Can Mormons Wear Tank Tops? What are Porn Shoulders?

In Mormonism, modesty has long been tied to righteousness, especially for women and girls. From early youth activities to temple preparation, countless lessons reinforce the idea that spiritual worth is directly connected to how much skin is covered. Among the most scrutinized body parts? Shoulders. For generations, sleeveless dresses have been seen as taboo—unworthy of church meetings, dances, and definitely temple grounds (including Mormon weddings).

But where did this obsession come from? Why were shoulders ever deemed too provocative for spiritual spaces? And what happens when women start questioning the logic—or spiritual harm—of these manmade standards?

Some Latter-day Saints may feel that modesty is a tradition of the Church or that it has evolved from conservative, puritanical behavior. Modesty is not just cultural. Modesty is a gospel principle that applies to people of all cultures and ages. In fact, modesty is fundamental to being worthy of the Spirit. To be modest is to be humble, and being humble invites the Spirit to be with us.

Of course, modesty is not new. It was taught to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden…

In everyday living, immodest clothing such as short shorts, miniskirts, tight clothing, shirts that do not cover the stomach, and other revealing attire are not appropriate. Men and women—including young men and young women—should wear clothing that covers the shoulder and avoid clothing that is low cut in the front or back or revealing in any other manner. Tight pants, tight shirts, excessively baggy clothing, wrinkled apparel, and unkempt hair are not appropriate. All should avoid extremes in clothing, hairstyle, and other aspects of appearance. We should always be neat and clean, avoiding sloppiness or inappropriate casualness.

Modesty is at the center of being pure and chaste, both in thought and deed. Thus, because it guides and influences our thoughts, behavior, and decisions, modesty is at the core of our character. Our clothing is more than just covering for our bodies; it reflects who we are and what we want to be, both here in mortality and in the eternities that will follow.

Robert D. Hales, LDS Apostle, “Modesty: Reverence for the Lord,” Ensign, Aug. 2008
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/liahona/2008/08/modesty-reverence-for-the-lord

Prophets have always counseled us to dress modestly. This counsel is founded on the truth that the human body is God’s sacred creation. Respect your body as a gift from God. Through your dress and appearance, you can show the Lord that you know how precious your body is…

Central to the command to be modest is an understanding of the sacred power of procreation, the ability to bring children into the world. This power is to be used only between husband and wife. Revealing and sexually suggestive clothing, which includes short shorts and skirts, tight clothing, and shirts that do not cover the stomach, can stimulate desires and actions that violate the Lord’s law of chastity.

In addition to avoiding clothing that is revealing, you should avoid extremes in clothing, appearance, and hairstyle. In dress, grooming, and manners, always be neat and clean, never sloppy or inappropriately casual. Do not disfigure yourself with tattoos or body piercings. If you are a woman and you desire to have your ears pierced, wear only one pair of modest earrings.

Maintain high standards of modesty for all occasions. Do not lower your standards to draw attention to your body or to seek approval from others. True disciples of Jesus Christ maintain the Lord’s standard regardless of current fashions or pressure from others.

True To The Faith: Modesty
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/true-to-the-faith/modesty

Standards For The Strength of Youth

The LDS Church teaches that members, nearly always young women, should dress modestly to remain virtuous and avoid arousing sexual thoughts in others, nearly always men. Official standards, especially as taught in programs like For the Strength of Youth, advise that clothing should cover the shoulders, midriff, and thighs. In LDS culture, sleeveless tops or dresses are discouraged or outright forbidden at church activities, dances, and even weddings.

The For the Strength of Youth (FSY) pamphlet has undergone several revisions. The pamphlet was first issued in 1965 and was updated frequently until 1972, and then again in 1990. Since then, it’s been revised roughly once a decade, each reflecting shifting tones and emphases in how the LDS Church presents dress standards to youth. These changes tell a broader story about evolving church culture, increasing social awareness, and the struggle to balance traditional standards with growing internal and external criticism.

