Thanks to FLDS.. long hair and braids are back in!

[naomimcc]

Too funny! I get google alerts regarding Bountiful. I used to live in Creston and know some of the families. Today I got this alert and giggled my butt off:

http://www.thestar.com/living/article/571831

[wintersun99]

I love that show! I wish I still had HBO, so sad :(

[Kerynna]

Ha, I was raised Mormon and I've never heard of this:


According to tradition, Mormon women are not allowed to cut their hair because one day they will use it to wash the feet of Christ.

Perhaps for the Fundamental or Reformed Mormons, but that is a completely different, spin-off religion from the "Mormon Church".

I love wearing a braid as I find it the most comfortable style by far. That said, I hate to see it stereotyped as being typically sported by fundamentalist, religious zealots.

[amaiaisabella]

Big Love is back this Sunday!!!!!!!!!! Sorry, I'm a bit excited, since I finally got HBO and don't have to rent the DVDs :D

The hair on this show is very interesting. Though most of the styles are braids, there are a few beautiful updos, and you can't help but admire Barb's (Jeanne Tripplehorn) beautiful curls :)

[Chromis]

Ha, I was raised Mormon and I've never heard of this:



Perhaps for the Fundamental or Reformed Mormons, but that is a completely different, spin-off religion from the "Mormon Church".

I love wearing a braid as I find it the most comfortable style by far. That said, I hate to see it stereotyped as being typically sported by fundamentalist, religious zealots.

Wait, what, they are supposed to wash someone's feet with their....hair? Is it still attached for this?

[mommy101405]

I am so excited that Big Love is back.

[mommy101405]

Wait, what, they are supposed to wash someone's feet with their....hair? Is it still attached for this?

Wasn't is Mary Magdalene who washed Jesus' feet with her hair? And yes, it was still attached.

I wasn't aware that was why mormon women grew there hair. I assumed it had to do with the "crowning glory". You learn something new everyday.

[Eden Iris]

I thought the feet were dried with the hair, after washing. Also never heard this used as a reason for fundamentalist women to not cut their hair-- I thought it was because the hair was a gift from God. Someone who knows the real reason please elaborate, if you're comfortable doing so.

PS: Yay for more Big Love!

[elbow chic]

I really do admire the FLDS ladies' hair. :D Are they no-trimmers, or is trimming OK with them, do you think?

[Mebo]

When I worked on this case in Eldorado, I saw some of the most elaborate hairdos. I would follow them down the hall in the State building, trying to see how they did it while I was "headed for the ladies' room". Some of them were fabulous. I made sure to keep my hair up while working with them, but they could tell it was long. I also wore a dress, not pants. I wish I could tell you some of the funny things that were said........

[Bene]

i think those sorts of ppl are the reason that i don't wear braids. like, here the long haired braided chicks are some sort of religion (i think pentecostal?) and when i was little they always scared me, and i hated braids because of them.

[Dianyla]

I was raised regular LDS (not FLDS) and that hair shown on that TV show looks waaaaaay better than anything I ever saw growing up. Southern CA Mormon hairstyles ran heavily to perms, teasing, and AquaNet when I was a child. :shrug:

[Curlsgirl]

In the Christian Bible, it was Mary but probably not Mary Magdalene that poured very expensive oil on Jesus feet and wiped it with her hair (yes hair was still attached). Christians believe it was to prepare his body for burial since his crucifixion happened shortly after and it was customary to pour perfume and oils on the body so it would not smell as it started rotting. She was chastised for it by Judas Iscariot who asked if the money couldn't better be spent on the poor. Jesus replied that the poor would be with them always and was very touched by her offering. I hope this is accurate. I am writing it from memory.

I don't care by the way if braids are back "in" or not. I like them and have worn them and will continue to wear them :D Interesting article though.

