The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives took the world by storm after first premiering on Hulu earlier this month. This hit new reality show is all about a deep dive into the lives of the women from MomTok, which is a girl group of Mormon wives and mothers from Utah. This group consists of famous TikToker and an OG MomTok member; Taylor Frankie Paul, and the other members; Jennifer Affleck, Mayci Neeley, Whitney Leavitt, Layla Taylor, Demi Engemenn, Jessi Ngatikaura, and Mikayla Matthews. All of these women, and their husbands, are Mormon, but some more than others.
Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints follow strict rules. No coffee or tea, no alcohol or drugs, divorce is frowned upon, and no sexual relations before marriage. The wives are expected to raise the children and the husband is expected to be head of the household. In The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, some cast members follow the Mormon religion more than others, but that is the point of this show. These women are looking to change the tone of being a Mormon, and they use their platform to do so throughout this show.
Saints VS. Sinners in Mormom Culture
Some of these women in MomTok follow every rule in their religion, whereas the remainder of the group does as they please. Although these women are united as one group, it is divided into two smaller groups: the “saints” and the “sinners”. The saints consist of Jennifer, Mayci, Whitney, and Mikayla. The sinners are Taylor, Layla, Demi, and Jessi. The saints within MomTok do not partake in drinking alcohol and partying. They are into the traditional way of living a Mormon life.
The sinners, Taylor, Layla, Demi, and Jessi, have been extremely vocal throughout the show about wanting to continue with their religious beliefs, but not following every single rule. Throughout the season, fans have seen Taylor and Jessi drink. Taylor has been real and open about wanting to be able to continue to drink alcohol. She even expressed excitement about getting drunk with her friends on the show. Jessi and her husband, Jordan, brought a flask to the Affleck household during a party. This caused a rift within the group because Jennifer and her husband, Zac Affleck, found it extremely disrespectful to bring alcohol into their home, knowing they did not partake in that kind of lifestyle.
Demi and Layla fit into the sinner category because, like Taylor, theyhave been divorced, which is very frowned upon in the LDS church. Both of these women were not afraid to vocalize details about their intimate personal lives as well. Demi had been posting on all of her social media about the fruity pebbles story that Whitney mentioned before the Galentines party, and Layla shared personal information about never having an orgasm. Talk like this can be seen as inappropriate in the Mormon religion, but these women do not care. They wanted to share their lives with the world. The saints and the sinners may have different views on how to live the life of a Mormon, but they are still a powerful group of women trying to make a change.
Making a Change to Fit the Mormon Culture
Although the role of being a wife and mother is important in the Mormon religion, not all of these women were being treated the way that they deserve, and when fans hear this, Jennifer and her husband, Zac Affleck come to mind. Throughout the show, viewers watched Zac treat Jennifer unfairly, especially because she is their main source of income. During the episodes where the crew goes to Las Vegas, Zac says that he does not care about MomTok, even though that is the reason as to why Jennifer was able to give him $2500 to gamble. During the trip, Jennifer and the rest of the women went to see male strippers and even had backstage access to meet them. This caused a huge and heartbreaking fight between Jennifer and Zac, resulting in him saying awful and harsh words to his wife.
Demi, who was arguably the voice of reason throughout the whole season, did not take this situation lightly. In the Mormon religion, wives are supposed to take care of their husbands and not stray too far from what is familiar. During the situation between Jennifer and her husband, Demi went into full mama-bear mode to protect Jennifer. Demi was extremely passionate about explaining why there needed to be a change in their religion. She was distraught to see the treatment that Zac put Jennifer through, and was passionate about her words, wanting The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives to bring awareness to the change of being a traditional wife. During this season, Demi stepped up to the plate by being a good friend to Jennifer and telling her what she needed to hear, which was that these women cannot always follow the traditional way of things.
Taylor is Non-Traditional
Taylor Frankie Paul, the OG creator of MomTok and a famous social media influencer, has always kept it real. Whether that be her owning up to her mistakes during the whole “soft swinging” scandal that involved some other former couples from MomTok, or speaking about divorcing her first husband and wanting to start over with her current boyfriend, Dakota Mortensen. Taylor and Dakota had their fair share of rough moments on the show. From Taylor getting arrested for a domestic violence dispute at her home to a rumor that Dakota had cheated, this couple pushed through. During the season, Taylor ended up getting pregnant and decided to have Dakota move in, despite only dating and not being married. This decision made Taylor’s parents extremely upset. They explained that in their religion, it is not a great look to have a baby with someone who is not your husband, especially after already getting divorced in the past. The traditional way of being a Mormon has never been an interest for Taylor Frankie Paul. Yes, she is still part of the LDS church, but she has chosen to live life her own way, which is what makes her non-traditional.
This cast of women wanted to bring a change to the Mormon religion. Some drink alcohol, some choose to drink coffee, and some choose the rules of being a traditional wife, while others choose to keep following every rule. Despite some choosing to do the opposite of others, they are all empowering women. Taylor, Demi, Layla, and Jessi wanted to raise awareness that it is okay to be a divorced woman. Demi also wanted to express the power of femininity and equality within a marriage. Overall, these women had fun, while still following the rules of religion.
The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives is available to stream on Hulu in the U.S. (and on Disney+ abroad).
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