I sat down with scholars Nancy Ross and Jessica Finnigan to discuss their taboo research on Mormon garments. They, along with Larissa Kanno Kindred, are the co-authors of the groundbreaking book Mormon Garments, Sacred and Secret. The deeply candid conversation pulls back the curtain on a historically taboo research topic within Latter-day Saint culture, exploring the complex intersections of theology, historical evolution, and the very real physical realities of wearing temple garments.

Don’t miss our other conversations Nancy Ross: https://gospeltangents.com/people/nancy-ross/

What started as a small research project in 2014 quickly exploded when the authors’ survey garnered 4,500 responses in just one week. The authors were stunned by the heavy, unexpected stories pouring in, which highlighted a stark contrast between the experiences of men and women. While men generally reported lower physical costs, women detailed the immense, ongoing physical toll associated with wearing garments day and night through various stages of life.

Medical Reality of “Pads and Gore”

The authors frankly discuss how the required underclothing frequently traps heat and moisture, disrupting the body’s natural pH. This environment contributes to severe medical issues for some women, including chronic yeast infections, urinary tract infections (UTIs), and in extreme cases, precancerous lesions. Managing menstruation, pregnancy, and nursing while wearing garments often creates a difficult “mess,” yet women expressed immense guilt over taking them off, even when their doctors explicitly begged them to stop wearing the garments at night for health reasons.

Silence, Surveillance, and Strictness

Ross and Finnigan explain that the institutional silence surrounding garments created a dangerous void. Because there was no official guidance for biological realities, the void was typically filled by the most demanding, conservative voices in the community. Women were left navigating complicated, unofficial rules—such as whether it was acceptable to wear regular underwear underneath their garments to hold period products in place. Furthermore, the surveillance of other people’s underwear practices is deeply normalized within the culture, adding psychological pressure. The authors also noted that for individuals experiencing doubt, the garments often shifted from being a symbol of faith to a psychological tool of institutional control.

Opening the Door for Change

Despite receiving pushback from the community for discussing the topic, the authors actually presented their findings directly to the LDS church’s correlation research division to advocate for women’s gynecological health. Recently, there have been very positive developments, including new handbook updates that explicitly allow bishops to grant medical accommodations. Additionally, the church has introduced much-needed modernizations like half-slips, full slips, and period garments. By breaking the silence, the authors hope their work will validate the varied bodily experiences of women in the church and make the practice of wearing garments much kinder and more flexible for everyone.

Radical History and Racial Dynamics of Mormon Garments

Nancy Ross and Jessica Finnigan, co-authors of Mormon Garments, Sacred and Secret dive into the unexpected history and sociological complexities of LDS temple garments. From Joseph Smith’s early design demands to the modern realities of race and garment surveillance, this episode uncovers the fascinating evolution of this deeply personal practice.

Mormon Garments Radical, Seamless Origin

The conversation travels back to Nauvoo in the 1840s, where Joseph Smith first commissioned seamstress Elizabeth Warren Allred to create a garment with as few seams as possible. Because standard 19th-century clothing relied heavily on seams to economically fit the shape of a body, Allred had to cut the unyielding muslin fabric three times before meeting his specifications.

The authors debunk a popular historical myth: Joseph Smith was not simply adopting the “union suit,” as that style of single-piece underwear wasn’t developed until decades later. Instead, Smith’s design was actually a radical, progressive departure from the standard underwear of the time, anticipating later 19th-century dress and health reform movements that advocated for fewer restrictive layers.

Making Sense of the Data: 12 Years and French Philosophy

Transforming their massive 2014 survey into a book was a grueling 12-year process. Ross and Finnigan realized their raw data was far too messy and complex to neatly fit into a few journal articles. To make meaning of the thousands of intimate stories, they utilized intersectional theory (a branch of critical race theory) to understand how the disadvantages of racism and sexism impact wearers.

They also drew heavily on French philosopher Michel Foucault’s concept of the “panopticon” to explore how surveillance and secrecy operate within Mormon culture, illustrating how members internalize institutional rules to monitor themselves and others. Despite utilizing heavy academic frameworks, the authors worked diligently to weave the theory naturally into the text, ensuring the book remains highly approachable and relatable for everyday readers.

Politics of White Underwear

One of the most striking sociological discussions in the episode centers on race. The authors explicitly identify the race of their survey respondents to highlight how garments interact differently with non-white bodies. For instance, wearing stark white underclothing makes the garments highly visible against darker skin tones. Furthermore, the historical design choices for garments were largely patterned after European body shapes, creating distinct physical challenges for people of color, such as Pacific Islanders, whose bodies may not easily conform to those specific cuts.

The authors argue that because Mormon discourse heavily emphasizes purity and whiteness, the racial classification and physical realities of bodies wearing these garments make the practice inherently political. While their initial survey lacked a massive sample of people of color, their co-author Larissa Kano Kindred has since gathered data from 8,000 women—including a significant demographic of women of color—which will further explore these racial dynamics in future publications.

Century of Evolution

The episode wraps by looking at the slow arc of garment modernization. It wasn’t until 1923 that the church finally allowed for stretchy, knitted fabrics, shortened the sleeves to the elbow, and replaced string ties with buttons. Even then, as the church commissioned an internal report in the 1930s to suggest further popular changes, the long-requested move to sleeveless garments was left on the cutting room floor.

What do you think of their research and comments?