I became a mo-no-mo before Hinckley (of "Standing in Something" fame) became the Grand Poo-Bah of Mormonism.

I remember when I was a faithful morgbot, other than the temple clothing requirements and the missionary clothing requirements, there were no strict rules as to colors or patterns in one's clothes. Sure, everybody knew you had to dress up for Church meetings. No tank tops, ultra mini skirts, cut-off jeans and stuff. Reasonable enough.

But we had quite a bit of variety. Striped shirts, paisley shirts, blue shirts, pink shirts... Men were wearing polyester "leisure suits" (look it up, lol) on Sundays. Even bishops.

There were also lots of long sideburns, mustaches, beards and stuff...even on the men.

At some point it seems like one of the top leaders decided that things weren't quite cult-like enough. Now, when I visit with Mormon friends and relatives and end up being around them on a Sunday, it's all white shirts and people look shocked if you show up in something other than a white shirt...like you're a rebel without a cause or otherwise engaged in lascivious, licentious and light-minded pursuits.

When did the IBM Corporation executive dress code become the one true order of clothing as revealed by God through his prophet? (And why did IBM get the memo before Churchco?)

Leisure suit is an oxymoron.

It’s what lawyers do in their spare time.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/22/2018 01:35PM by Lot's Wife.

It's still not officially a rule. But fitting in with the herd certainly is highly promoted in mormonism.

McKay gave a conference talk in 1956 where he strongly suggested that sacrament-participating teen boys wear white shirts & ties. He, of course, qualified it saying NOT wearing such things doesn't mean you can't participate, but still...it was the preferred thing to do.

Holland gave a conference talk in 1995 saying basically the same thing.

And the church handbook says the same thing.

So it probably wasn't the Hinkster. It was numerous GAs over the years, saying to wear white, and saying that while you don't HAVE to, you really should. Wink-wink, nudge-nudge.

Remember, the thinking has been done for members. Pay, pray, and obey. White shirts are what the lard prefers, even though they're not officially mandatory.

I’d love to see the reaction to an off-white shirt. It’s white enough to be considered white, but rebellious enough to stand out from Missionary White.

Not wearing a white shirt was how I would escape having to help pass the sacrament when there weren’t enough youth.
A white shirt was mandatory for “officiating in that sacred ordinance”. I’m sure it’s not in any book, but I sure wasn’t gonna fight back :D

If you think peer pressure is only for teenagers, watch what happens in a Utah Ward when an adult male shows up for church in a blue shirt.

I frequently show up (when I show up at all) In a burgundy or blue or red shirt. Therefore I don't have to worry about being asked (CALLED) to speak in SM.

Going a little further than the white shirt mandate: Our son didn't like to have his sleeves all the way down and buttoned. He wanted them rolled up a little to be out of the way for passing/blessing the sacrament. One fine Sunday, he was ordered by the YM leader to roll his sleeves down or he wouldn't be allowed to participate. He defied him and kept them rolled up and still blessed the bread. I guess shoulders aren't the only distracting thing for church members: Wrists, I tell ya: people can't control themselves when it comes to wrists!

I was always told that rolled up sleeves is just "too casual" of a look. On sunday Everybody has to have a stick up their you know what about something in mormonism.

They don't like any PH holder wearing short sleeve shirts at the temple either; even if you are wearing a suit coat over it.

I think it was a growing movement under ETB, but how heavy-handed it was depended on your stake president. Mine from the 1980s was a guy that not only resembled a German Nazi officer, but ruled like one as well.

If Leon Askin would have had a twin brother, then I swear he was ruling over my stake as President Maytag.

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0039169/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cl_t8

I find it icky that modern mormons like to dress up their little boys to look like miniaturized missionaries. You know, to prepare (brainwash) them for their future.

I'm still surprised they haven't made kid-sized training garments. Shoulder shaming has trickled down to the primary. I always wore sleeveless dresses as a teen (early 90's) and to my mother's horror no panty hose.

The whole mormon dress code sure makes them look ultra culty. And because of my own conditioning through childhood, I am shocked whenever I see a mormon woman wearing a workout tank top.

bluebutterfly Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I find it icky that modern mormons like to dress
> up their little boys to look like miniaturized
> missionaries. You know, to prepare (brainwash)
> them for their future.

I hadn't actually thought of it that way, but you're absolutely right. It's not just conformity to the group, it's training!

I was taught in Priesthood meetings that the white shirt is the "uniform of the priesthood" In fact I was repeatedly told that the only part of sunday clothing men can choose is their tie..

