No body piercings (other than one piercing of each ear for girls, a concession that made zero sense in terms of consistency if piercings are objectively bad, why is it permissible to have any at all?).“They should not dress like boys or give a masculine appearance” since “dress often … determines actions.” In other words, if girls start wearing pants, they’ll want to actually have some say in how to run their own lives, and we can’t have that.īy the 2001 edition of FTSOY, we see a much stronger focus on God and spirituality, but still a long and explicit list of what not to wear. Girls were told to “always try to look feminine” in their style of dress. Pants were definitely not OK for school, in public restaurants or - my favorite - “in the library.” (I am writing this from a library, where I am in fact wearing pants.) Slacks were also verboten except in certain athletic circumstances, like when hiking or playing sports. “Such styles often make the figure look ungainly and large, or they show the bony structures of the body.” Bony structures. “Few girls or women ever look well in strapless or backless dresses,” the pamphlet warned. Most of the counsel was directed toward girls, appealing to their vanity to convince them to adopt modest standards. In fact, guidance on what not to wear took up nearly half of the 16-page pamphlet. Note that how to dress came before how to live. “How important it is at all times to know how to dress, to act, and to live,” it said. In the initial pamphlet from 1965, dress and grooming were apparently considered so important they were addressed first thing. Just for the sake of comparison, let’s revisit some of the specific rules in previous iterations of FTSOY. The church has revamped its “For the Strength of Youth” pamphlet and says it is “based on gospel principles, agency and inspiration.” ©2022 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. His questions seemed to admit that no, the church’s approach hasn’t been helpful, both because it imposed American standards of dress and grooming on the rest of the world and because the church’s longtime focus on external appearance hasn’t been effective in helping young people actually follow Jesus. As a church member, I think it’s high time we stop weaponizing dress standards as one way to judge and misunderstand.Īnd second: The way he framed it was interesting. As a researcher, I think this change makes sense given how many Latter-day Saints say they left the faith because they felt “judged or misunderstood” by members. So, first: Hallelujah! It sounds as though the church is setting aside the intense focus on appearance it has promoted for decades now. “But would that really be helpful in a global church? Would such an approach truly prepare you for a lifetime of Christlike living?” “I suppose the guide could give you long lists of clothes you shouldn’t wear, words you shouldn’t say, and movies you shouldn’t watch,” Elder Dieter Uchtdorf stated when introducing the new pamphlet. This is the kind of approach Joseph Smith advocated long, long ago: “ I teach them correct principles and they govern themselves.” The new FTSOY assumes young people have moral agency and are learning how to use it well. Let moral cleanliness and love for God guide your choices. Avoid styles that emphasize or draw inappropriate attention to your physical body instead of who you are as a child of God with an eternal future. In the section “ Your Body Is Sacred,” FTSOY tells teens their bodies are “an amazing gift” from God, and as such they deserve to be clothed with respect:Īs you make decisions about your clothing, hairstyle, and appearance, ask yourself, “Am I honoring my body as a sacred gift from God?” Heavenly Father wants us to see each other for who we really are: not just physical bodies but His beloved children with a divine destiny. 1) at the denomination’s semiannual General Conference, sounds markedly different from previous rules about dress and personal grooming. The new edition of “ For the Strength of Youth,” released on Saturday (Oct. (RNS) - After decades of issuing explicit instructions to youth about what to wear (and, far more often, what not to), The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is taking a more hands-off approach.
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