1990

The 1990 version takes a prescriptive and rule-heavy approach. Modesty is tightly linked to moral worth and self-respect, and specific clothing items are labeled as “immodest.” There’s a strong focus on avoiding styles that are popular, implying that fashion trends are spiritually suspect. While both young women and young men are addressed, more specific restrictions are aimed at women, reinforcing a common imbalance in modesty discourse.

Servants of God have always counseled his children to dress modestly to show respect for him and for themselves. Because the way you dress sends messages about yourself to others and often influences the way you and others act, you should dress in such a way as to bring out the best in yourself and those around you. However, if you wear an immodest bathing suit because it’s “the style,” it sends a message that you are using your body to get attention and approval, and that modesty is not important.

Immodest clothing includes short shorts, tight pants, and other revealing attire. Young women should refrain from wearing off-the-shoulder, low-cut, or revealing clothes. Young men should similarly maintain modesty in their dress. All should avoid tight fitting or revealing clothes and extremes in clothing and appearance.

For The Strength of Youth, 1990
https://latterdaylabia.com/research/for-the-strength-of-youth/#dress

2001

The 2001 version keeps much of the same modesty language but adds a layer of identity-based framing. Now, the way you dress is not just a behavior—it’s evidence of discipleship. There’s also a spiritual consequence introduced: dressing immodestly may affect your ability to feel the Spirit. The tone becomes more moralizing and absolute, framing dress choices as either honoring or dishonoring God. Again, shoulder coverage for women is explicitly mandated. This was the era when Apostle Dallin H. Oaks told young women they would become pornography if not dressed modestly.

Your body is God’s sacred creation. Respect it as a gift from God, and do not defile it in any way. Through your dress and appearance, you can show the Lord that you know how precious your body is. You can show that you are a disciple of Jesus Christ.

Prophets of God have always counseled His children to dress modestly. The way you dress is a reflection of what you are on the inside. Your dress and grooming send messages about you to others and influence the way you and others act. When you are well groomed and modestly dressed, you invite the companionship of the Spirit and can exercise a good influence on those around you.

Never lower your dress standards for any occasion. Doing so sends the message that you are using your body to get attention and approval and that modesty is important only when it is convenient.

Immodest clothing includes short shorts and skirts, tight clothing, shirts that do not cover the stomach, and other revealing attire. Young women should wear clothing that covers the shoulder and avoid clothing that is low-cut in the front or the back or revealing in any other manner. Young men should also maintain modesty in their appearance. All should avoid extremes in clothing, appearance, and hairstyle. Always be neat and clean and avoid being sloppy or inappropriately casual in dress, grooming, and manners. Ask yourself, “Would I feel comfortable with my appearance if I were in the Lord’s presence?”

For the Strength of Youth Pamphlet, 2001
https://latterdaylabia.com/research/for-the-strength-of-youth/#dress
http://manmrk.net/tutorials/pda/b/PDF/Church/Youth/Books/ForStrengYouth.pdf

2011

The 2011 update repeats much of the previous content but leans even further into the “unchanging standards” narrative. There’s an emphasis on resisting cultural trends and maintaining the same rules across all situations. The language remains highly prescriptive, using fear of sending the wrong message or being seen as seeking approval as reasons to conform. Modesty is still treated as a visible signal of righteousness, particularly for young women, whose restrictions remain more detailed.

Never lower your standards of dress. Do not use a special occasion as an excuse to be immodest. When you dress immodestly, you send a message that is contrary to your identity as a son or daughter of God. You also send the message that you are using your body to get attention and approval.

Immodest clothing is any clothing that is tight, sheer, or revealing in any other manner. Young women should avoid short shorts and short skirts, shirts that do not cover the stomach, and clothing that does not cover the shoulders or is low-cut in the front or the back. Young men should also maintain modesty in their appearance. Young men and young women should be neat and clean and avoid being extreme or inappropriately casual in clothing, hairstyle, and behavior. They should choose appropriately modest apparel when participating in sports. The fashions of the world will change, but the Lord’s standards will not change.