[Ketherlin]

All I can think about when the FLDS are mentioned is a picture of that Warren Jeffs kissing a very young girl maybe about 12 or 13. He is a sorry excuse for a man! :nono:

[Sissy]

I've never seen the show but the girls braid is very pretty!

[Paliele]

Fundamentalist mormons (from the FLDS church) and "regular" (I hate to use that term, but I don't know of a different way to differentiate) mormons (from the LDS church) aren't really that similar, except in name. The FLDS are more conservative and encourage long hair and dresses for women. The LDS are less conservative (but still pretty conservative compared to most other christian churches), encourage "avoiding extremes" in hairstyle but have no length mandate, and require dresses/skirts for women only in church. The FLDS church is smaller and concentrated mostly in the western US, while the LDS church is much larger and spread worldwide (although also somewhat concentrated in the western US). The mormons that most people encounter (by acquaintances, missionaries knocking at the door, or however) are from the LDS church. The two churches split in the late 1800s (don't know the exact date, sorry) when the leaders of the church decided to abandon polygamy. The FLDS church allows polygamy and is the subject of "Big Love". The LDS church does not allow polygamy at all. I hope that helps to clear up any confusion between the two.

I love to discover what different people/religions/cultures believe and why. I think it's fascinating. I think that one reason that the FLDS (and other religions that encourage/require long hair) have such beautiful hairstyles is because it's so common in their culture. Everybody has long hair, so it's not really a distinguishing characteristic. Creative and beautiful hairstyles become a way of expressing individuality.

[SHELIAANN1969]

i think those sorts of ppl are the reason that i don't wear braids. like, here the long haired braided chicks are some sort of religion (i think pentecostal?) and when i was little they always scared me, and i hated braids because of them.


I grew up Pentacostal/Apostolic and most of the women did/do keep their hair long and use little to no makeup.

It is astonishing that you were scared of someone because of their religion. Perhaps someone in your family made remarks aboout them when you were little and it scared you and you don't remember the reason.

Pentacostal/Apostolic services can be a bit of a shock to someone if they are used to conservative Churches. We took an LDS friend to one of our services and she didn't know what to think :D Later on when I went to an LDS Sacrament meeting, I was a bit confused too, it was so quiet. :)

I ended up being Baptized into the Mormon Church back in 1998 but don't attend any type of religious services now.

It's really fascinating that you associate braids with religion though. I know people who are very pious and religious who don't wear braids at all, and I know people who sport braids and are into Earth based religions, or of no religion at all.

I would hope that you don't associate braids with religion and take these women to be weird. Underneath it all, whatever religion we are or aren't, we're all basically alike in one way or another. :flower:

[Mely]

Women of south Asian (Indian) decent often have beautiful long hair worn in a braid, and I see this quite often in my town. I don't ever remember seeing anyone dressed in the FLDS style in my town. But in Creston, right next to Bountiful, I suppose you would see a lot of them.

I notice that the FLDS women never seem to cut a bang, or wear any jewelry or hair toys. I'm surprised they are selling the fancy "endies" on their site.

I can see how it might be appealing in some way to live in a community like that--EXCEPT for the polygamy. That just seems un-natural, since if a substantial portion of the population practiced polygamy it means there won't be enough women to go around for all the men. With the FLDS the extra men can be absorbed into the non-FLDS of the population, but cultures where polygamy is wide spread (some places in the middle east and Africa) seem to be very unpleasant places to live. One person had a theory that polygamy is partly to blame for Islamic terrorism, since rich, older men get most of the women, leaving a lot the young men angry and frustrated and with a lot of time on their hands.

[Bene]

I grew up Pentacostal/Apostolic and most of the women did/do keep their hair long and use little to no makeup.

It is astonishing that you were scared of someone because of their religion. Perhaps someone in your family made remarks aboout them when you were little and it scared you and you don't remember the reason.

