The Shifting Public Image of Mormonism (Part II)
(with Lynita K. Newswander and Chad B. Newswander)
An Evolving Image
Thanks to an unprecedented contribution and recognition of members of the LDS faith into the fiber of contemporary popular culture, the definition of Mormonism has grown into what appears to be a much more inclusive culture.[16] The traditional representation is not necessarily out of sync, but is now informed and complemented by a newly popularized, broader picture of the faith. Ironically, however, this culture appears to be increasingly at odds with the values of Donny and Marie. While Mormons in the media today continue to hold onto some aspect of the clean-cut visage molded over the last several decades, they embody a reality which also includes the hip, the unkempt, the controversial, the contemporary, and also the traditional. These new images have sprouted from reality TV, books, movies, TV shows, and a Broadway play.
Reality TV and real Mormons
Because Mormons have the historical reputation of being innocents who are unversed in the ways of the world, they make for an appealing foil in reality TV. All the more appealing is the chance to see individual members break out from the mold and demonstrate a spark of personality—especially when that spark comes into conflict with values traditionally associated with Mormonism. Reality shows, like MTV’s The Real World, America’s Next Top Model, Dancing with the Stars, America’s Biggest Loser, Survivor, American Idol, The Rebel Billionaire, The Bachelorette, So You Think You Can Dance, and others, allow members of the LDS Church to not only represent themselves, but also to shape a new, contemporary and nuanced vision of their faith. This is an interesting phenomenon because in reality television, the American public is able to see glimpses of Mormons as they really are: some good, some bad, some indifferent, and perhaps, in the end, not quite so different from everyone else.
One of the first Mormons to make a name for herself in reality television was Julie Stoffer, who appeared in MTV’s The Real World in 2000. At the time, Stoffer was a student at Brigham Young University (BYU), a private school owned by the LDS Church which requires its students to abide by a strict honor code. Growing up, Stoffer was not allowed to watch MTV at home, but she caught episodes of The Real World at a friend’s house and saw her audition as her opportunity to experience something new and different. The show’s producers were likewise interested in her strict religious background and the drama it might create on-screen.[17] In fact, she initially represented the traditional wholesome image associated with those of her faith. Although Stoffer was not the participant of immoral behavior on the show, the fact that she was rooming with men (participants on The Real World live together under one roof) was a breach of her honor code contract with BYU. After the show aired, she was suspended from the school, and Stoffer never filed an appeal to the decision.
Like Stoffer, other members of the LDS Church in reality TV have capitalized on the appeal of their clean-cut images, even (perhaps especially) when the show encourages them to reach beyond the morality in which they were raised. Aimee, a contestant on America’s Next Top Model, made a point of telling the judges early on that she was an “ex-Mormon.” She believed that modeling went against her previous faith (and her mother’s wishes) because she would have to wear “risqué clothing.” Jef Holm, winner of Season 8 of The Bachelorette, was “raised Mormon” and whose family were still devout members of the faith.[18] During the show, he was able to display a unique appeal—he upheld a wholesome image while also being able to appear updated and modern. Although the LDS Church encourages Mormons to marry within the faith, Holm was engaged to Emily Maynard (the engagement ended in 2011). Todd Herzog, winner of Season 15 of Survivor, was an openly gay Mormon who also exhibited this theme of an updated member who could more seamlessly relate to his surroundings. Although he played the game in a manipulative and cunning fashion, he was able to still strategically make key connections that earned him the title of sole survivor. While Herzog played the role of a forthright villain who was honest about it, Dawn Meehan, who was in Season 23, struggled to make connections with younger contestants. Despite these early struggles, which resulted in an emotional breakdown, the BYU English professor became a maternal figure to the group. She adapted and adjusted to the context around her. Her game was more subtle but less strategic than Herzog, which eventually led to her being voted out.[19]
With the portrayal of Mormon reality start contestants, a broad range of personalities emerges. There is no singular depiction that can capture the nuance that exists within the Mormon community. Some Mormons have been traditional while others have been less so. It is the same with other Mormon public figures, who today more than ever before are speaking freely and esoterically about their faith. Joanna Brooks presents a liberal progressive strain in Mormon thought. She does this by picking up on the themes of yearning and change in her book, The Book of Mormon Girl.[20] As she describes her experiences in growing up in Southern California, attending BYU, and experiencing adult realties, Brooks conveys deeply held sentiments about her faith relating to heritage, good works, and service. She believes that the culture of Mormonism is able to bring people together and give them an identity. At the same time that she embraces the culture of Mormonism, she challenges the beliefs of her church, namely its position on women and homosexual issues. By taking this route, her work is one of clear “unorthodoxy.” She opposes the doctrine, but supports the traditions and people that flow from it. She does not shy away from this depiction, but celebrates it.
