Dear TLC...

Thank you for your show "Sister Wives" that makes my life as a Mormon young adult in Boston about 5 bajillion times harder.

Love,
Mollie

Seriously though- a fairly large minority of people at school know I'm Mormon. It comes with the territory of saying "I went to Brigham Young University in Utah." In the last two days, I've had two people talk to me directly, asking about all the weird things on the show, and overheard another person talk about this in the context of how weird Mormon culture is. When I say "That's not Mormonism" they say "Well, they refer to themselves as Mormon on the show."

Of course they do.

Apparently, there's also a man who rotates which bed he sleeps in each night, and talks about his quest to find a fourth wife and how he can't hold hands or kiss her until they're married.

One of my least favorite past times is trying to convince people Mormons are normal when there are things like this on television. I truly forgot how much energy it takes to always be explaining without getting defensive.

No, those people aren't Mormon even though they say they are. No, we don't have to wear long dresses all the time. No, we don't practice polygamy. Yes, we build temples. No, you can't go in them. Yes, we can dance (well, to the extent that we're able). Yes, we celebrate Christmas and birthdays. Yes, we can kiss people before we're married. No, I didn't go to my sisters' weddings. Yes, we're Christian. Yes, people go on missions. No, I don't have to go. No, I don't drink alcohol or coffee. Yes, I can have soda. No, we don't do our hair a certain way. Yes, we can use birth control. Yes, we go to church a lot.

I am grateful that people feel comfortable enough to ask and don't just assume things. And I like getting a chance to correct misconceptions and explain the real beliefs when people are genuinely curious. But it's exhausting sometimes. So thank you TLC, for conveniently providing the general public with misconceptions about the Mormon faith that I then have to correct, or feel awkward not correcting. Your broadcast of two of my very favorite shows (What Not to Wear and Say Yes to the Dress) does not make up for this. It is with great sadness that I announce I am officially adding you to my "Dead To Me" list.







p.s.- sorry for the flood of posts lately- blogging has become one of my favorite forms of procrastination.