'The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives' inspires a nationwide trend of Utah-inspired curl conformity.
Small Lake City
By Bill Frost @bill_frost
Back in September, City Weekly news editor Benjamin Wood emailed me with the question, "Are you watching The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives?"
(He's relatively new around this publication, probably unaware of my disdain for reality TV shows that stretches back to the early 2000s—I'll let his egregious inquiry slide.)
Wood continued: "I'm not too proud to admit that I am. It's delicious local trash." Then he asked if I'd consider writing about the Hulu series for City Weekly, either as a TV column or a Small Lake City entry. I passed.
But then, a series of events led me to change my mind. First, Hulu announced that the first season of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives would make its broadcast debut on ABC in January—both ABC and Hulu are owned by Disney, BTW—following the 2025 premiere of The Bachelor. This will mean millions more eyeballs on Utah, for better or worse.
Then, I ran across an October Wall Street Journal article about "Utah Curls," the new, hot fashion trend of long, beach-wave hair inspired by a reality show set in a state with no beaches (unless you're the Toxic Avenger on vacation, the Great Salt Lake doesn't count).
Thirdly, I was laid off from Corporate America recently (actual phrase: "Your role has been reduced"), so now I'll write about pretty much anything for money. Don't judge me.
For those unfamiliar with The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, it follows the daily drama of gratuitously named Latter-day Saint women and social media "MomTok" influencers Taylor Frankie Paul, Demi Engemann, Jennifer Affleck, Jessi Ngatikaura, Layla Taylor, Mayci Neeley, Mikayla Mathews and Whitney Leavitt. Taylor Frankie Paul gained viral pre-show infamy from a "soft swinging" scandal that she, her ex-husband and other Mormon couples were involved with; the rest are far less interesting.
But back to that hard-hitting WSJ expose of "Utah Curls": Women across the country are now spending thousands of dollars to achieve the hair-extension-ed look of the Mormon Wives.
"The goal is to be beautiful," an ex-LDS woman told the Journal. "But to be beautiful in the same way."
Mission accomplished—the Mormon Wives are indistinguishable from one another. Well, except maybe Layla Taylor, the lone brunette in the bunch. Her addiction to dirty soda (another Utah staple) will do her in by season 3, though, when she'll be replaced with another Stepford blonde and no one will be the wiser.
So, get ready for a roaring beach wave of attention when The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives is broadcast to millions of national viewers in January, Utah.
Also, The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City? Your 15 minutes are up.
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