In contrast, Glenn Beck fuses together entertainment and enlightenment to present his particular conservative outlook. Although Beck is a political personality and does not attempt to be a spokesperson for a strain of Mormon thought like Brooks does, he does embody aspects of traditional Mormon beliefs and culture with a contemporary twist. His presentation style is irreverent, emotional, and engaging. Like a good Mormon, he is not timid to express his feelings or weep openly in front of an audience when he is passionate about something. He also pushes outlier topics such as emergency preparedness in the case of societal breakdown, which also carries a strong influence from one strain of LDS teachings. Beck is not afraid to gin up controversy; his bombastic style, tone, and willingness to push issues partially led to his ouster at Fox News. Despite these antics and personal causes, he pushes a libertarian message that resonates with not only a broad swath of the American public, but has its roots in one current of Mormon thought.[21]
Vampires, polygamy, and a musical: Oh, my!
Perhaps the most popular contemporary representations of Mormons in the media are those with which the LDS Church would rather not be associated.[22] Edgy movies about teen lust and angst, the modern-day practice of polygamy (which the LDS Church gave up over 120 years ago), and a lewd and crude Broadway musical have done much to keep the faith in the public eye. For her own part, Stephanie Meyer, the author of the Twilight series, has projected a mixture of the conventional and the new with her characters. She has not discarded the wholesome image of Donny and Marie, but has revamped and packaged it in a way that is alluring and modern. The ability to encapsulate this tension between traditional values and of-the-moment culture is partially a reason why the Twilight series has become a global phenomenon in print and on screen. In crafting her universe, which is filled with vampires and werewolves, Meyer draws on her beliefs to add depth to her story. According to one writer, this is the “key to understanding her singular talent.”[23] She does this by capturing particular Mormon sentiments that are grounded in its historical and religious ethos. The Cullens, the immortal vampire family that serve as the primary characters in the series, exist on the fringe of civilization. They are always looking from the outside with an understanding that they will never be a part of normal society. Even with their outlier status, they are not traditional vampires who are marked by debauchery. Rather, they are immortal creatures who chiefly celebrate and strive to live a life of self-control. They have renounced their natural proclivities or in LDS terminology have rejected the “natural man.” This requires them to live in a paradoxical state; they must be in the world, but not of it.
Meyers explores the characters’ ability to adhere to this standard when the vampire Edward Cullen falls in love with a human. Instead of being repulsed, Bella Swan, the chief protagonist of the story, desires to be a vampire so she can be immortal in order to have eternal love. In capturing this young love, Meyer is able to draw on the “erotics of abstinence.” The yearning of sex, love, and sacrifice become driving themes that pull the characters apart and together. Young love must be constrained and channeled in the proper way. The arc of this narrative fits into the broader theology of LDS beliefs of eternal marriage and its conception of the good life. Love grounded in self-discipline, sacrifice, and service represents the embodiment of what it means to live up to a human and heavenly potential. These underlying themes coupled with a feeling of alienation have drawn millions of readers and viewers.
