BYU Idaho Bans Skinny Jeans (But Doesn't) - Mormon Hipsters Cry Out in Protest

Skinny Jeans.  Form-fitting denim making hot girls hotter and hipster boys look weird.

And now, subject of another Mormon controversy.

Recently, BYU-Idaho in Rexburg has banned skinny jeans on their campus.

But they haven't.

But they have.

You see, all BYU students have to agree to an Honor Code that tells you how not to dress, how not to act, and what you're not allowed to do while attending their school.  If you break the Honor Code, you're out.  (Example:  BYU Basketball player has sex and gets suspended)

Some rules in the Honor Code include:

• Use Clean Language (...yeah, fucker...)
• Abstain from alcohol, tobacco, coffee, tea, and substance abuse  (TEA?)
• Live a chase and virtuous life (aka: NO SEX)
• Observe the Dress and Grooming Standards, which includes a ban on form fitting clothing and short skirts.

Posted at the BYU-I Campus

Form Fitting clothing?  Yep, that's skinny jeans.  So, in fact, they've always been a major no-no.

Once again, BYU is in the news because of their Honor Code.  It seems excessive, yes, but if you go to school there, you agree to those rules.

If you don't know what you're getting into, poor Mormon students, IT'S YOUR OWN DAMN FAULT.

(oops, I said 'damn...')

A few months ago, the BYU scandal was a major sports player getting in trouble for (GASP!) having sex.  Now, it's about skinny jeans being vulgar.  I give the major media outlets until February to jump on "STUDENT SUSPENDED FOR HAVING A STARBUCKS CUP IN CLASS" just to keep the Mormon taboo in the news.

To the outside world, these rules look silly.  And, in my opinion, they are.  Go to college and NOT have sex?  Men aren't allowed to have long hair?  Women aren't allowed to have more than one piercing in their ear?  TEA is banned?  TEA?

But these kids know what they're getting into when they enroll at BYU.  And they agree to these silly rules.  They, in essence, should know better.

Sadly, Mormon Hipsters everywhere are up in arms...

Poor mormon hipsters...

BYU and the Mormon Mastercard

**MAKE SURE TO READ THE COMMENTS AT THE BOTTOM!!  This conversation is an interesting one...**

I have been to the Idaho campus of BYU twice now, thanks to my new job.

The first time was for a guest lecture my boss was doing at one of the Social Worker classes.  This last time was for an intern fair, looking for the next crop of students looking for work experience (and us looking for some cheap labor).

Both times were so eye-opening, a blog had to be done.

And it has taken me a while to craft it into the shape I want it.  Is it epic?  Probably not.  But I like it.

Visit one, I was generally impressed.  All the students were well-dressed, orderly, and a lot of them were in study groups.  Nothing like when I went to college, where there was eye-candy galore, and studying was reserved for midterm and finals weeks only. 

Study hard, people.

It was only when I entered the classroom that the religious vibe kicked in.

Class started as normal, with one girl standing up to read a poem she had crafted about child abuse.  It was very moving, and the classroom (including myself) clapped.

Then all of a sudden… silence.

Heads were bowed.

The poem reader began saying a prayer.

…wha-what?

Keep in mind I went to public schools all my life.  I have never seen prayer in a classroom setting.  Minds were blown.

She prayed for my boss and I, and the hopes that we lead an upright life worthy of His blessing…

For the love of Me...
You really don't need to pray every 5 minutes...

…hokay…

The rest of the visit went like a normal college classroom, but that instance stuck in my head.  Weeks later, on my second trip to BYU, I wondered if I would experience the same thing.

Yes.  And moreso.

First off, before the intern fair, was a luncheon for the visiting agencies.  Kind of a mixer setting, sans-alcohol.  And coffee.  And any type of caffeine.  Before we ate, a prayer was said to bless the food and the staff/guests.  Drinks were lemonade and water.  Not even tea.  I guess, Mormon or not, if you’re at BYU your options are limited.

I wish I would have thought of this beforehand.  I would have stopped by a Starbucks and got a GIGANTIC latte, just for shock value.  Would I have been told to throw it away?  Or asked to leave?  If there is a visit #3, I’ll try this test and let you know.

