By Mariel Howsepian West Dressed
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is behind the MoFash organization, but “Mo” isn’t short for Mormon.
MoFash promotes modest clothing, and the organization’s Web site has links to fashion designers with a MoFash seal of approval. Gone are the days when a virtuous girl was forced to buy sinful, skin-baring clothes, and layer long slips, tank tops, and cardigan sweaters with her heathen attire. Today, it’s as easy as the click of a mouse to shop for clothes that tell the world you’re not a hoochie.
Approved designer Funky Frum carries a product called “Sleevies,” which are... well, sleeves. They’re three-quarters length, and come in virginal white, apocalyptic black, ranch brown, and heavenly light blue. According to Funky Frum, Sleevies “comfortably grip the upper arm” and eliminate “any unnecessary bulk.” It’s not easy being righteous when you’re worried about unnecessary bulk.
For dresses that have their own sleeves, shop Shabby Apple. MoFash approves Shabby Apple, even though the company offers “flirty” dresses. This is confusing to me because the dictionary defines modest as “not drawing attention to or discussing sexuality, and so unlikely to offend or arouse others.” Isn’t the whole point of flirting to arouse others?
It might be hard not to arouse others in one of Vintage Hem’s slips. The slips range from $19 to $28, and come in blush, black with white polka dots, camouflage, black tulle, white tulle, gold tulle, white eyelet, ivory eyelet, and “Eyelet Tower” which has not one, but three lacy layers.
On Vintage Hem’s homepage, a girl sits on a stone wall, sunlight filtering through the leaves of an orange tree. She wears a little dress, blue tights, banana yellow wedge-heeled sandals, and she sits in a very un-ladylike pose to show off a few extra inches of her white slip. The effect is Lolita-esque.
But then again, clothing company Sexy Modest wants girls to know, “sexy modest is ‘the true sexy!’”
MoFash approved clothes are sluttastic compared to the ankle-length, polyester pastel dresses worn by the women of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS).
One month before the MoFash runway show, Texas officials raided El Dorado’s Yearning for Zion ranch, headquarters of FLDS. An investigation of Yearning for Zion was sparked by the call from a girl, identifying herself as a 16 year old named Sarah, told officials that she was being abused by her 49 year old husband.
Officials removed 464 children from the ranch. At least 41 of the children had broken bones, and officials believe that some of the boys had been sexually abused.
More than 30 of the 53 girls aged 14 to 17 are currently pregnant or have children, and just last week, one of the girls gave birth. I don’t understand. All of the girls were dressed so modestly in their tennis shoes, prophet-mandated underwear, and pioneer-style dresses made of synthetic fabric.
I grew up watching movies from the Disney vault, and as a little girl, my bathing suits were one-pieces. When I asked my mother why I couldn’t have a bikini — all the other girls had bikinis — my mother explained to me that Walt Disney didn’t allow Annette Funicello to show her belly button, because good girls didn’t show their belly buttons. Well, if Annette didn’t show her belly button, I didn’t want to show mine either. (I didn’t own my first bikini until I was 18, opting in my teens for retro-styled one pieces with halter straps.) Now, Annette has been replaced by Miley Cyrus wrapped in a satin sheet.
If I had a daughter, what would I say to her about bikinis? I want you to have one more summer thinking of your body as something that can run and swim and play, and one less summer thinking of your body in comparison to other bodies.
And then I’d get online and order her a one piece.
MARIEL HOWSEPAIN digs black coffee, fairy tales and a man in coveralls. She lives in Santa Monica and
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on May 9, 2008. Read the original PDF.