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In October, the LDS Church added a video and photos to an essay about its temple clothing — including two-piece underwear known as "garments" — as a way to deflect misinformation on social media and in the popular press.
Now The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is asking members for feedback about the fit, fabric, size and style of garments. And many Mormon feminists are cheering — and eagerly sharing their opinions.
"I love the whole idea of the temple garment," LDS blogger Jana Riess writes for Religion News Service. "It delights me that there is no concept of something being irredeemably profane in my religion. ... Even underwear can be sanctified."
However, she does not always love "the garment in practice," Riess says. "In practice, it can feel like a set prop from 'The Itchy & Scratchy Show.' "
Sizes often don't fit an array of bodies, she says, and seams can hit a woman's body in, well, the wrong place.
"It's encouraging to know that the church is trying hard to identify people's main issues with the garments," she writes, "and to address those issues as much as they can."
A little change, she says, "could make a big difference."
The recently posted video and essay compare clothing members wear during Mormon temple rituals and under their clothes every day to holy attire worn by those in many faiths.
"The nun's habit. The priest's cassock. The Jewish prayer shawl. The Muslim's skullcap. The saffron robes of the Buddhist monk," the narrator intones. "All are part of a rich tapestry of human devotion to God."
The video shows images of the "robes of the holy priesthood" — including a white robe, green apron and white cap — worn by men and women inside LDS temples. It also provides photos of temple garments, which faithful Mormons wear daily under their clothing.
Peggy Fletcher Stack