It is not only Mormons who have shaped this evolving image of their faith—significant contributions have come from those on the outside, as well. On the one hand, HBO’s fictional Henrickson family might not have appeared too different from the Osmonds: a slew of children, a peaceful Utah setting, and happy parents. But Big Love (2006-11) was no Brady Bunch. Its central family was polygamist, members of an offshoot of the LDS church who held on to certain doctrines and beliefs that the mainstream LDS Church no longer practices. Still, the family is described as Mormon, and the LDS church received much critical attention during the height of the show’s popularity. Reacting to some of the themes depicted in the show, and the outcry of many of its own membership, the LDS Church released an official statement:
The Church has long been concerned about the continued illegal practice of polygamy in some communities, and, in particular about persistent reports of emotional and physical child and wife abuse emanating from them. It will be regrettable if this program, by making polygamy the subject of entertainment, minimizes the seriousness of the problem . . . placing the series in Salt Lake City, the international headquarters of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is enough to blur the line between the modern Church and the program’s subject matter, and to reinforce old and long-outdated stereotypes. . . . Big Love, like so much other television programming, is essentially lazy and indulgent entertainment that does nothing for our society and will never nourish great minds.[24]
Responding to this statement, Carolyn Strauss, president of HBO Entertainment, said, “It is interesting how many people are ignorant about the Mormon Church and think that it [the LDS Church] actually does condone polygamy. So in an odd way, the show is sort of beneficial in drawing that distinction.”[25] It is a distinction the Church desired to have clearly made—it wanted no association with or publicity related to the project.
Although HBO emphasized the distinction between the Mormons portrayed on the show and members of the LDS Church, it appropriated the theme of the struggles of whether an outside group or belief can be accepted by the in-group. During its last season, the show pushed two similar themes: the redefinition of marriage and the redefinition of who can hold the priesthood. Both of these themes centered on Bill Henrickson, husband to three wives. On one front, he championed the cause to normalize polygamous relations by using his elected office as a state senator to introduce a bill that would make polygamy legal. Although fellow polygamists were wary of his attempts to shed light on this practice, his belief--which would be verified by a personal revelation--mobilized his followers to embrace the challenge of redefinition. On the other front, he actively resisted one of his wife’s attempts at receiving the priesthood, which has only been traditionally given to males in the LDS church and fundamentalist sects. Because Bill saw this as a violation of God’s law, he was willing to lose his wife in order to uphold this belief. Yet, in his dying moments after being shot by an enraged neighbor, Bill asked one of his wives to exercise her priesthood and give him a blessing. The show concluded on the note that the source of change and progress is not found in the mainstream, but on the fringe. The final moments of the show also raise questions about the future trajectory of Mormonism—if the group is willing to make certain changes (discontinuing the practice of polygamy, or allowing black men to hold the priesthood), what is to stop it from embracing gay marriage or female clergy?
Similar to Big Love is The Learning Channel’s Sister Wives (2010-present), which also pushes the overall theme of acceptance and normalization of unconventional practices. The family life of Kody Brown, his four wives, and 17 children attempts to show that they not only live in the midst of the broader population, but that they are also like them to a very large extent. Brown and his family are members of a fundamentalist sect, the Apostolic United Brethren, which separated itself from mainstream Mormonism in the late 19th century. Still, the correlation between Mormonism and polygamy in the public mind remains near the surface. The Brown family has received a warm reception from its television audience, but has been frowned upon by state officials in Utah, who investigated the family on charges of bigamy, causing the family to leave the state and relocate to Nevada. Kody and his wives were interviewed by Oprah Winfrey just after the show premiered in 2010, where they described themselves as an average American family with common values.[26]
Like Big Love and Sister Wives, in 2012 the most recognizable media portrayal of Mormons is not “Mormon” at all: The Book of Mormon musical, which has enjoyed critical and popular success on Broadway, is actually the creation of South Park writers Trey Parker and Matt Stone, with Robert Lopez, none of whom are members of LDS Church. The play’s main characters are two LDS missionaries in Uganda. Elders Price and Cunningham are youthful and naïve in their own separate ways. The task of preaching the word of God in a war-torn, poverty filled, AIDs stricken village governed by a ruthless warlord saps them of any faith or hope. Price momentarily quits after having his aspirations dashed while Cunningham stays and adapts his message to make it more palatable to the villagers. This message, one based on fantasy, science fiction, and Mormon theology, is what captures and converts the villagers. Realizing that doctrinal religious commitments are of limited use, the two missionaries embrace the notion that religious stories and metaphors are what truly serve people. In the play, zealous commitments to a set of codified doctrines that are claimed to be manifestly true are what not only marginalize people of faith like Mormons, but also prevents them from fulfilling their mission of service. Soft commitments to a set of stories that are claimed to be helpful are a way to be accepted and achieve a transcendent purpose.