I always felt like it should be a personal choice. I did ask my very TBM father about why we can't choose the color of our shirts. He told me that white is a symbol for purity and again "part of holding the priesthood"
I replied that white as a symbol for purity is purely a human concept and so why should a being like God really care? He told me I was wrong.

Maybe it is a newer thing? I am in my 20s but I was repeatedly told by multiple leaders that white shirts are required to function as a priesthood holder. In our ward you had to wear white in order to bless or pass the sacrament even. I never thought that was specific to our area... especially since we are not in utah, but who knows anymore?

"White is a symbol of purity." Yeah, I've heard that from Mormons quite often as being the underlying justification for the rule-that-isn't-a-rule-but-really-is.

But it sure is arbitrary, then. Why only the shirt? If you're wearing a dark gray suit, does that mean that you're covering yourself in impurity except for the shirt...and actually burying your purity-symbolizing white shirt under an impurity-signifying dark suit jacket?

What about black shoes? Does that symbolize impurity in the path one is walking?

Shouldn't Mormons all bleach their hair so that it is pure white? I mean who wants to have the top of their head covered in an impure color? Surely you would need to have the top of your head as white as can be to symbolize your desire to have only pure thoughts in your head.

I guess I shouldn't be surprised. All religions are basically cults and this kind of arbitrary symbolic costuming is part of the psy-op that they do to make the cult members feeeeel like they've got the inside dope on how to kiss up to God.

"Red sneakers? Oooh! You are so doomed! Everyone who REALLY knows God knows that he hates red sneakers and loves blue sneakers! That's why all of us members of the Church of God's Great Luvin always wear blue sneakers."

Exactly! The arbitrary part of having to wear white but only with your shirt still really annoys me!
These days when I find myself attending sacrament (very rare and only out of obligation) I wear dark blue. Why? It is my favorite color. No need to be any more arbitrary than that.

about having a non-white shirt on, I would probably tell them: "Hey, all of my underwear is white, natural fabric -- my symbol of purity closely hugging my body. It's too sacred to flaunt out in the open in full view of profane and unworthy people of course. But if you have a temple recommend, I will show you my underwear...I mean, if it's really that important to you."

;o)

Try growing up Mexican in a White ward. Things were fine until it was time to start dating their daughters.

Of course it was the racists who were playing the "he's not turning White!" card. None of my peers cared.

People whom I trust who were alive in the 30's and 40's say that in their wards the deacons and priests had to wear black trousers, a white shirt, and a black bow tie to prepare and pass the sacrament. One of the bishops demanded that the deacons wear white gloves, and that they were to perform square corners.

It was MacKay who went all out for the "clean-cut" look.

I think the McKay years represent the time when the big corporations in America adopted the dress code for executives and salesmen that is still with us today. White shirts, thin ties, dark suits with moderate, standard lapels. It was a refinement of earlier business dress standards, but since the 1950s and 1960s there really hasn't been much change. It kind of became cast in stone.

So McKay was probably getting his cue from the corporate business world.

Funny how it always works that way. After Joseph and Briggy introduced all those crazy, wacky ideas that went against the mainstream at the beginning of the Church, all of the subsequent prophets have basically been trying to move the Church back into the mainstream---typically by playing catch-up with whatever the most wealthy, successful and influential business/government institutions are doing.

Wally Prince Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I think the McKay years represent the time when
> the big corporations in America adopted the dress
> code for executives and salesmen that is still
> with us today. White shirts, thin ties, dark
> suits with moderate, standard lapels. It was a
> refinement of earlier business dress standards,
> but since the 1950s and 1960s there really hasn't
> been much change. It kind of became cast in
> stone.
>
> So McKay was probably getting his cue from the
> corporate business world.



Think: "Mad Men" - that was the 50's. The way to sell a product is to do it in the style of the times. Always works that way!

I once visited ward in Nevada where the member of the bishopric who conducted the meeting had a beard (!!) but by golly he still had on the white shirt and tie.

Well, in the early 1970's back in the day of three distinct meetings at different times, I was the ward organist. I played for priesthood, sunday school and sacrament meetings.

I was quite advanced for my age and was studying organ with the local university professor. During those years I never prepared or blessed the sacrament. I was at the organ.

I had fun with my attire and nobody complained.

I had several colorful shirts, ties and pants. And to boot, I often wore a white sports coat. All the colors remind me of the late 60's colorful clothing attire with sunglasses of all kinds of lens colors.

