Started by Katrina Barker Anderson, a lifelong member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, this past July, Mormon Women Bare is a photography project that asks Mormon women to pose nude in an effort to challenge their Church's extremely strict views on modesty. So far, 30 women have volunteered to take part in Mormon Women Bare.
On her website, Katrina reveals the inspiration behind the project: “A young girl is shamed by her friends for not dressing “modestly” enough. A BYU student is chastised via note from a male student for wearing leggings. A BYU-Idaho student is not allowed to take a test because her jeans are “form fitting”. After hearing these stories and others in 2012, I threw up my hands in exasperation. What on earth is going on in this culture? Why has the modesty culture of the LDS church gotten so extreme and what can we do about it?”
As for Mormon Women Bare's goal, she writes: "Women around the world deal with objectification, body shame, and the burden of the male gaze. Mormon women have an added layer of complexity and heavy expectations: while being warned against becoming “walking pornography,” we also face immense pressure to be attractive and fit. We must both attract and protect against male desire."
"Our sense of self can feel so eclipsed by the expectation to be a wife and mother that we no longer see our bodies as our own. Separated from our skin by layers of clothing, many Mormon women lose touch with the capabilities and power we innately possess. Mormon Women Bare seeks to empower women to reclaim our bodies. Through photography and personal narratives, women are seen as beautiful, flawed, vulnerable and real. Women of different shapes, sizes, and ages demonstrate that bodies need not bring shame but can be owned, celebrated, and honored."
Which is exactly how every woman should always feel. Bravo, Katrina.
I seem to recall that the chap behind the Mormon Missionary Calendar where returned male missionaries posed without their tops on was excommunicated.
That said, with the Book of Mormon, we are not dealing with a civilization with no written record. What we are dealing with is a written record with no civilization. (Runtu, Feb 2015)
My recently married son told me of a swinger couple in their ward who were ex'ed after propositioning the bishop and his wife?! The couple protested that they love each other, they just want to love others too. The response was basically "fine, go forth and play on your own, you have been warned enough".
This ridiculous website is just as misdirected....
A man should never step a foot into the field, But have his weapons to hand: He knows not when he may need arms, Or what menace meet on the road. - Hávamál 38
Uncle Ed wrote:My recently married son told me of a swinger couple in their ward who were ex'ed after propositioning the bishop and his wife?! The couple protested that they love each other, they just want to love others too. The response was basically "fine, go forth and play on your own, you have been warned enough".
This ridiculous website is just as misdirected....
I love this website.
You say it's ridiculous? Why?
And, just as misdirected as becoming involved in swinging? How so?
Ridiculous because Mormon culture is not old world casual nudist about the house. It is devoted to personal modesty even "around the children". So trying to create a venue where Mormon women can show their "imperfections" without judgment or shame is disingenuous to say the least. The asserted audience is the women themselves? Hardly. And the audience is not family or intimate housemates. The audience will be almost entirely older guys looking for new stuff to drool over. That is the reverse of what the website's stated intentions are. The balance of the audience will mostly be anti-Mormons looking at these women as freaks: what believing Mormon woman would take off the garments of her modesty and parade herself naked before the world? That is nonsense and sad.
And a woman who would do such a thing is flirting with the need to get positive affirmation from strangers, which is exactly where swingers go, always looking, sooner or later, for the next new sex partner who will build up their ego somehow....
A man should never step a foot into the field, But have his weapons to hand: He knows not when he may need arms, Or what menace meet on the road. - Hávamál 38
I read an interview with Katrina and she stated that no one from the "Mormon Women Bare" website has been disciplined.
Mind you, her husband is well-known in the bloggernacle, and I think the church fears anyone with a bit of celebrity and the ability to fight them in the public arena.
H.
"Others cannot endure their own littleness unless they can translate it into meaningfulness on the largest possible level." ~ Ernest Becker "Whether you think of it as heavenly or as earthly, if you love life immortality is no consolation for death." ~ Simone de Beauvoir
Uncle Ed wrote:The audience will be almost entirely older guys looking for new stuff to drool over.
You mean like The Quorum of the Twelve Apostles?
H.
"Others cannot endure their own littleness unless they can translate it into meaningfulness on the largest possible level." ~ Ernest Becker "Whether you think of it as heavenly or as earthly, if you love life immortality is no consolation for death." ~ Simone de Beauvoir
Uncle Ed wrote:The balance of the audience will mostly be anti-Mormons looking at these women as freaks: what believing Mormon woman would take off the garments of her modesty and parade herself naked before the world? That is nonsense and sad.
No. What's sad is if you really believe what you wrote above.
Uncle Ed wrote:The balance of the audience will mostly be anti-Mormons looking at these women as freaks: what believing Mormon woman would take off the garments of her modesty and parade herself naked before the world? That is nonsense and sad.
No. What's sad is if you really believe what you wrote above.
No kidding. I mean check out this part of the phrase: "the balance of the audience will mostly be anti-Mormons..." Since the project has been picked up by so many different media I think it fair to say that a great deal of the audience will be non-Mormons but to conflate that with "anti-Mormons" is just stupid.
Then the statement goes on to assume "anti-Mormons" will view the women as "freaks" because they posed nude. Hmmm, I thought "anti-mormons" were all into hedonism, no? So surely they are more likely to applaud the women's their bravery than condemn them for it?
In fact, the people most likely to condemn these women as freaks are conservative Mormons and whatever UE is.
And finally "garments of her modesty." What kind of phrase is that? Is it about clothes? Temple garments? What?
Too bad Dr. Scratch doesn't have a special category in his top ten for most gymnophobic post.
From the Ernest L. Wilkinson Diaries: "ELW dreams he's spattered w/ grease. Hundreds steal his greasy pants."
Blixa wrote: No kidding. I mean check out this part of the phrase: "the balance of the audience will mostly be anti-Mormons..." Since the project has been picked up by so many different media I think it fair to say that a great deal of the audience will be non-Mormons but to conflate that with "anti-Mormons" is just stupid.
Then the statement goes on to assume "anti-Mormons" will view the women as "freaks" because they posed nude. Hmmm, I thought "anti-mormons" were all into hedonism, no? So surely they are more likely to applaud the women's their bravery than condemn them for it?
In fact, the people most likely to condemn these women as freaks are conservative Mormons and whatever UE is.
And finally "garments of her modesty." What kind of phrase is that? Is it about clothes? Temple garments? What?
Too bad Dr. Scratch doesn't have a special category in his top ten for most gymnophobic post.
I just luv the Internet, such a wonderfully clear medium free of judgmental types.
I point out the obvious and get labeled as "one of them", whatever "them" is supposed to mean.
Let's put it this way. If I went to said website, saw a neighboring ward member I know, a "card carrying member in good standing" posing nude, how would that not be a problem? Are you really asserting that every male who sees said-nude woman should just "grow a pair" and act like it doesn't mean anything? What does it mean? Next time in the temple, in the prayer circle forgodsakes, how can the woman not be seen undressed by every male who has seen her nude pics? Get real! What else is posing nude before the world's unchaste gaze supposed to mean? Hell if I know, but it isn't Mormonism or any part of what it is or has ever been....
A man should never step a foot into the field, But have his weapons to hand: He knows not when he may need arms, Or what menace meet on the road. - Hávamál 38
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