If you thought pop culture's obsession with Mormon women was over, you'd better guess again.
The ladies of Utah have been taking the world by storm, whether it be TV stars like Real Housewives of Salt Lake City's Heather Gay, or 'trad wife' Hannah Neeleman of Ballerina Farm, it seems like the The Beehive State is really having its moment.
It seems like you can hardly scroll on TikTok without seeing someone filling up their 40-ounce HydroJug with a dirty soda, or getting 24-inch hair extensions installed at JZ Styles Salon in Pleasant Grove, Utah.
On another side of the internet, there are gorgeous Mormon housewives whipping up a homemade meal of sourdough bread and raw milk from their Jersey cows in the backyard, as their skin glows right through the camera and their aprons tie perfectly around their svelte waists.
This year alone, a slate of Utah and Mormon-centric TV shows are ready to premiere on screens across the country, like the new season of Hulu's hit The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives - their fourth in two years - as well as another brand-new rendition of Bravo's The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City.
Not to mention, this upcoming season of The Bachelorette will feature Taylor Frankie Paul as the leading lady, who shot to fame from her TikTok swinging scandal and subsequent role in The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.
Of course, part of their on-screen appeal stems from their carefully cultivated, photogenic appearances.
Have you ever caught yourself wondering how they all look so good? It's hard not to be envious of these gorgeous women who grace our TV screens, with their long, thick hair extensions, perky-looking breasts, and ski-slope noses.
This year alone, there is a slate of Utah and Mormon-centric TV shows ready to premiere on screens across the country, like the new season of Hulu's hit The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives
The ladies of Utah have been taking the world by storm, whether it be TV stars like Real Housewives of Salt Lake City's Heather Gay, seen here front and center with the cast
Not to mention, this upcoming season of The Bachelorette will feature Taylor Frankie Paul as the leading lady, who shot to fame from her TikTok swinging scandal and subsequent role in Secret Lives of Mormon Wives
However, many have admitted that not all of it is natural.
The ladies on these reality shows talk openly about plastic surgery, with 24-year-old Secret Lives star Layla Taylor undergoing six cosmetic procedures in four months in 2024, including a tummy tuck.
Real Housewives of Salt Lake City star Heather Gay, who owns popular Utah-based medical spa Beauty Lab + Laser, revealed that she's spent around $200,000 on a combination of procedures, including two nose jobs.
Secret Lives star and mom-of-two Jessi Ngatikaura even shared on season one that she had undergone a labiaplasty, a procedure that reduces and reshapes the labia minora.
'I've noticed a big difference down there to the point that it's uncomfortable, so they're basically cutting off that extra meat and making it so my lips are nice and perfect again,' she said in a confessional during the show.
There's largely been a stereotype that Utah is a hub for plastic surgery, and it's not entirely made up.
According to 2024 research conducted by Brigham Young University and published in Utah State University's Utah Women & Leadership Project, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints had more plastic surgery than the average American, where the national average is recorded at four percent.
The research showed that comparatively 14 percent of their LDS respondents had undergone plastic surgery, which included procedures like tummy tucks and liposuction, and 20 percent had undergone cosmetic enhancements or injections like Botox or laser hair removal.
In 2007, Utah was also named as 'the vainest city in America' by Forbes, as they also had more plastic surgeons per capita than in Hollywood, California.
So, what gives?
Dr. Mike Marion, of Marion Plastic Surgery in Lehi, Utah, explained to the Daily Mail that he believes there are three main contributing factors to the popularity of plastic surgery in Utah.
The double-board certified plastic surgeon said that oftentimes, many are having kids and starting their families quite young, as culturally, members of the Church get married in their early twenties.
'The changes associated with childbearing and breastfeeding -- especially with many children -- have a profound effect on the form and sometimes the function of the mother's body,' Dr Marion told the Daily Mail.
'During these years, and very often after they are done bearing children, these relatively young mothers desire to restore their bodies to their previous state,' he continued.
He said that the most popular procedure he sees in his office is in fact a 'mommy makeover,' a combination of breast surgery, liposuction, and a tummy tuck.
Another element that goes into the popularity of plastic surgery is Utah's 'relatively affluent socioeconomic position,' Dr. Marion said, explaining that many have the means to go under the knife if they so desire.
And lastly? There seems to be some aspect of 'keeping up with the Joneses,' the doctor said.
'Among friend groups it is okay and even encouraged to "take care" of these issues through operative and non-operative means,' Dr Marion told the Daily Mail.
'Social media has expanded this, and now it is conveyed as more socially acceptable than ever before,' he said.
Utah native Kate Racker, 31, who has appeared on Secret Lives and was raised in the Church, told the Daily Mail that the beauty standards in Utah can feel 'intense' at times.