To make things fun, I'd change something for every meeting on one sunday. Maybe I liked the attention. Frankly, I don't know why I did it. But there I was sitting on the stand week after week, perched in a posh comfortable cushiony choir seat where I was in sight of most of the congregation.

Oh, those were fun days for sure compared to today's look-a-like contest! NO WHITE SHIRT EVER!

And just to add: 12 years ago I was asked to be stake organist for Sunday morning services. I had been inactive for 20+years.

The visiting GA was an apostle. I played the heck out of the music and really did an excellent job - to the extent that the apostle was impressed and made note of it during his remarks.

What was I wearing?

Black pants. Black shinny silk shirt. Black belt. Black socks. Black organ shoes. And a colorful paisley gold/burgundy tie. (I hate to wear coats when playing the organ.)

Nobody cared the least at what I was wearing. At least, no body said so to me directly. Yet everyone else in the choir, the stake presidency, the GA and the entire stake high council who were all on the stand were wearing WHITE shirts. So I guess I stood out a bit. But what the hell - I'm a rebel!

The 1970s was the decade when a person's specific clothing items seemed to matter the least to the Churchco leaders. I guess after all of the shocking cultural developments of the late 1960s, they were just really happy that members were still wearing clothes.

Even my dad--WWII veteran who normally sported a flat top and Hank Hill wardrobe--let his hair and sideburns grow a little in the 70's. He didn't have a suit-type job, but his short-sleeve sport shirts got just slightly more colorful too.

Since I left the LDS Church, and later retired, I stopped wearing dresses/skirts,pantyhose, makeup, etc., Sunday outfits
I wear slacks/jeans/pants/trousers and blouses with walking shoes/tennis shoes, flats.
If I have to dress up a bit - I add a white blouse and a dragonfly pin and earrings!
I have one dressy outfit, (shirt and top and jacket) that I will probably never wear. I'll leave it in the dress bag, just in case I need it. I want to be cremated so I won't need it for my funeral, either. :-)

I'm the same way, except the only type of dresses I have now are those that show off my porn shoulders. Mostly, I wear shorts/jeans/slacks depending on the weather or occasion. For work, I have a uniform which is slacks and a polo shirt. Even when I dress up, I'm more likely to wear flats or dressy flat sandals depending on the season.

One thing I remember about the white shirt rule is that as TBM as my ex-husband was, he liked wearing colored dress shirts to church, until the bishop wanted to send him to DI for white shirts. I was a bit disappointed when he started wearing the white shirts he had in his closet from then on, as he had a blue shirt that really brought out his eyes which were blue.

I wad attending a singles ward when the high ups started cracking down on the dress code for women. "One pair of earrings for women. ONE PAIR!!!" No flip-flops, etc.

Apparently our bishop was really worried about all of us, so during sacrament meeting he gave a whole talk about obedience and proper dress and grooming. In those days, there was a senior couple from the stake assigned to attend our ward. During the talk, the bishop called the senior couple to stand up and walk to the front of the chapel. He then told us that we should all use these ~70-year-old people as examples of proper clothing styles and that the women would be especially wise to model their wardrobes after sister so-and-so.

I have never witnessed such an attempt to stifle laughter. I mean, did he really think that a group of single, 20-something women were going to run out and buy a bunch of ankle-length polyester skirts with matching blazers, floral print rayon blouses and knee-high nylons just because he said so? Poor sister so-and-so was obviously mortified.

In a mission conference an area authority from the Quorom of the 70 told us we should wear white shirts and ties every day for the rest of our lives to avoid becoming concerned with fashion and other worldly things.

Remember that newly appointed bishop, in Utah County I believe, who before being set apart, dressed up 'hobo-ish' and hung around his ward building, just walking back and forth. He was obviously a focus of attention and when he finally made a move to enter the ward building, he was stopped at the door and grilled by an ad hoc dis-welcoming committee.

I don't remember exactly how it went down after that but at some point his true identity was revealed and he made a little speech about 'just not lest ye be judged' and other pious yadda yadda.

But he did have a good point: mormons are critical of those who don't look like they 'belong' whatever the hecky-poo that means.

I just stumbled across this Sacrament Training Video for Bishops and Branch Presidents (1983). The Q15 (Haight) was most definitely pushing the white shirts back then.

https://youtu.be/HcWfyFG2bnQ?t=281

Hilarious. Reminded me of Craig Ferguson's shtick

>There were also lots of long sideburns, mustaches, beards and stuff...even on the men.