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garments secret lives mormon wives
garments secret lives mormon wives
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What Are “Garments” In ‘The Secret Lives Of Mormon Wives’? Jen Affleck Wears Them As A Reminder

Sydney Flaherty

Hulu’s newest reality series The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives is everywhere I turn — both on my TV screen and on social media (the TikToks alone have me obsessed). The show follows a cast of young Mormon moms and influencers navigating their faith and lives. But since its release on Sept. 6, there have been a few possible points of confusion for viewers. (Like actually, what are fruity pebbles?) Among them, some fans are wondering what Jennifer Affleck, one of the show’s stars, meant when she said, “Aw, shiz. I forgot my garments,” during a cast trip. 

Well, look no further. Affleck was referring to Mormon temple garments. Mormon temple garments typically consist of a white top (commonly worn under a bra) and shorts worn in place of underwear. According to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, garments draw the wearer “close to God” and can “motivate them to do good.” Typically worn every day, temple garments are a key symbol of the wearer’s commitment to their faith. Temple garments are worn only after one has gone through the temple, or “made sacred promises in the temple,” like marriage. Like any religious vestment, temple garments are a sacred part of worship and have personal importance to the wearer. 

As Affleck told Women’s Health in an article published on Sept. 6, for her, temple garments work as a “reminder of the promises that you made,” similar to “wearing your wedding ring.” As such, garments are extremely personal, and have to do with each individual’s personal faith. Before the show started filming, Affleck said, “I made a promise to myself that I’m going to try really hard to wear my garments throughout the show, because I wanted those reminders.” However, she acknowledges that it can be hard: “There were so many days when I wanted to wear something more sexy or more revealing!” And of course, somedays (like during vacation or a cast trip), it can be hard to make it work. 

Through the show, Affleck and her fellow cast members are making religion more accessible. Not only are they teaching fans what temple garments are, but they’re also showing fans what it looks like to be a modern woman — working, raising children, and more — who wears garments (and sometimes forgets them, too). The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives allows fans access to real women not just balancing their faith and personal lives, but blending the two. 

Affleck’s goal to wear garments throughout filming is admirable. In her Women’s Health interview, Affleck explained that some followers questioned “‘if Jen’s not wearing her garments, is she not devout anymore?’” She answered that head-on, saying, “That’s not the case at all
 I think it’s just a personal decision, and you have to make that decision day by day.” 

Sydney Flaherty is the Style Intern for Her Campus Media. She writes for the Style vertical on the site, including beauty, decor, and fashion coverage. Beyond Her Campus, Sydney is a junior at Emerson College in Boston, MA, majoring in Writing, Literature, and Publishing with a minor in History. She works as the style section editor of the on-campus publication, Atlas Magazine, where she selects and edits multiple style-related stories every semester. She writes and edits for multiple other on-campus magazines while also working as a writing tutor at Emerson. In her free time, Sydney loves to go on excessively long walks while blasting Taylor Swift, Chappell Roan, and the occasional Ed Sheeran (she is a certified Sheerio). You can usually find Sydney at a thrift store perusing the sweater section or listening to literally any historical fiction audiobook available.