'There's definitely a strong culture around appearance, from fitness to aesthetics to just how you present yourself and show up,' Racker, who has undergone a boob job herself, explained.
'I think that definitely can create pressure, especially for young women, and at the same time, I understand where some of it comes from,' she continued.
'There's definitely pride in looking polished and put together, and I don't think that's inherently negative, right?'
She admitted that in Utah, plastic surgery procedures are normalized in a way that is particularly 'unique.'
There seems to be a focus on 'natural' work, and making sure that you don't look too over-the-top, whatever you may have had done.
'I definitely think when I was younger, in my early 20s, I definitely felt the pressure, but it was my own,' Racker told the Daily Mail.'
Utah-based psychotherapist Dr. Julie de Azevedo Hanks attributes some of this normalization to the standards that can stem from the LDS religion.
'I felt like these beauty standards [were] really intense. I definitely felt pressure because all my friends were beautiful,' she shared.
'They're all getting work done so it's like "Oh I need to get work done right?"'
Utah-based psychotherapist Dr. Julie de Azevedo Hanks attributes some of this normalization to the standards that can stem from the LDS religion - though she maintained that the Church has never encouraged anyone undergo plastic surgery.
Dr de Azevedo Hanks, who specializes in counseling women with a focus on faith, explained that one of the most important doctrines in the LDS faith is the concept of perfection and attaining it.
For example, in the passage in Matthew 5:48, it reads: 'Be ye therefore perfect even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect;' - but the psychotherapist believes that many are misinterpreting its true meaning.
'It's misinterpreted I think to mean external perfection,' Dr de Azevedo Hanks explained to the Daily Mail.'
Secret Lives star Demi Engemann has admitted to getting a nose job in the past
Real Housewives of Salt Lake City star Heather Gay, who owns popular Utah-based medical spa Beauty Lab + Laser, revealed that she's spent around $200,000 on a combination of procedures, like two nose jobs
'It's misinterpreted I think to mean external perfection,' Dr de Azevedo Hanks explained to the Daily Mail.'
'I think that there's this kind of core doctrine that then gets interpreted in the culture as the externally flawless like your level of perfection money success how your kids look how your body looks - is kind of all a manifestation of how righteous you are,' the psychotherapist continued.
'So perfection and righteousness are kind of linked in this really unhealthy way in Utah.'
The large population of influencers that work in Utah may also contribute to this 'higher' standard.
After all, it was one of the original hotspots for 'mommy bloggers,' like Rachel Parcell, for example, who has a following of over one million on social media.
Dr de Azevedo Hanks said that this can create an expectation that those in Utah on social media want to 'be an example to the rest of the world of how righteous families should look' - especially with all eyes on them right now.
'There's kind of this cultural obsession with with Utahns right now,and so I think there's kind of a normalization of plastic surgery with these high profile Instagrammers and TV personalities that are openly getting plastic surgery,' Dr de Azevedo Hanks said.
It's not just plastic surgery that's popular in Utah,either.
Botox,filler,and other injectables are also in demand.
Alfie Syme,a Nurse Practitioner at Utah Facial Plastics,told the Daily Mail that the most popular injectable with her patients these days is Botox,w hich temporarily relaxes the muscle to erase the appearance of wrinkles.
'People get Botox from the forehead down to the neck,' Syme,w ho has worked in aesthetics for 11 years,told the Daily Mail.
Syme agreed that Utah has a 'unique' culture,w ith many taking self-care quite seriously.
She emphasized the high standard of care that they have in Utah for aesthetic procedures as well,
especially since there are three large medical schools in the area.
Saltz Plastic Surgery even reported that Salt Lake City has six plastic surgeons for every 100,000 residents,
compared to New York City's four.
'We care about our patients,' Syme said.
'We care about keeping them looking like themselves,making them just feel the best version of themselves,
looking rested,' she said.
'Nobody should be able to look at any of my patients and be like,
"Oh,she’s had filler,right?" We want natural results,' she added.
Dr Marion shared a similar sentiment with the Daily Mail.
'There always exists a concern for vanity as a driver in plastic surgery,but I think most plastic surgeons would agree that isn't the typical patient we treat,' he said.
'Most are wanting the outside to match what they feel inside.They want to remove any distractions so they can feel their best.'
But even so,some believe that the conversation has room to 'evolve' in certain aspects.
Racker,w ho is a mom of two and an aunt to five,wants to be careful about the message the culture is sending to this younger generation.
'I want them to know that beauty is not just about how you look,' Racker said.
'It's about confidence,k indness,k indness,resilience,h ow you treat other people.'
'The external standards will always exist,but I feel like internal worth has to come first,' she said.
'I think starting the conversation early here in Utah is really important,' Racker added.
'Transparency matters.Like,the more honest we are about what's natural and what isn't,the healthier the environment becomes.'