For the Strength of Youth Pamphlet, 2011
https://latterdaylabia.com/research/for-the-strength-of-youth/#dress

2022

The 2022 revision marks a significant tone shift. Instead of listing specific clothing items or body parts, it offers principles and reflective questions. The guidance is less prescriptive and more flexible, with a clear move away from body-focused policing toward spiritual self-reflection. Notably, there is no mention of shoulders or specific dress lengths, a dramatic departure from prior versions.

While the expectation of modesty remains, the 2022 edition opens the door for personal interpretation, family involvement, and less institutional micromanagement. This reflects broader societal pressures, criticism of purity culture, and perhaps a growing awareness that rigid dress codes have caused unnecessary harm and shame, especially to young women.

As you make decisions about your clothing, hairstyle, and appearance, ask yourself, “Am I honoring my body as a sacred gift from God?” Heavenly Father wants us to see each other for who we really are: not just physical bodies but His beloved children with a divine destiny. Avoid styles that emphasize or draw inappropriate attention to your physical body instead of who you are as a child of God with an eternal future. Let moral cleanliness and love for God guide your choices. Seek counsel from your parents.

For the Strength of Youth Pamphlet, 2022
https://latterdaylabia.com/research/for-the-strength-of-youth/#dress

For decades, the For the Strength of Youth has been a rulebook of moral dress codes and more recently a framework for personal spiritual decision-making. The latest edition suggests a quiet recognition that strict modesty teachings—particularly those targeting women—have often done more harm than good. Will leaders and members update their messaging and expectations accordingly, or will old ideas persist in practice despite new language?

For many women in the church, these changes feel too little, too late, after decades (lasting a lifetime for many) of shame, policing, and spiritual anxiety over things like shoulders or skirt length. For others, the recent revisions may signal a sense of relief and a small step toward autonomy.

Other Church Messages

Articles published by the church that discuss modesty teach that if a woman’s shoulders are showing, her clothing is certainly immodest.

Infantilizing Modesty and Equating Skin with Sin

This simple phrase became a widely repeated modesty test among youth leaders and parents. On the surface, it’s presented as a harmless “rule of thumb” for determining appropriate dress. But beneath it lies a deeply problematic message: that visible shoulders equal immodesty, and by extension, moral failure.

This reductive logic reduces modesty to a physical checklist rather than a thoughtful, spiritual principle. Instead of encouraging youth to think critically or spiritually about their appearance, it infantilizes them with a physical “skin equals sin” equation.

It sexualizes shoulders, which are an entirely neutral part of the human body, especially in global and historical contexts. This teaching implicitly tells young women their normal bodies are shameful or distracting—even dangerous—if not fully covered. This continues to place the burden of men’s thoughts on women’s skin. By drawing a line at the shoulder, the implication is that girls and women must dress defensively to prevent male temptation or sin, reinforcing objectification and shifting responsibility away from men.

This messaging is indicative of a long pattern in LDS culture that trains young women to be overly self-conscious, fearful of being “immodest,” and convinced that their worth is tied to how well they hide their own bodies.

The 2022 update to For the Strength of Youth notably removes this kind of body-part-based checklist, but that won’t erase years of damage caused by teachings like the “shoulder check.” In many wards and homes, these outdated standards continue to be taught and enforced despite the updated guidance.

My sister served as a Young Women president in Alaska for several years. I have loved and followed her advice for modesty for girls and women. She used the “Head Shoulders, Knees, and Toes” method. We all know the song, but it works very well for modesty as well.

Head: Put your hands on your head. If any skin shows around your middle, your clothing is not appropriate.

Shoulders: Put your hands on your shoulders. If you can feel bare skin, the clothing is not modest.

Knees: Put your hands on your knees. You should not expose anything at the neckline of your shirt.

Toes: Put your hands on your toes. You should not be exposing any skin on your backside.

I have found this to be a good exercise for checking my modesty and hope that it can be helpful to others as well.

Ensign, June 2011, Questions & Answers: In what ways can I be modest, specifically in finding and wearing appropriate clothing?
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/2011/06/questions-and-answers?lang=eng

On paper, the rules are clear. “The Church’s position is that abuse cannot be tolerated in any form,” reads the official church policy handbook. “Those who abuse or are cruel to their spouses, children, other family members, or anyone else violate the laws of God and man … Members who have abused others are subject to Church discipline.”

