LDS woman. If LDS women have just as many self-image problems as everyone else than perhaps they are being failed by the church. If they do have more issues, and it is certainly much more complex than self-image, it is something worth looking into.
~Those who benefit from the status quo always attribute inequities to the choices of the underdog.~Ann Crittenden
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_MsJack
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Re: Plastic in Provo - The Stepford Image of Mormonism?

Post by _MsJack »

A couple of thoughts on this:

When I visited BYU last year with a group of Trinity students, several of them remarked at how "pretty" the women on campus were. I remember having the same impression myself as a 17 year-old visiting Temple Square for the first time (although I thought that both the women and the younger men looked better than average). We aren't alone in this observation. Frank Abagnale Jr. of Catch Me If You Can fame wrote about how gorgeous the women at BYU were in his book---how that had inspired him to fake his way into teaching introductory sociology classes at BYU for a spring term and a summer term. This was a man who'd had hook-ups with women all over the world, and he thought that the women in Utah (and BYU in particular) were some of the "loveliest" he'd seen.

Assuming these observations are more or less accurate, I've long thought that the superior physical appearance of these Mormon women is probably related to the LDS emphasis on the need to marry and have children ASAP. It seemed to me like the women were simply putting more time and attention into their appearances than the average women: more time spent on doing cute things with their hair, make-up, nice outfits, etc.

Is it so much of a stretch to think women might feel pressured to continue to look their best as the years wear on? That they might turn to plastic surgery to facilitate that? Especially if having a lot of children has tugged their bodies out of shape.

I don't believe that the LDS church will or should try to come up with a policy on cosmetic surgery for the same reason that the church will not try to crack down on the overweight for being Word of Wisdom breakers: because it's difficult to determine who is really breaking the rules and who has a reasonable health concern. Some people do have misshapen, unusual facial features, or pockets of fat that won't disappear no matter how much weight they lose, or they may have had a mastectomy to fight breast cancer. Do we really want to see the church make some attempt to sort the needy from the vain?

Tangential Sidenote: This is a site that I sometimes recommend to engaged or newlywed Christians and Mormons. The site offers a relatively clean discussion of sex and sexual problems from a Christian perspective and generally does a good job of discussing various methods of birth control without being judgmental. I was kind of surprised to find that the site had an article on Brava Breast Enlargement.
"It seems to me that these women were the head (κεφάλαιον) of the church which was at Philippi." ~ John Chrysostom, Homilies on Philippians 13

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_cinepro
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Re: Plastic in Provo - The Stepford Image of Mormonism?

Post by _cinepro »

just me wrote:Some of the ideals of the YW program are damaging and ridiculous in and of themselves. So, I guess I don't see how damning women who are "fake boobed" (by the way, that comes of as very contemptuous) will help the values of the YW program or the women of the church.

You have not given any examples of how "fake boobed" women are bad examples. Nor have you laid out what the "right lesson" is.

ETA: The goal of the YW program is to teach a girl that landing a "righteous" man is the most important thing she can do in life so that she can complete her "mission" to bare children to the Lord.
Men like large, round, perky breasts. So, perhaps implants are just a way to further that goal.


I will be the first to admit that I might have no idea what the purpose of the Young Women's program is and what they might be trying to do. I can only say that, as a husband and father, I would hope that the one place in the world where my daughters might learn to accept in some way what God gave them is the Young Women's program.

And to have a leader or teacher presented to them that sets an example to say that having breasts of a certain shape and size is important enough to spend thousands of dollars and endure painful surgery is less than ideal.

"Not of this world" indeed.
_Drifting
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Re: Plastic in Provo - The Stepford Image of Mormonism?

Post by _Drifting »

The purpose of the Young Women organization is to help each young woman be worthy to make and keep sacred covenants and receive the ordinances of the temple.


(from LDS.org)
“We look to not only the spiritual but also the temporal, and we believe that a person who is impoverished temporally cannot blossom spiritually.”
Keith McMullin - Counsellor in Presiding Bishopric

"One, two, three...let's go shopping!"
Thomas S Monson - Prophet, Seer, Revelator
_Mattie
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Re: Plastic in Provo - The Stepford Image of Mormonism?

Post by _Mattie »

just me wrote:Interesting article.

Counselors also point to the low senses of self-worth and negative self-image that are apparently too frequent in the LDS community.


I have lots of thoughts. No words.

I read the article. Not sure exactly what to think about it. I do think the quote you cite in your post is a good example of what are lots of anecdotal statements in the article. There doesn't appear to be any scientific study behind the quote that says:
Counselors also point to the low senses of self-worth and negative self-image that are apparently too frequent in the LDS community.


I do kind of wonder if the whole cosmetic surgery thing is a Wasatch Front phenomenon. I know of very few women in my stake who have had cosmetic surgery. I don't think it's very common where I live.

Maybe higher rates of affluence have something to do with it too.
_cinepro
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Re: Plastic in Provo - The Stepford Image of Mormonism?

Post by _cinepro »

Here's a more general look at what plastic surgery can mean in the context of LDS culture and doctrine:

"Appearances, the 'Nip, Tuck' Culture, and the Latter-day Saint"
_stemelbow
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Re: Plastic in Provo - The Stepford Image of Mormonism?

Post by _stemelbow »

just me wrote:What exactly do you think a woman with breast implants looks like? You think that by looking at the chests of all the fully dressed (in layers) women at your ward you are going to magically know who has had augmentation?


Its fairly easy to tell in many cases, Just me. One gal from years ago, I recall, had teenie tiny little boobs. One day out of the blue I ran into here and her boobs had grown four sizes or something. I had no trouble identifying it and we chatted on that matter at some point thereafter. Now, that's not the say I can tell each and every time. That's why I said as far as I know.

Of course this issue is greater than the LDS culture. However, it is a complex issue that is relevent to the LDS woman. If LDS women have just as many self-image problems as everyone else than perhaps they are being failed by the church.


And perhaps not. Perhaps its not the Church's fault at all.

If they do have more issues, and it is certainly much more complex than self-image, it is something worth looking into.


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_harmony
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Re: Plastic in Provo - The Stepford Image of Mormonism?

Post by _harmony »

Fake boobs aren't cheap. For a state that's at the top of the Bankruptcy list, that's gotta be a factor. And then there's the tithing to be paid.

It would be interesting to tie the 3 statistics together.
(Nevo, Jan 23) And the Melchizedek Priesthood may not have been restored until the summer of 1830, several months after the organization of the Church.
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