The article I read was "Why So Many of Your Favorite Beauty Personalities are Mormon". The author is Alice Gregory and the article was published on October 11, 2017, on Allure.com. The context of this article was to give insight into Beauty and how it is used and embraced in the Mormon religion. The intended audience if basically women in their youth. The article could be engaging to both Mormon and non-Mormon girls, who may have an interest in beauty. or even Instagram blogs. Personally, that was what caught my attention, I wanted to know how and why exactly my favorite bloggers could potentially be Mormon.
My summary to this article connecting Beauty with Mormon girls is that it talked about how Mormon girls are taught at an early age to wear makeup and dress in ways that are appealing to the standard Mormon man, and the men in charge in the patriarchal religion. By marrying a Morman man of power, they gain respect and power and with the women to men ratio being 3 to 1, it is a competition between women to look their best. Also, Utah has more plastic surgeons per capita. More than New York and LA, the reason to that is because stereotypically Mormon women are stay at home moms with disposable income which they use to get bigger boobs, or stay up to date with the "newer mommies".
My thesis regarding the article "Why So Many of Your Favorite Beauty Personalities are Mormon" by Alice Gregory is that she lacked to do research, and made stereotypes against all Mormon women. I believe the author was ineffective with achieving their purpose because they did not do enough research on the LDS doctrine and wrote their article based on statements that successful mommy bloggers made. Throughout the text, Alice Gregory, the author, took statements from "mommy bloggers" and used them to stereotype all Mormon women. I believe her article lacked research on the LSD morals and church doctrine because she makes sexist generalizations like how if you're a boy you want to play sports and go on a mission, as for girls, you are introduced to makeup, hairstyling, and fashion.
I am not Mormon, and the author is clearly not Mormon either. She might have intended to give us an inside look on beauty and how it is connected to Mormon religion, but unfortunately, she also made stereotypes and gave off the idea that every Mormon girl is taught to believe that her appearance determines how successful she will be and if she gets into heaven.
Here are just a couple generalizations the author made about Mormon women: “These businesses allow Mormon women to make money and be ambitious, all while not working outside of the home, which in lots of ways is still frowned upon" when referring to the multi-level operations such as Younique, Young Living and NuSkin. Also, “When you come from a patriarchal religion, your best bet for gaining power is to be appealing to the men in charge… it can be very hard for women who are outside of normative standards of beauty… [Because] ultimately these beauty standards are connected to what gets you into heaven.”
Gregory implemented historical context by stating ''When Mormons first came to Utah in 1847, Brigham Young, the second president of the LDS church, instructed his followers, Beautify your gardens, your houses, your farms; beautify the city. This will make us happy, and produce plenty". After that statement, she continued to talk about how appearances matter and that a pamphlet called "For the Strength of Youth" is widely distributed by Mormons discouraging the use of tattoos and multiple piercing. She then continues by telling us that the LSD website has an entire section devoted to grooming and dress, complete with makeup tutorials. Gregory closes that paragraph by quoting celebrity hairstylist Jen Atkin in describes the Mormon look as “pretty, relatable beauty, with nothing too out of reach...though they really know how to put on a face of makeup!” adding a humorous tone.
Gregory also included Pathos in her article when stating "Like most Mormon girls, Fillerup Clark was encouraged to keep journals and scrapbooks growing up" connecting with the shared values of the reader. Another example is referring to the "For the Strength of Youth" pamphlet when they speak about when you dress and groom properly, it influences the way you and others act.
I believe she made strong pathos engaging her audience to make connections with the article and their shared values and emotions on the topic.
In the appeal to generalize reason, the author also covered Logos. Gregory stated though Salt Lake City is the capital of one of the most religious states in America, Salt Lake City has more plastic surgeons per capita than Los Angeles. She backed up this fact by saying that it is almost fate that a Mormon woman will go under the knife to prize their marriage and family. Due to the highest marriage rate in the country and fast-growing incomes, Gregory believes that the white Mormon women have disposable income which they use to spend on their ego and undertake a "mommy makeover" to rejuvenate their bodies ‘trashed’ by motherhood.”
Growing up in Utah County, where the population is over 80 percent Mormon, I was interested in this article because I wanted to know and understand a little more about the Mormon Religion and my surroundings. The first time reading the article was amusing, and I even found it comical. The second time around I started noticing details and realized that in the end I was left with a stereotypical view for the average Mormon woman. Although Gregory might have made some good points, I believe she failed to do more research on the LDS doctrine before publishing the article. Her article is written around statements that Mormon beauty bloggers made, only interpreting their personal opinions. I am confused about her purpose for writing this article, but overall, the structure was nicely built.
