Reader comments
Body and spirit: Religious beliefs have impact on self-image

marie | 3:20 a.m. March 15, 2008

This is quite a finding, and I'm not sure this is encompassing enough. A group of BYU women is quite a unique non-representative group. The age, the education level, the social background and the environment, are far from a general population. I'm an LDS from Europe, and I was first shocked on the emphasis put on appearance here, and on body transformation. I saw lots of mothers in their forties who obviously had undergone surgeries, I saw artificiality and obsession with wanting to look healthy. It is positive to hear there is satisfaction and respect for our bodies. I'm afraid we might become overly concerned with it. There are millions of women in the world who are just trying to provide for their families and are happy to have a good enough health to do so. We are a privileged western society where we ask ourselves too often "how do I feel about myself?" Let's turn our concern outward.

youd | 5:18 a.m. March 15, 2008

This sounds like a better than average sacrament meeting talk, but it's not front page news.

Julie | 7:04 a.m. March 15, 2008

I'd be interested to know if they did any research on plastic surgery and LDS women. While devout Mormons reject tattoos and body piercing and even have better body image in these studies, I'm amazed at how many LDS women get breast enhancements. I assumed there was a link between LDS women wanting to be perfect in body and spirit. And since church authorities haven't told members to avoid plastic surgery, members seem to think that's an acceptable way to alter your body. It's paradoxical.

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Rich | 7:58 a.m. March 15, 2008

What to believe? Just the other day I read an article suggesting that LDS were the most obese of all religions.

julie | 10:52 a.m. March 15, 2008

wait a sec... what about the news a couple months ago that SLC has the highest per capita of plastic surgeons in the WORLD? my sister's LDS ward in Lindon has 10 or more women with recent breast implants. i don't think that LDS women have an advantage, unless they are really living their religion.

GOOD NEWS | 11:28 a.m. March 15, 2008

This is good news. It speaks of Manï¿½s ability to take control of both Body and Spirit and thus have a meaningful life. In a world where people feel like they are victims of others and want to make excuses for their problems by blaming others, this gives a glimpse of something better.

The news of perpetrators and victims is what most consider as front page news. If we believe this we can then make ourselves into blamers and victims.

Thanks for a positive and insightful article For me this is front page news.

10 Commandments | 12:20 p.m. March 15, 2008

I wish these people would lookat the 10 Commandments and learn how to live and treat others
Mostly about bearing false witness against their neighbors
You are not supost to tattle on others as well
Mind your own dang business

Rich | 1:45 p.m. March 15, 2008

believe them both. Fat and Happy.

Anonymous | 1:46 p.m. March 15, 2008

This is typical, second-rate research conducted by a member of the BYU faculty on a convenience sample of college students - a particularly homogeneous sample of BYU students at that!

The findings generalize to women and men in general about as well as a pint of Ben & Jerry's could survive in the environment of a solar flare!

Otis Spurlock | 3:25 p.m. March 15, 2008

Anon 1:46
You may wish to read the article more closely. The thesis was: Mormon college students have significantly better body satisfaction than students from other religions or from no religion. It should have said "female" college students. It included women from BYU but not only from BYU. Two studies from Texas universities included similar sampling and support the same conclusion.

The study appears focused and limited, but not as simplistic as you state because you mischaracterize the sample and conclusions. However, even if properly understood, it is unclear how the study can be used effectively beyond this type of "talk". The researchers' efforts to explain the results are clearly speculative.

Interesting, but not useful.

Distressing | 4:40 p.m. March 15, 2008

The inordinate focus on body that drives our society is perpetuated not by religious beliefs, but Hollywood and advertising. My generation fought hard to give women more choices in their lives, and we're dismayed to see what they've done with their opportunities. Young women today are jumping head first into the notion that they're major worth is being sexually attractive to others. Huge breast implants (aka Pamela Anderson), botox treatments, multiple plastic surgeries, starvation diets. Young women today use every opportunity to display their "wares" and bring shame to themselves and their gender. They think it's empowering to have men constantly oogling them, but it comes at the price of respect. Cheap wares are easily tossed aside for a new plateful of the same.

Hello | 4:35 p.m. March 15, 2008

I think you see the extremes in LDS Folks, the Heavier Obese side, and the body obsessed types. I also have wondered at the amount of LDS women who get breast implants(of course,in this case there usually is a supportive husband,so you can't just focus on the women). I feel there may be occasions for surgery, but definitely not the numbers we see in the Wasatch Front.
Lastly,In the Wasatch front there are many members Socially converted to the church, but they may not truly be "Spiritually converted". They do their callings with diligence, but miss the Spirit of it.
I feel if a person really gets it, some of these body issues lose there importance.
The Church may eventually come out with a suggestion (IE...like a word of wisdom was) on the body issues of implants, but part of the doctrine is that the Lord does not command in all things. We should not have to have it spelled out every time.

A Concerned LDS Male

wrz | 11:19 p.m. March 15, 2008

>>And since church authorities haven't told members to avoid plastic surgery, members seem to think that's an acceptable way to alter your body. It's paradoxical.<<

It's also acceptable to get your hair permed, combed, cut. Noting wrong with helping mother nature with beauty and comliness. Maoris tattoo for the same effect. But tattooing in our society is not a sign of comliness but rather a sign of rebellion.

Az Mormon Mom | 5:57 p.m. Oct. 26, 2009

Hi, I think that you can both be spiritualy connected to our Heavenly Father and want to enhance your body at the same time.

Our divineness comes from within our souls and its not unrealistic for a mormon mom to want to keep herself in good shape and a breast augmentation to refill out her normal breast is really between her and Heavenly Father and not the rest to judge her.

Just because she may decide to seek out cosmetic surgery doesnt mean she can slack on her relationship with God the Father and I think this is where the line can get a little soft. Its when we spend hours pondering about our bodies and not our soul that we can get into trouble; not the actual enhancement itself.

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