But Carol’s father was not disciplined after Carol and her sister, who also remembers being raped by him, reported the abuse to local church leaders. …

One of the most high-profile cases of sexual abuse in the Mormon community was the abduction and repeated rape of 14-year-old Elizabeth Smart by a religious fanatic in 2002.

Smart spoke publicly at Johns Hopkins University in 2013 about how she was taught that a woman who has sex out of wedlock is like a “chewed-up piece of gum”. Smart has said those teachings contributed to her sense of hopelessness. At the time, she feared she was ruined, not worth saving. …

The shame persists among victims, and it can create a ripe environment for abuse, according to Tara Tulley, a therapist practicing in the predominantly Mormon community of Utah County.

“It helps perpetrators to keep victims quiet,” said Tulley, a survivor of sexual abuse herself.

According to Uniform Crime Reports, the rape rate in Utah has been consistently higher than the US rate; it’s the only violent crime in Utah that occurs at a higher rate than the rest of the nation. Tulley said these reported rapes represent only a small portion of the actual numbers. In Utah, she said, the internalized shame runs deep.

“Our [Mormon] culture objectifies women’s bodies. You’re told that if you’re wearing something immodest, you are walking pornography. It’s your responsibility to control how men see you,” Tulley said.

This is reflected in Mormon literature: “Central to the command to be modest is an understanding of the sacred power of procreation, the ability to bring children into the world,” reads the official church website at lds.org. “Revealing and sexually suggestive clothing, which includes short shorts and skirts, tight clothing, and shirts that do not cover the stomach, can stimulate desires and actions that violate the Lord’s law of chastity.” …

“If you’ve been abused, you’re often told you need to forgive,” Tulley said. “That’s putting the responsibility on the victim.” …

“There is an emphasis in the [Mormon] community to focus on ‘the good’, to affirm the innate goodness of the human spirit,” said Carol. Through her difficulties at home, it was this community and her belief in God that affirmed her sense of self-worth, but she says, there is a dangerous and hurtful flip side.

“Those elements are also used to ignore and deny the bad. Sharing these types of truths in the Mormon community, there is a social pressure or expectation that you just don’t bring it up. People want to believe it’s not a problem in their community, certainly not in God’s chosen church.”

In a religion where you are supposed to spend eternity with your family, she adds, “it’s hard for people to hear about how your dad is a pedophile”.

But Carol knows she is not the only one in the room who has been abused. She speaks for them, and others in a position to help them.

“If it’s truth, there’s something about it that is important,” Carol said. “Truth is light, even when it looks like darkness.”

The Guardian: For Mormon women, saying #MeToo presents a particular challenge, Nov 29, 2017
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/nov/29/mormon-women-metoo-particular-challenge-sexual-abuse

Porn Shoulders

Church leaders have said that it is the young women’s responsibility to help grown men keep their thoughts clean, suggesting that if they show skin on their shoulders or back or stomach or legs, they become pornography and men will lust after them. This sexualizes and objectifies every young woman. The term “porn shoulders” emerged as a biting, sarcastic response to decades of teachings like the For the Strength of Youth instructions to young women to cover their shoulders and this 2005 General Conference statement from LDS Apostle Dallin H. Oaks. This statement equates women’s uncovered shoulders—or any deviation from prescribed modesty standards—with pornography in the eyes of men.

The phrase “porn shoulders” is a sarcastic or critical term used to describe the extremely modest dress standards—especially for women—taught and enforced by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). It reflects the cultural and doctrinal emphasis on modesty, where showing even the shoulders is considered immodest or sexually provocative.

porn shoulders

Shoulders which are not entirely covered by one’s attire leading nearby religious zealots (especially Mormons) into sinful thoughts.

She had porn shoulders in the photo; her mother was aghast.

