http://www.patheos.com/blogs/peculiarpeople/2015/08/2-girls-for-every-boy-the-unpleasant-reality-for-utah-mormon-singles/
http://www.exmormon.org/mormon/mormon197.htm
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/MindMoodNews/story?id=4403731
http://www.totalbeauty.com/content/blog/mormon-plastic-surgery-140502
http://www.thespectrum.com/story/opinion/2015/08/19/lds-church-women-apostles/32019835/
http://time.com/dateonomics/
http://www.worldreligionnews.com/religion-news/christianity/majority-of-utah-mormons-want-to-drop-relationship-with-boy-scouts
http://community.babycenter.com/post/a25330317/why_are_people_in_the_lds_church_so_judgmental
http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2014/10/02/confessions-of-a-mormon-housewife/
I chose to look into the single-story of LDS Women in Utah. Being from outside the state I admit that I single-storied them before I came here and got to know them. I pictured them as snobby, often middle to upper class, judgmental, highly self-righteous women. In today's news media and social media you would find almost the same judgments. Whether its stories about how there are not enough Mormon men to go around so they are getting plastic surgery and becoming more and more depressed over the need to find love. Also about how dating is not really hip this century and so their standards are becoming more and more loose even though they pretend to be perfect in front of other women and at church which leads to more depression and prescription drug usage. They also are stereotyped to be homophobic and judgmental of those around them who do not adhere into what they deem acceptable. They strive for perfection in everything and judge themselves just as harshly as they judge others when they fall short.
I thought this blog by Al Fox was the perfect counterpoint to everything that I had read. http://alfoxshead.blogspot.com/. Al Fox is someone who I greatly look up to because of her non-judgmental personality and her drive for life, she is Mormon and came to Utah to be where there was a predominantly LDS culture. For someone like me who dreaded moving to Utah for school because of all of the negative things that I had heard her want to come to Utah was very foreign to me. I had the chance to interview her for the BYU newspaper and in the 2 hours that I spent with her I realized that I had completely single-storied all Utah women. Instead of looking at them as fellow members of the same faith that I undoubtedly had at least one thing in common with, I demonized them. I allowed myself to be lured into the lies and the studies that had been done on LDS women. Al Fox is tattooed, admittedly not perfect, seems like she seeks out those who don't fit the norm, and is very vocal about her past and how her testimony is currently growing.
I've lived in Utah now for almost 4 years. I've come to learn that LDS women here are some of the most genuine, most caring, and supportive ladies that I know. LDS women in Utah are normal meaning they have good days and bad days just like anyone else, they work hard to make sure their family is happy and do their best. They do their best to serve others and relate and serve the people around them. They are very unselfish with their time and will go the extra mile for those in need. They are also just like the LDS women that I knew back in California, the state of origin not making any difference on their faith or their demeanor. The single-story often portrayed in the media is wrong and pertains to a very narrow if existent section of this group. Since I now fit into this category I find it very offensive that society considers us that way. I have new resolve to change that perception now because it is unfair and untrue. While the majority of the articles that I found are correct, there is something different about LDS women, it is not the prescriptions, plastic surgeries, or perfectionists, that they should be focusing on but rather the light of Christ that these ladies exhibit on a daily basis to everyone that they interact with.
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