Modest Mormon.

I accidentally stumbled across a number of Mormon fashion blogs today...

First of all...

I should let you know that I AM NOT A MORMON...

....so I cannot accurately provide an insight into Mormon culture because I am fairly uneducated regarding MOST Mormon issues...

... (aside from having watched some episodes from the Mormon drama Big Love)

(Photo Source: www.horsetrackhooligans.com)

After studying in Jerusalem, Israel, 5 years ago...

I started to look more closely at how women in different cultures/religious sects dress and present themselves.

I understand why women in Indonesia or Saudi Arabia veil or cover their bodies...and I wore an abaya myself (it was offered) when I participated in a conference in Abu Dhabi 6 years ago.

...but the majority of Mormons globally seem to be based in the US...

...so traditionally dressed Mormons (although some live on compounds)...stand out and look quite *unique*...

...when you contextualize them with how other American women present themselves...

(Photo Source: www.thedawnchorus.wordpress.com)

That said...

...I can see that there are many different kinds of Mormons...

....so while some wear floor-length dresses, minimal-to-no-make-up, with their hair pulled back...

...others dress very casually and would not stand out as looking particularly different at all (i.e. just fairly average looking).

For a modern interpretation of Mormon dressing you can see;

www.clothedmuch.com



Korea is a very conservative country in terms of appearance...

... and it is pretty much impossible to see breasts in public or breasts on T.V.

...there are fairly strict social rules about how people can present themselves in Korea...

...so it is generally considered disrespectful to show tattoos and facial piercings in public...

(I took out my piercings when I came to Korea)

Koreans and Mormons both stress modesty in presentation for women...

...but both groups interpret 'modesty' differently...

(Photo Source: www.fashionmagazine.com)

The traditional Korean dress known as 'hanbok' 한복 is loose-fitting and floor-length. 

It fits comfortably around the bust and it is supposed to convey virtue...

In Korea...women generally do not show their chests (higher necklines) and Korean women often still cover their arms...

Traditionally...

... Mormon dress has completely covered the arms, covered the legs, and generally featured higher-collars than modern-style dresses...

Many modern-day Mormons don't necessarily follow these customs perfectly...just like modern-day Koreans can exercise the option to show their legs and arms in public...

...but there are certain areas of Utah where Mormons are still pursuing these 'modesty' principles more vigorously...

(Photo Source: i4m.com)

I did become quite popular with some Salt Lake City Mormon sects about 6 years ago when I published a piece that I wrote about Polygamy...

However, I never meant it to be a piece for Mormons...

I had written it after a trip to the Middle East and was considering polygamy in Islam at the time...

 (Photo Source: www.flickrhivemind.net)

So if you google my name there will probably be some Mormon websites featuring my title (*cringe*)...

...I still maintain that I am a mild mild Catholic who is purely curious about other people's religious and political beliefs...ㅋㅋ