[16] For another perspective on how the LDS culture has collectively shifted toward assimilation with traditional and contemporary American values, see Armand Mauss, The Angel and the Beehive: The Mormon Struggle with Assimilation (Urbana, IL: University of Illinois Press, 1994).
[17] Kent Larsen, “Stoffer, Parents, Criticize BYU After Suspension,” MormonsToday.com, July 31, 2000, http://www.mormonstoday.com/000730/P2Stoffer01.shtml.
[18] Gina Carbone, “The Bachelorette’s Jef Holm on Whether or Not He’s Mormon and How Faith Fits Into His Life, WetPaint.com, July 23, 2012, http://www.wetpaint.com/the-bachelorette/articles/the-bachelorettes-jef-holm-on-whether-or-not-hes-mormon-and-how-faith-fits-into-his-life.
[19] Other Mormon reality TV stars embody the more traditional values. For example, Survivor participants Neleh Dennis brought scriptures (including the Bible and Book of Mormon) as her luxury item and Ashlee Ashby talked about waking up at 5:00 every weekday morning as a teenager to study doctrine as part of the LDS church-wide seminary program. For more about these participants, refer to CBS, Survivor, http://www.cbs.com/primetime/survivor/.
[20] Joanna Brooks, The Book of Mormon Girl (New York: Free Press, 2012).
[21] As some see it, Beck’s unique style—and consequently his success—comes from his affiliation with the LDS Church. For example, many of Beck’s core political values, such as an almost worshipful admiration of the American Founders and the Constitution, are deeply seated in LDS theology and did not appear in Beck’s public persona until after his conversion to the religion in 1999. Furthermore, some argue that Beck’s politics are inspired by the prominent Mormon (and staunchly conservative anticommunist) Cleon Skousen. For example, Beck cites Skousen in The Real America (2003) and has promoted his work on the air.
[22] For example, despite all of its success, Mormon Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight books are not available through Church-owned Deseret Book. In 2009, the bookseller cited “mixed review[s]” as a reason for discontinuing sales of the series.[22] Though the books are still available through special order, the message is startlingly clear: even though Meyer is a Mormon and a graduate of BYU and her novels are best sellers, the appropriateness of their content is not unquestionable. See Ethan Thomas, “‘Twilight’ Loses Luster with Deseret Book,” Deseret News, April 23, 2010, accessed April 1, 2010, http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705299108/Twilight-loses-luster-with-Deseret-Book.html.
[23] Lev Grossman, “Stephenie Meyer: A New J. K. Rowling?” Time, April 24, 2008, http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1734838,00.html#ixzz0gT11bdmP.
[24] LDS Church, “Church Responds to Questions on HBO’s Big Love,” Newsroom of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, March 6, 2006, http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/commentary/church-responds-to-questions-on-hbo-s-big-love.
[25] Quoted in Ben Wilson, “LDS Church Rejects Polygamous Accusations,” Deseret News, February 28, 2006, http://www.deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,635188091,00.html.
[26] “Inside the Lives of a Polygamist Family,” last modified October 14, 2010, http://www.oprah.com/oprahshow/Inside-the-Lives-of-a-Polygamist-Family/1.
This was originally published in The Routledge Companion to Religion and Popular Culture.