From viral TikTok creators to young women converting to Mormonism via social media, Unglossed explores if TikTok has the power to make being Mormon trendy.

If you were to place your predictions for 2025 TikTok trends, you would likely have a new dance in there, maybe a day in the life vlog, perhaps even a light hearted prank. What you probably wouldn’t have, is converting to Mormonism. The term Mormon originates from The Book of Mormon, a central scripture in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- day Saints (LDS). The religion was founded in the United States, and is especially prominent in Utah. Mormon women, particularly from America, are amassing huge followings on social media by using their faith as a hook in their videos. At the centre of this are the stars of Hulu’s show The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives which premiered September 2024. Filmed in Utah, the show catapulted the religion into popular culture. 

Kendall Tingey, a 34 year old brand strategist for Amazon, knows his views on Mormonism aren’t exactly mainstream- especially in his hometown. Having left the church in his early 20s, after attending BYU- Brigham Young University (a sober University in Utah sponsored by the LDS church) and serving a mission. Tingey has built a successful career in marketing, which has brought him to a unique conclusion: “Mormons are the absolute masters of creating a brand with a cult following.” 

He explains: “It feels like suddenly the whole world is talking about Mormonism. The top Mormon influencers follow a very specific formula, they position themselves as attractive, young mothers with assertive, slightly older husbands. Their children are always well-dressed, their homes are picture-perfect, and chances are, they’re growing fresh produce in their gardens.” 

Kendall adds that this sort of ‘traditional’ and ‘wholesome’ lifestyle has always been attached to the LDS church. 

“The same marketing that keeps people coming back to the religion when living in Utah is now being projected across the world via influencers, so it’s no wonder people everywhere are intrigued by Mormons.”

Ellie Shenton is 22, she lives in the Cheshire countryside with her mum, dad and cockapoo puppy. Her mum is Irish Catholic, and her dad was raised what Ellie describes as a ‘casual Christian’. So when she returned from university eight months ago and told them she had converted to Mormonism, they were shocked to say the least. 

Now, Ellie describes her faith as ‘complicated but definitely not Mormon’. Deciding that Mormonism didn’t quite fit what she wants for her life.

“At the time I converted and got baptised, lots of people would say to me where is this coming from? I’ve never thought of myself to be easily influenced, but I think I probably am. To be honest, the reason I started looking into Mormonism was because of a group of people I met online. 

“I followed a boy from Utah on TikTok, we got really close really quickly, and he was telling me how happy his faith made him. My Grandad had died, so I was struggling and I had lots going on in my personal life. I just decided I may as well give it a go.”

Shenton explains that much of her attraction to the faith came from enjoying the rules it had. She liked the idea of having things she could and couldn’t do, feeling it gave her purpose and structure. 

She describes feeling ‘indoctrinated’ by the groups of people she was chatting with online, many of whom were from Utah and had been Mormon their entire life. 

Completely cold turkey, Ellie cut out smoking, drinking, and partying. Swapping her morning latte for a prayer session, she followed the church’s rules ‘to a T’. She changed her style, opting for more ‘modest’ and ‘feminine’ options. She lost many of her closest friends after converting- cutting them out due to disagreements over lifestyle choices. Currently, she’s still working on rebuilding these relationships.

Ellie began making TikTok videos about Mormon lifestyle and fashion, which she says she got ‘very mixed’ feedback on. These followed a similar structure to other creators, and she regularly hashtagged #tradwife and #Mormoncreator in the caption. Some videos would be flooded with comments calling her ‘anti- feminist’ and ‘backwards’. Whereas on others, she’d get an influx of fellow Mormons complimenting her and her ‘relatability’.

Laughing at the irony, she explains that most of the clothes she’d film in she would  ‘never actually leave the house in’, as they were far too ‘fancy’ for day to day life. 

Ellie remembers never expecting there to be ‘such a market’ for Mormon content, but she consistently saw her TikTok grow when she was creating LDS videos. “It’s a very female dominated space, which works quite well for women who do stay at home and want a creative outlet.

“I’m one hundred percent sure that I converted to Mormonism because of social media, especially given that I didn’t know a single Mormon in real life previously.” 

Kendall highlights the strategic use of the ‘trad wife’ trend by Mormon influencers to attract followers. By tapping into the popularity of figures like Andrew Tate, who promote an ‘old-school’ view of women as ‘feminine homemakers’, these influencers can make such opinions seem both ‘validated and achievable.’ He points to Nara Smith, a 23-year-old Mormon influencer, as a prime example. With 11.4 million followers, Smith creates daily TikTok videos that reflect this carefully curated image.

“What you don’t see is the team behind her, who work tirelessly and meticulously to make sure every single piece of content doesn’t stray from the image she wants the world to see.” 

Clarifying himself, Kendall explains that these people aren’t popular because ‘all women want to be like them’ rather because ‘some really don’t’. So even if you are watching them in awe or because they really annoy you, it gives the creator views and comments which boost their channel.

Whilst the social media boom of Mormon women means that many of them are now earning good money, and could be the breadwinners in their home, their entire brand is built on traditional values.

“Letting their audience know that they earn more than their husbands would shift the perception people have of them.” Kendall explains, “It’s crucial for them to keep to their traditional narrative, as that’s what keeps people coming back. Because it’s a unique set up these days, women don’t tend to live like this anymore.”

Helen Dobson is a devout member of the LDS church. Her brother moved to Utah when he was 24 and she had at one time hoped to do the same, but instead has worked her way up in her local church in Macclesfield, England. 

She prefers to call herself a member of the LDS church, rather than a Mormon, saying that label feels more authentic to her faith. 

“We are just like every religion, everyone who comes to our church is different and all welcome, it’s very frustrating when people see members of a religion as one dimensional.”

“I haven’t specifically noticed lots more young people coming to the church here because of social media, but I do feel like more stereotypes about LDS have been circling.”

Helen has two teenage daughters, she said that she has always stressed to them the importance of finding their identity outside of their faith. 

“The point is that God loves us regardless, so we don’t all need to be the same. The idea that all women stay at home is ridiculous, in fact most of us work and we encourage our daughters to work hard too. It seems like Tiktok doesn’t show that.”

“I don’t believe we should use our religion to gain views on social media, and these influencers are not good role models. I’m concerned about what their reputation will do to our religion, especially in areas where we are a minority.” 

Kendall has similar concerns about the long-term impact these influencers will have on the reputation of the faith. Highlighting that his experience with Mormonism growing up was no way near as ‘glamorous’ as what they portray. 

“I think the reason we engage with their content is probably because most of us can’t relate, because it’s not real. But we kind of want it to be, and that’s why it’s powerful.”

Kendall concludes that he has ‘no doubt’ that this trend will disappear as quickly as it came. Whilst Mormonism as a faith will continue to thrive – especially in Utah -, he’s not convinced its impact on social media will make for lasting conversions to the faith, merely negative stereotypes, even if it’s ‘trendy’ right now.

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