I haven't gone through the temple, so I don't wear them, but is it pretty obvious when someone is wearing garments, even with modest clothing?

Depends, but if you are interested and checking, the garmie wearer's are usually pretty easy to spot. If not visually or feeling for the tell/tell sign's, they almost all give off a vibe that gives them away.

Yes, especially on women they are easy to spot.

I can't tell, but I'm also not LDS.

I've heard on these boards that some people can see seams or lines of them through clothes or something.

There is an Air Force base in the area, and all the young Airmen seem to wear tee shirts that you can see through their blues when they wear those shirts, or, even see the lines of them under their other shirts.

Obviously most of them are not LDS (or so I assume most of the Air Force is non-LDS).

So, no idea myself how one can tell the difference between the T-shirts the military guys and girls have to wear and what the Mormons wear.

I've heard that they also have some seams under their pants, but I haven't been able to see them myself, however, I normally don't go staring at some guys crotch. Most guys would take that the WRONG way. So, there may be some sort of clothes line indication of something there, but I haven't been able figure it out yet.

Their walk looks more like a crawl or a wobble with the constant adjustments and wiggles of the multiple layers of thunderpants and pondershirts, too baggy, too tight, too hot and droopy, I've heard.

M@t

I think a question raised is (at least for me, although you don't need to answer) is "why" you'd want to know if they are wearing garments.

Maybe it's simply to know for certain if they are a member, without actually asking them. If it is to gauge their TBM-ness, I wouldn't rely on it: Many wear the garments and don't believe and despise the things, but still put them on...while many others range from "I'm pretty sure I need to wear these" to hard-core don't even take them completely off for sex.

I can generally tell just by the fabric showing through on men's garments. It's like men no longer wear the cotton crew neck. The garment shirts that the Army and Air Force wear are of a fabric that that no one else wears, and easy to spot if you're talking to them. When women bend over and their underwear shows, it's incredibly easy to see if they're wearing garments. Many women have the tell-tale square-shouldered pattern that shows through their clothing. Many women wear dresses that are short enough to see the garment leg tucked into their nylons. Many men wear garments that are long enough to droop lower than the legs of their shorts, particularly in Utah, where they not only don't care much, but where they might also want to indicate to prospective dates and such that they have been through the temple.

Sure, all you need to do is offer them the Second Token of the Aaronic Priesthood, and then ask if they are wearing garments. I do this all the time, and they are always quite willing to let me know about their underwear. ;)

I find that it's especially easy to spot in the summer, as sometimes you might see a glimpse of garment peeking out of shorts that the wearer didn't realize weren't quite long enough. Also, Mormon women sometimes wear white tee shirts under sun dresses, something non-Mormons haven't done in about 20 years, when it was a brief trend in the mid 90's.

During the rest of the year, you can often tell someone is wearing garments such as when a woman bends over to pick up a child and her shirt rides up slightly in the back. They also have the lines from the cap sleeves and square neckline that can sometimes be seen. When Mormon men wear their uniform of a white dress shirt, you can see the neckline.

I have found that one of the most curious things about Mormons is the temple garment. Outsiders have no idea what this is about. The idea that thousands of people, as members of the LDS Church, wear the same underwear that they buy from their church, is a huge curiosity!

Indeed, there are people who want to know how to detect if someone is wearing their official, regulation,temple garment and why, as it's often considered an extremely bizarre, strange thing to do, especially in today's culture.

Why do so many Mormons wear an official Melchezedik temple garment that they belief is sacred? To the outsider, this is so strange, they want some kind of explanation that seems, at least, on some level, a bit rational and reasonable. They also find it interesting to be able to detect who is wearing them and who is not.

I was at lunch with some of my lady friends when the subject of Mormonism came up as they knew I used to be a member. One of the questions they asked was about the "special underwear" : who wore them and how could they tell. As it so happened, I detected a woman wearing the garments (it was obvious to me as I could see the line of the lace under her blouse). Ahh. Perfect timing. "See that woman at that table in the blue blouse?" They surreptitiously took a look. "She is wearing the temple garment, which means she is a Mormon that has been to the temple." I then explained how I could make that determination! They wanted to know how to tell if it was a man. The easiest way, I said, was to look for a line in their pant leg that showed through that was about mid thigh or lower. Also, they might be able to tell by the "smile line" under a white shirt, if wearing that style.

