Reality TV fans are fascinated by The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives. It’s not as surprising, with hits like Sister Wives and the Real Housewives of Salt Lake City. The secret world of fundamentalist polygynists has always been a fascinating subject to many. The LDS church loves to keep everything private. With a new generation of Mormons speaking out, you would think that the Chruch would want to insert their opinions and have a say in the conversation. But they keep burying their heads in the sand, hoping these strong and opinionated women will just go away.
The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives is breaking the patriarchy
I’m all about watching these young women stand up to the patriarchy. Season 1 showed a lot of the women, mainly Jen Affleck, being gaslit and controlled. Fans quickly learned that some of the women still wore temple garments to appease their husbands. It became a recurring theme that the men had the power and the women were meant to be submissive. Jessi Ngatikaura said it best, “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.” The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives was more of a documentary as it pulsed with religious conflict.
Another scene showed Whitney Leavitt struggling to decide if she could perform an ad for a sex toy company. The check was for $20,000, yet her moral code was holding her back. As a viewer, I thought that the show would highlight the fact that the LDS church had taken a giant leap for mankind. Instead, it still seems to be in the dark ages. The first season just reinforced that the church still had massive control over these influencers.
Not every Mormon is happy with The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives
No matter where you go or what you do, there are going to be haters. But at times, it feels like the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints makes it their mission to try to control the unholy secrets. Fans have seen this type of behavior before with other shows. And we’ve watched stars like Heather Gay be shunned by her family and friends. This seems to be the norm for many who are brave enough to make noise. On the flip side, many Mormons are angry with one writing “But to ignore every bit of reality on “Reality TV” — especially related to something as sacred as the faith of millions of people — is hurtful, unfair, unkind and mischaracterizes what it means to be a member.”
The Chruch has released its own statement, adding, “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.” However, I argue that maybe instead of trying to stamp out change, the LDS church should look inward and focus on what kind of good the show is doing.
The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives Season 2 addresses the criticism
The bottom line is you can’t stop progress, not even a cult-like church. While addressing the negativity, executive producer Jeff Jenkins shared via The Hollywood Reporter, “The Mormon community has broadly said, ‘Well, these ladies don’t represent what we’re really about,’ which is a little bit disappointing to me because they all do value their faith. They’re kind of all on a spectrum of commitment to that faith, but they’re part of the LDS community.” The MomTok stars shouldn’t be ostracised for simply explaining what being Mormon means to them. Naturally, everyone has their own experiences within the community, but when multiple series and women have spoken out about the divide, maybe it’s time for the church to step up and address those concerns.
Jeff added, “I would love for a member of the church — who works within the church, whether that’s a bishop or whoever’s in charge — to come shoot with us and share their perspective on all of this, whatever that perspective is. I would love that, I encourage it. It’s been very challenging to find that voice for that side.”
The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives will be available to stream on Hulu on May 15th. The show streams on Disney+ in the UK.
TELL US – DO YOU THINK A CHURCH LEADER SHOULD APPEAR ON THE SECRET LIVES OF MORMON WIVES?