Urban Disctionary: Porn Shoulders
https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=porn%20shoulders

The absurdity of labeling something as commonplace and non-sexual as a bare shoulder as pornographic has fueled both outrage and satire within and beyond the Mormon community. By using the phrase “porn shoulders,” critics highlight the harmful and hypersexualized lens through which women’s bodies are often viewed in LDS culture.

“Porn Shoulders” as a Critique

The term, of course, is not used by the church itself, but by critics—often ex-Mormons or progressive members—to mock how something as innocuous as an uncovered shoulder is sexualized. It points to the perceived overemphasis on female modesty and sexual purity, which can lead to shame, body policing, and objectification, even within a religious framework that claims to value virtue and respect. The phrase highlights how shoulders, usually not seen as inherently sexual in most cultures, are treated as taboo or dangerous in Mormon teachings, especially when it comes to influencing male thoughts.

Using the term “Porn Shoulders” critiques the purity culture in Mormonism, where women are taught they are responsible for men’s thoughts and behaviors. It ties into discussions about modesty rhetoric, internalized shame, and gender roles in the church. It has become a shorthand for the disproportionate burden placed on young girls to manage sexuality through clothing choices.

Calling them “porn shoulders” is a tongue-in-cheek way of exposing the absurdity and harm of sexualizing normal body parts under strict religious modesty rules. Rather than teaching men to manage their own thoughts and avoid objectifying others, church teachings shift responsibility to girls and women, effectively blaming them for men’s lust. The result is a toxic culture where normal, healthy expressions of identity and style are treated as spiritual threats, and where women are taught to feel ashamed of their own skin.

Garments

Another more tangible way the church has control over what members wear is requiring members to wear temple “garments” or church produced underwear. Wearing the garment is a requirement for members who have made covenants in the temple. Covenants that include continuing to wear these garments. Traditionally, the garment, which should be covered by clothing, impacts what clothes members wear.

Some Mormon women are obsessed with something illicit. They’re phoning friends, calling in favors and paying for international shipping to get it: a sacred tank top.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has redesigned its temple garments, which are worn by faithful members under their clothes. The garments are effectively underwear that until recently, looked like white short-sleeve shirts and knee-length shorts. Now, the church has removed the sleeve on some designs, turning them into tank tops.

The church is releasing the tops to its more than 17 million members around the world in phases. Last October, it quietly announced that the new garments would first be available to members in “hot, humid” climates like those in Africa and Asia.

They aren’t sanctioned for wear in the United States yet, but that hasn’t stopped American influencers from sourcing them — and showing them off in recent videos online.

NY Times: The Sacred Undergarment That Has Mormon Women Buzzing. May 29, 2025
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/29/us/mormon-undergarments.html

In 2024, the church made a notable update to the design of temple garments—the sacred underclothing worn by endowed members. While the core religious significance and purpose of the garment remain unchanged, the church introduced a redesigned women’s garment top with shorter sleeves and a more flexible fit, allowing it to be worn more discreetly under modern clothing.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is providing redesigned options in styles and fabrics for sacred temple garments worn by endowed members, including for those residing in hot, humid areas.

“Devout Latter-day Saints cherish the privilege of wearing the temple garment. Some of those members live in hot and humid areas,” said Church spokesman Doug Andersen in a statement released Thursday, Oct. 17.

First Presidency authorizes redesigned temple garments for members in hot, humid areas, October 17, 2024
https://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders/2024/10/17/first-presidency-redesign-temple-garments-humid-areas/

The sound you hear is the jubilation of Latter-day Saint women at the news that temple garments soon will be — wait for it — sleeveless.

That is one of the redesign options — labeled “open sleeve” — for garment tops for women and men being tested by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in hot climates such as Uganda, Kenya, South Africa, the Philippines and some southern U.S. locations.

In this model, temple garments — which faithful members wear underneath normal clothing as a reminder of sacred covenants — look more like tank tops than the current capped sleeve choices.

