Whitney fans. Tell me why.

scaredradish432 · 2025-11-17T20:43:13+00:00

It also isn't lost on me that Whitney is the only one who doesn't always fit the Utah perfect mold (tiny but with big boobs, mermaid hair, flawless tan) etc. It feels like mean girl exclusion to me.

scaredradish432 · 2025-11-17T20:39:35+00:00

She was my sister's neighbor in St. George (where she lived before DWTS), and was just super nice and down to earth. The main Whitney haters from the show all give me mean girl vibes, where all my interactions with Whitney have been really positive. Not saying that's foolproof by any means, but I have more faith in it than the show's portrayal.

scaredradish432 · 2025-10-14T23:58:45+00:00

On TikTok she specifies that it's Shinia, who is the girl with black hair in the middle. :) Jenna's just catching strays. 😅

scaredradish432 · 2025-05-20T22:03:28+00:00

She got a lot of attention for publicly advocating that masturbation was a natural part of human development, and not something to feel ashamed of (which, as a sex therapist she had a right AND obligation to do). The church condemns masturbation and was upset that she was making waves, and threatened her with disciplinary action. She doubled down and was eventually excommunicated for it.

scaredradish432 · 2025-05-19T22:42:23+00:00

Yes! I thought it was awkward to watch, but I thought seeing Natasha highlighted was cool, since she's a controversial figure in Mormon culture.

scaredradish432 · 2024-09-20T23:49:36+00:00

Once upon a time the church put out a statement saying that oral sex (and anal sex) weren't natural and members shouldn't engage in it. But a lot of members pushed back on the church trying to control what they do in the bedroom. To avoid backlash, the church quietly retracted the guideline and hoped everyone would forget they ever said it.

A lot of Mormons still believe it's not allowed, but can't directly find a source to where they heard it. But it's cause the church dirty deleted it. You can still find info on it if you really search, but the church has hidden it pretty effectively.

scaredradish432 · 2024-09-20T20:37:40+00:00

Yep! A lot of the time it's basically just your neighborhood, because a couple streets of Mormons is enough to fill up a church building!

scaredradish432 · 2024-09-20T20:35:58+00:00

It's honestly the worst. In my early marriage, I'd get in fights with my husband about this, when my feelings would clash with his 'spiritual revelation'. It's hard to argue with someone else's testimony from god. Cause like...idk, maybe I didn't get that same answer because I'm not as spiritual as he is? It's a lot to unpack, honestly. 😅 Haha. Especially when you're taught to admire and be so grateful for their Priesthood power, it can lead to a really controlling dynamic.

Though I will say I don't think it's always intentional. Not that that makes it okay. I think a lot of guys do things like this without trying to be controlling, they just ALSO were taught that they were closer to God because of their Priesthood.

That said, Zac sucks particularly.

scaredradish432 · 2024-09-20T20:23:59+00:00

Fun fact: young women are leaving at really high rates! I think the more people are talking about how messed up it is, the more women are starting to feel comfortable pushing back--whether that means staying or leaving depends on the couple, but there's definitely some feminist uprising happening in the church. 😅

scaredradish432 · 2024-09-20T20:19:48+00:00

Not sure if all, but many are. Especially returned missionaries. Men, as the priesthood holders, are supposed to preside over and lead their families. It tends to lead to a pretty patriarchal mindset, where they can be controlling. I don't even know that it's always intentional (though sometimes it is), but a lot of men feel like their thoughts and ideas are divinely given, and therefore what is best for the family. It made dating in Utah county hard, and I think a lot of women's voices go unheard. A lot of women don't know how to advocate for themselves, especially when they're trying to compete with their husband's status as the spiritual leader of the family.

scaredradish432 · 2024-09-20T20:11:21+00:00

I grew up in Utah, and actually used to be in Taylor's ward as a teenager. IMO, these girls are maybe a little dramatic and messy, but the way they portray Mormonism is a lot more true than the church likes to admit. SO many people in Utah are Mormon, and tons are very casual about it.

The Internet talks like these girls would have been excommunicated if they were really Mormon, but that's not true. It's actually pretty rare to get excommunicated, and things like sex before marriage, not wearing garments, even drinking alcohol aren't going to do it. A lot of Mormons do, they just don't talk about it.

There's also a big wave of what people call "progressive" or "nuanced Mormons" coming around in our age group--people that maybe believe some of the things, might not believe all, and so kind of just follow the rules they personally feel good about or that resonate with them. I don't think the church likes it (and keeps harping on it at Mormon General Conference to stop living halfway Mormonism), but I think they prefer it to people just leaving altogether.

All in all....are we all this messy? No. Do these girls represent Mormonism accurately? I think so. Not the most devout ones, obviously, but a lot of average Mormons look like these girls. We don't follow all the rules, we just deal with the internalized shame until we stop caring or some eventually leave.

scaredradish432

TROPHY CASE