Get ready for some Spicy Heresy!

CONTENT WARNING: If you are a member of the LDS Church, maybe skip this.

Ex-Mo Boudoir.

This all started when I posted a TikTok about my idea for a “I Kissed Purity Culture Goodbye” group photoshoot. My idea is that we would gather a group of people who had left bad religion, specifically the religions that promote so-called “purity culture” which is a twisted and patriarchal set of beliefs that values virginity and “purity” above everything else. While I haven’t been able to make that group shoot work just yet, this client saw that video and wanted to apply it to her time in the Mormon church.

She’s now an ex-mormon and wanted to do a shoot in her special Mormon Wedding Temple garments (I don’t 100% know what they’re called, I was raised in an entirely different conservative religious tradition, but that’s a whole other can of worms!) and I absolutely LOVED that idea. Art is at its best when it’s subversive, when it speaks truth to power, and when it comments on how societies work, and that is what this shoot does in spades.

We decided to structure this shoot as a narrative, with her starting out in her whole wedding wardrobe, and gradually stripping it off as she becomes more and more liberated. And in the middle, we had a big gorgeous green apple that she took a giant bite of. It was so perfectly symbolic and I just loved it. Religion is such an interesting, complicated, important part of all of our lives, and when someone makes the incredibly complex decision to leave their faith, I for one think it deserves to be celebrated and explored! And adding in a little spice makes it all the more fun for everyone.

Leaving your faith is hard.

I know firsthand how hard it is to willingly leave your faith. Leaving that belief and that culture is never an easy decision for those who make it, and it always is a brave and bold act. There’s community that comes with faith. There’s culture. There’s resources. There’s support. And once it’s gone, it’s gone. So again, it needs to be affirmed how incredibly brave it is not only to leave your faith, but to publicly and proudly act against its tenets and sacred imagery.

Why this is Heresy.

Ok, if you’re anything like me, you see these images and think, wait, it’s just a weird padded shoulder night gown and an ugly green apron. But to mormons, this is of the highest sacrilege. I don’t 100% understand it, but I’ll let my client explain it. I put together a whole behind the scenes video on my YouTube Channel that I’ll put below. But basically, this set of garments is never supposed to be seen outside of the temple wedding ceremony. Why? Who knows. Religions are famous for strange rules, but alas:

This does need to be stated again: If you are a member of the LDS / Mormon church, this post IS NOT meant to invalidate or delegitimize your faith. Your faith is important to you and we all respect that.

If you are in the process of leaving bad religion behind, but are in need of resources, please check out: https://www.recoveringfromreligion.org and know, you are not alone.

Check out my website here: https://calebtakesphotos.com

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