Pentacostal/Apostolic services can be a bit of a shock to someone if they are used to conservative Churches. We took an LDS friend to one of our services and she didn't know what to think :D Later on when I went to an LDS Sacrament meeting, I was a bit confused too, it was so quiet. :)

I ended up being Baptized into the Mormon Church back in 1998 but don't attend any type of religious services now.

It's really fascinating that you associate braids with religion though. I know people who are very pious and religious who don't wear braids at all, and I know people who sport braids and are into Earth based religions, or of no religion at all.

I would hope that you don't associate braids with religion and take these women to be weird. Underneath it all, whatever religion we are or aren't, we're all basically alike in one way or another. :flower:


not at all. i'm not sure if they were pentecostal, hence the question mark :D my family didn't discuss other religions (i have one of those strange memories that goes back to wayyyy back when) except for jewish men which they said "wear those funny hats"



they scared me because they traveled in packs. like in groups. like... a flock of birds. all the long haired women, and i always thought that they weren't allowed to cut their hair, and that scared me because when i was little, i thought someone's hair was their business and if they wanted to cut it, then no one should tell them one way or another. but they were grown ups, so if they ALL wanted to look alike, there must have been something wrong with them. for a little kid to look at an adult and think there's something wrong with them, is pretty scary.


as of now though, i don't like the look of braids, so i don't do them in my hair.

[BlackfootHair]

But you know it won't stop the over zellous "make-over" people from all the damage they do to people who grow their hair long. They'll chop it off/dye it, etc. Even if long braids are "in". But it is nice to see more braids and long hair in mainstream media.

[Cinnamon Hair]

I enjoy watching Big Love and am so excited the third season is finally starting! After watching the first two seasons on dvd I subscribed to HBO this winter for just that reason.
Braids = FLDS? Not so happy about that.

[SimplyLonghair]

Here where I live everyone assumes that if you have long hair you must be Pentecostal... I went there as a child, but I am not one.
I just love long hair.

I find it interesting the assumptions that people make about other people. They really want to read a book by its cover, but fail to do so well.

I know many that love long hair, Christians, Pagans LDS, others that are agnostic or some that are Atheist . That is their business, but I know if I were a non-Christian I would not like it if everyone assumed that I were a fundamentalist. Even as a Christian, I don't like getting pigeon holed. That's just me.:cool:

[Stevy]

I followed the link to FLDS Crafts (http://www.fldscrafts.com/index.php) and if it isn't a spoof, their hair braiding products (http://www.fldscrafts.com/index.php?cPath=49) look interesting. The problem I have is that the website doesn't say anything about who in the community is behind it - I'd be happy to support religious women running their own business, even though I'm not religious at all myself, but I'd be less happy about buying a braiding DVD from some man who might have married a fourteen-year-old, or abandoned his own fourteen-year-old son by the highway.

[Katze]

wow.

I actually had no idea these people existed, except for the odd case of some older guy marrying a young teen or whatever.

Here in Germany braids are often associated with right wing, racist, "volkisch," or xenophobic people...at least there is that idea in many peoples' heads. But two longer-haired "alternative" friends of mine, one of whom is a lesbian, often wear braids and they look good. But I think many people avoid braids because of this association.

Personally I really like the wholesome farm girl look that braids give me. My particular type of beauty is not one that fits in mainstream ideals anyway, and the peasant, farmer, ethnic, etc. look is one I like a lot. I get compliments when I have braids, especially ones that are pinned up in a flattering way, and I really don't mind the kind of earth goddess, peasant girl, retro image this gives me, since it balances out my opinionated, sporty character.

To each her own I guess...unless you are part of a sect that dictates how you wear your hair, which to me is just weird. That said, the woman in the right of the pic looks really cool with her peasant blouse and French braid - she looks horsey, to me (like she rides and cares for horses), not religious...

[FallenAngel]

I've never thought of a breaid meaning anything at all... Guess that makes me kind of naive, huh?

[jojo]

Same here a braid or plait as we call them in the U.K. is just that, a plait!

I find different religions interesting, its good that we all have different beliefs.