Peggy Fletcher Stack, Salt Lake Tribune: Rejoice, LDS women: These new garments will open up more fashion options, October 16, 2024
https://www.sltrib.com/religion/2024/10/16/lds-temple-garments-women-rejoice/

The sleeves are now shorter than previous versions, making it easier to wear sleeveless tops and dresses without the garment being visible. This offers a more practical option for diverse body types and clothing styles. However, these updates were not framed as a change in modesty standards, but rather as a way to meet member needs in hot, humid climates.

For women, this does mark a subtle yet significant shift. In practice, it may mean greater wardrobe flexibility and less social or spiritual policing about the lengths of their sleeves. While some leaders and members will cling to old interpretations of modesty, this change opens up space for faithful, endowed women to reclaim personal authority over their clothing choices. It may also reduce stigma or shame around cultural clothing norms, vacation wear, or warmer climate fashion.

“No more porn shoulders? Shoulders are just shoulders now?”

— Laura Root

Salt Lake Tribune: What Latter-day Saints are saying about those new sleeveless temple garments, October 17, 2024
https://www.sltrib.com/religion/2024/10/17/latter-day-saints-react-news/

Again, this freedom is not officially framed as a doctrinal shift—it’s more a functional adjustment. But in a church where garment visibility has often served as a quiet test of worthiness, these updates hint at a measure of relief and autonomy, but women may still feel judged or constrained by older expectations.

Some say dress and hair don’t matter—they say it’s what’s inside that counts. I believe that it is what’s inside a person that truly counts, but that’s what worries me. Casual dress at holy places and events is a message about what is inside a person. It may be pride or rebellion or something else, but at a minimum it says, “I don’t get it. I don’t understand the difference between the sacred and the profane.”

In that condition people are easily drawn away from the Lord. They do not appreciate the value of what they have. I worry about them. Unless they can gain some understanding and capture some feeling for sacred things, they are at risk of eventually losing all that matters most. You are a Saint of the great latter-day dispensation—look the part.

D. Todd Christofferson, LDS Apostle, as LDS Seventy, A Sense of the Sacred, November 2004
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/new-era/2006/06/a-sense-of-the-sacred

If you are/were taught to fear your own body, or felt policed, shamed, or judged based on your clothing, you’re not alone. Modesty should not be a source of spiritual trauma. Something as simple as a sleeveless dress has become a symbol of quiet rebellion, healing, and self-acceptance. If you’ve ever questioned these teachings or found freedom in reclaiming your body and wardrobe, we invite you to share your story on wasmormon.org.

• Oaks, On Young Women Becoming Pornography
• https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/2006/06/modesty-matters
• https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/2009/07/modesty-a-timeless-principle-for-all
• https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/liahona/2008/08/modesty-reverence-for-the-lord
• https://zelophehadsdaughters.com/2014/06/03/modesty-rhetoric-in-church-magazines/
• https://religionnews.com/2014/06/05/mormon-shoulder-war-whats-stake/
• https://everydayfeminism.com/2015/04/policing-womens-clothing/
• https://yourfriendlymormonneighbor.wordpress.com/2011/04/14/modesty-why-you-rarely-see-a-mormons-shoulders/
• https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/2011/06/questions-and-answers?lang=eng
• https://religionnews.com/2024/10/16/sleeveless-mormon-temple-garments-finally-why-now/
• https://www.cnn.com/2014/05/29/us/utah-high-school-yearbook-photos-editing/
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/For_the_Strength_of_Youth_(pamphlet)
• https://www.reddit.com/r/exmormon/comments/3x51bl/history_of_porn_shoulders_a_chronology_of_the_lds/
• https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=porn%20shoulders
• https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/nov/29/mormon-women-metoo-particular-challenge-sexual-abuse
• https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2005/04/pornography?lang=eng
• https://catalog.churchofjesuschrist.org/assets/46462725-9385-435b-a034-ee70a2b4c872/0/0
• https://wasmormon.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/ForTheStrengthOfYouth-1990.pdf
• https://wasmormon.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/ForTheStrengthOfYouth-2001.pdf
• https://wasmormon.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/ForTheStrengthOfYouth-2011.pdf
• https://wasmormon.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/ForTheStrengthOfYouth-2022.pdf