Mormons in burkini: Mormon clothing standards

No, I don't want to start a polemic about the sense or nonsense of banning the burkini. As a believer, I am for mutual respect and I will not comment on what is tradition or what is true doctrine in another religion.

But all the news coverage on this topic has made me think about certain matters.

For example, I read that certain suppliers/self-proclaimed inventors of the burkini claim that they sell 40% of their burkinis to non-Muslims. They list them: Jews, Hindus, and Mormons. When I read that, I choked a bit: Mormons in burkini.

Let me just say that I have never seen a Mormon in a burkini. I also have no knowledge of any guideline whatsoever that would command this.

Mormon dress guidelines

Yes, Mormons have guidelines regarding clothing. The most strict guideline is in the handbook that our leaders use to advise members on certain topics. Regarding clothing, it states 21.1.42:

Endowed members wear temple garments day and night. They do not remove them — entirely or partially — to work in the garden or do other activities that can reasonably be done with temple garments on. Nor do they remove them to relax in and around the house in swimwear or immodest clothing. If they must remove the temple garments, for example to swim, they put them back on as soon as possible afterwards.

Temple clothing is sometimes spoken of laughingly, sometimes mysteriously. There is nothing secret about it; it is simply something sacred to us that we treat with respect. Whoever wants to know more, read it in my blog about us Mormon magic underwear.

The only guideline we have is that we wear this as much as possible. But also that we take it off where it is appropriate. So at a swimming pool, a Mormon will be in swimwear. Whether that is a swimsuit or bikini for women: there is no guideline for that.

Mormons dress modestly

We do teach our youth how important it is to dress appropriately. In a textbook 'For the Strength of Youth' it states, among other things, the following about this:

The prophets of God have always advised His children to dress modestly. When you take good care of your appearance and dress modestly, you invite the Spirit and can have a good influence on the people around you. With your clothing and personal grooming, you not only influence your own behavior but also that of others.

By immodest clothing we mean all clothing that is tight-fitting, transparent or revealing. Young women do not wear ultra-short shorts or mini-skirts, no blouses or tops that expose the stomach, and no clothing that exposes the shoulders or that is low-cut in the front or back. Young men also dress modestly. Young men and young women are always neat and clean, and are careful not to be extreme or unkempt in their clothing, hairstyle and behavior. They wear appropriate, modest clothing when exercising. Thefashion standards of the world change, but the Lord's standards do not change.

So, not a word about burkinis. I can tell you that this summer I saw a lot of holiday photos of my Mormon friends on my Facebook timeline, and they included swimsuits, swimming trunks, and bikinis.

Unwritten Mormon dress codes

Of course, there are also many unwritten rules. For girls, it's often said that they can test if their skirt or dress is long enough by kneeling down and checking if the dress touches the ground.

To be clear: every culture has a set of unwritten rules, and within the Mormon culture, there are such rules too, but they can sometimes differ. Generally speaking, you can say that Mormon women wear knee-length skirts and do not wear spaghetti straps or deep necklines. Perhaps this is laughed at now, but I remember similar rules in my high school's school regulations.

For one Mormon, such rules will be stricter to interpret than for others. But it's about what you want to project. For example, read the story of this Olympic participant about her choices to comply with strange regulations. And since we're talking about the Olympic Games, check out this article about the medal-winning USA women's water polo team with a photo of their goalkeeper Sami Hill, a faithful Mormon member. Doesn't look like a burkini, right? Or the New Zealander Valeria Adams in shot put: did you know she's Mormon?

White shirt and tie on Sunday

Mormon dress standards and social pressure are greater when it comes to our Sunday attire for going to church. Men are expected to be in a suit: decent trousers (no jeans), white shirt and tie, preferably with a jacket. Women are expected to wear a dress or similar, but not trousers.

Are you excommunicated if you arrive in something else? Are you looked at askance? No, but you will notice yourself that you stand out. It's simply pleasant to note that we all make the effort to look our best to participate in the sacrament and thereby show respect to our Heavenly Father.

Why laugh?

One last thought: our underwear is often ridiculed. But for us, this is the same as a Jewish kippah or a Catholic priest's cassock or a Muslim woman's headscarf. It is a religious symbol, but we have theological reasons for wearing it under our clothing, but at the same time, it is practical not to cause offense. It is surprising that it is so often made fun of, while we make an effort not to offend anyone. Let him who can understand, understand.