[Pegasus Marsters]

Here in Germany braids are often associated with right wing, racist, "volkisch," or xenophobic people...at least there is that idea in many peoples' heads.

I'm pretty sure (Please correct me if I'm wrong) this is because the girls in the Hitler Youth were made to wear braids. Pigtails, to be precise.

If I open my mouth about the FLDS though I think I'll get banhammered, so best I stay quiet.

[MemSahib]

What is the article referring to, "a French braid taken back into a chevron roll"? Anybody got pictures of this? It sounds interesting. (And yes, I am a "mature" woman, LOL.)

[Liluri]

I <3 "Big Love" and I'm not aware of any FLDS in Australia. My current hairstyle hasn't been associated with any religion, in my country, to my knowledge. Not that I'd mind :)


ETA: I'm horrified at the thought of using my hair to wash anything else, even someone as cool as Jesus.

[Alia]

I'm pretty sure (Please correct me if I'm wrong) this is because the girls in the Hitler Youth were made to wear braids. Pigtails, to be precise.
Actually, I don't think they were made to wear braids as much as it was popular and fit their ideology. A lot of girls wore pigtails at that time in America, too.:shrug:

[aisling]

I've never thought of a breaid meaning anything at all... Guess that makes me kind of naive, huh?

Not at all, I think it depends heavily on where you live. I doubt a braid in Scandinavia will make people think "fundamental Christian" because there aren't exactly a lot of them around. I think a braid here means long hair and that's pretty much it. I've never heard anything or been told anything else except "wow, your braid is quite long" here in Finland.

[mommy101405]

Not at all, I think it depends heavily on where you live. I doubt a braid in Scandinavia will make people think "fundamental Christian" because there aren't exactly a lot of them around. I think a braid here means long hair and that's pretty much it. I've never heard anything or been told anything else except "wow, your braid is quite long" here in Finland.

I don't think here (in PA) just a braid would make people think that. We have more of a Mennonite population than FLDS. Long skirts, long hair, and prayer caps are pretty much what you see here as far as fundamental. I doubt just a braid would make anyone think you were a fundamental christian here. Its more of a total look i guess.

[Tressie]

Thanks for the link! That was very interesting! "Endies".........LOL!! I hope we are "cool" enough to carry this look off.........tongue in check! (o:

[RavennaNight]

I love that show. Its funny how the suspicious neighbors always referred to Chloe Sevigny's character as "The Braid."

[Lady Godiva]

People have asked me if I grew my hair long for a religious reason. I make sure to correct that and tell them that long hair is just a game and hobby for me, nothing more. This blows many people's minds because some will press a bit more, searching for *some* serious reason for my having super long hair, be it a familial reason, historic association (per my penchant for medieval things), or they'll further push for a religious, philosophic or even political reason on my part. I'll have to reassert that there is no such reason, and if my historical interests do play a minor part, it's purely for fun, nothing more. No *reason* exists beyond my own personal preference. Some people still will have question marks in their eyes, though.

I don't care for social or religious pressure that coerces any person to wear his/her hair in a manner that they wouldn't freely choose on their own. I grew up in the opposite conservative Christian churches (very traditional) where long hair was not - I repeat *not* - encouraged because supposedly that would be showing off. Calvinistic Christianity is very conservative, but puts great emphasis on developing one's intellect, character, talents, skills and morals for the purpose of doing good deeds only. One's appearance should be slightly played down because of strong discouragement against anything suggesting *vanity*. Everyone should be no-nonsense, as they used to say. It was a very serious world.

It was only as an adult when I started hearing of conservative Christianity which encourages long hair on women, and dresses-only, too, for the purpose of differentiating between the sexes. It's such a different perspective in conservative Christianity to me.

[Beatnik Guy]

I don't care for social or religious pressure that coerces any person to wear his/her hair in a manner that they wouldn't freely choose on their own.
I was just thinking that too.