Personally, I thought it was very odd that Mormons wore a sacred garment and took "sacred/not secret" oaths but they were designed so the garment lines were easily visible broadcasting that they were temple "worthy" members!

I spent years trying to find (and make) clothing that would not show the lines through my clothing.

We all know about the "garment feel-up"!I was so naive, I didn't catch on, at first. You know how that goes. The members often shake your hand while running their hand across your back, clearly checking for garment lines! Girls would put their hand on a guys thigh to check for a garment line under his pants.

So yes, we all want to know who we are dealing with. Some hears ago, a friend call and ask me about Mormon men as bosses as she was not a member and was very confused about her new bosses behavior. Once I explained how many LDS men, especially temple garment wearing ones conducted themselves in the workplace (just like they did in the church), she understood his odd behavior. I pointed out that they were the authority and women served under them in all capacities in the LDS Church and other ways in which women, generally, followed without questioning. I found out some time later, he was soon let go from the business. She confirmed that his management style was not in keeping with the business!
I noted that not all LDS men were like that. He seemed to be a bit too authoritative and condescending and not a team player.

So yes. I want to know who I am dealing with from the get-go. If I can determine they are garment wearing Mormons, I know they are likely to behave a little differently. (Not always, of course.)

As a convert, I found the garment very difficult to deal with. I finally got used to it, somewhat, when I contacted the "Specials Dept" and had the garment made to fit my measurements, with an actual cap sleeve, (no seam across my bust line), etc. not some imaginary person! Then they threw away my pattern as I had not used it in a couple of years and refused to make another one. I was told the "specials" dept was for special needs of some sort. Was I missing an arm, or leg or something like that. Also the whole place was run by men who had no clue how women needed their underwear to fit. They were just supposed to make do, I guess.

The whole idea is so 1800's it's like playing dress-ups. It's time for the LDS Church to stop making the garment and start treating people like adults, not children. No, adults do not need special markings on their underwear to remember their special covenants made in the temple.

I suspect they are going to have to lighten up on the garment thing and maybe even change it drastically to keep members doing the "work for the dead" to extract tithing and keep the money coming in.

I believe Jesus said : "If you love me, wear my garments"

Of course I used to believe even stranger things courtesy of "The Church"

OP, do you want to reword that to "Can someone tell if I am wearing garments?" Gotta love those occasional TBM postings.

I wonder if that's why the cult makes men wear white shirts. You can always see the outline of the garments under women't white blouses, too.

I purposely wore clothes one could not see through. When I first moved into our ward, as a single divorced working mother, some of the men were acting very peculiar, putting their hands on my back and on my shoulder, and sort of snickering about it. I thought it was extremely rude, and finally I had to tell them to get their hands off of me. I said, "Just because I have no husband to protect me, that doesn't give you the right to put your hands on me." I said it with a smile, but, inside, I was mad. It wasn't until years later, that I realized they were feeling me up for garments.

Good Lord, the Mormons can be rude!

I wonder if they can tell if a woman is wearing the garments under the bra, as they are instructed to do, or over the bra, like a slip of camisole, which is much more comfortable. I wonder if the GA's are instructed to wear their garments under their depends.

It's a feeling.

The leggings on my garment bottoms were always riding up my legs so that whenever I would stand up, I was pulling the leggings back down to my knees. That would be the sure sign of the garment!

If you know what to look for. On women, look for a line at the "cap sleeve" point on their shirt, and on men, look for a line above the knee on their pants. Also, Mormons are the only people I ever see wearing Bermuda shorts in the summer. That's a sign, too.

Why would someone / you care?

Even the over-garments are oftentimes severely lacking.

So one of my missionary companions told me that pre-mission, he and a friend would wear white tee shirts under their shirts and run a ring of masking tape around their legs underneath their trousers, so the co-eds would think they were RM's. Silly, but I suppose fun for them. This would have been about 45 years ago.

Just rub their shirt or blouse and feel for Masonic emblems over the nipple area. :)

You're more likely to observe the garmie phenomenon in Utah or parts of the Morridor than elsewhere. It isn't hard to tell when you can see the outline underneath a shirt, or a woman with garmies underneath a sleeveless jumper, etc. Women didn't used to reveal any part of their garments when I was growing up. Now it seems to be more commonplace, especially in the shoulder area.