After the luncheon, there was a training seminar on how to be better instructors/mentors for interns.  Another prayer was said, blessing the lecture, the staff and the guests (again). 

“Wow” I thought.  “Twice in less than an hour.  I feel super-blessed.”

After the lecture concluded, we prepped our tables for the fair to begin.  Students began to enter, but nobody was coming to the tables.  They were all congregating in the center area, looking at the lectern.

Why?  Well duh, we haven’t prayed yet.

Aww crap.  You guys AGAIN?

Everyone in the room was properly blessed, so we could finally begin the fair.  Things went nicely, and I found a few rockstars in the group that would work well for my company.  A few of them were the “high and mighty” types, but they really didn’t have a lot of good qualities to begin with.  Their smugness just helped seal their own grave faster.

I collected resumes, and kind of chuckled as to what these kids thought should go on a resume.   Almost all listed their mission as past experience.  A lot of them listed their availability status (single/engaged/married), which I will go into in a bit.  Some were well put-together, but most of them looked, well, like students have done them.

Times when I wandered were interesting:

-         -  I went to use the restroom at one point, and a group of 5 guys were in a group, telling dirty jokes about blacks and gays.  Since everyone at BYU (that I saw, at least) was white, and you can’t be gay & mormon, I guess it’s ok to tell these kinds of jokes?  Pfff…

-        - They didn’t have any refreshments for us during the fair, so I went to look for a soda machine for my partner and I.  When I finally found one, there was no soda to choose from.  Water, juice, milk, and other caffeine free drinks were available.  That’s it.  I was fine with water, but couldn’t buy it anyway.  The machine only took the dreaded “Mormon Mastercard”, the student cards that some universities use.  When I went to Cal State, they had the card as an option, but you could still use cash or any major credit card.  Not here.  Not Visa, not American Express.

Gas to get to BYU: $8.64

Breakfast on the go: $5.35

Gum to Prevent Death-Breath: $1.26

Being prayed for and overly scrutinized for 4 hours: Priceless

There are some things normal money can buy.  

If you’re at BYU, there’s Mormon Mastercard…

By the end of the trip, most of the faculty knew I wasn’t “a brother.”  Some of them were cool with it, including the professor I met a few weeks before.  Others gave smug looks, like I didn’t belong there.  Next time… coffee.  Maybe a fake piercing or two?  A Mike Tyson tattoo on my face?  We’ll see…

Speaking to my friends about the trip, the students, resumes, etc., they pointed out that BYU is well-known for girls going there simply to find a man.  That said, I would say about 90% of the girls I saw had rings on their left finger, either engagement or wedding-type.   During on-site interviews after the fair, I noticed it even more.  All the girls talked about their fiancée or husband during the interview, what he is going to school for, etc.

So my question to these girls would be this:  Why are you paying for a degree, when your ultimate goal is to get married, become a housewife, and have a boatload of babies?  Are you ever going to use that degree?  Or is it just viewed as a necessity when finding an ideal mate?

Suffice it to say, my views of the BYU campus, not only with my personal experiences but recent headlines in the news, is pretty amusing.  I worry about these students (amplified because of the naive little BYU intern currently in my office) when they get out into the real world and see that everyone isn’t like them.  Or worse, if they move to Vegas, Manhattan, San Diego or other majorly non-mormon spots in this country, where they’re not the majority anymore.  Are they being prepared for this? 

We better say a prayer, just in case…

*sigh*
Really?  Dude...

Edit:  This HAD to be shared at Dude Write...

Godaddy? No, daddy.

I'm sorry.  Not even Danica Patrick in a string bikini can save my opinion on this website.  Maybe if she lost the bikini....

I woke up Thursday morning feeling inspired.  I have a little money chilling in paypal, and it's burning a hole in my virtual pocket.  It's not enough to buy anything decent (it's under $20), but it's enough to buy a domain for my blog.

Yes, Pinocchio is trying to turn into a real boy.  I want a real website!

I pick out a name I like, and buy the domain.  I fill out all the forms, pay via paypal, and *ding* I have a website address!

Cool!

I configure all the settings from blogger to my new site, do all the DNS data to get it to switch over, and test it a few times.  It's workin nice...

My good mood turns into a great mood.  I start designing things with the new website address on it.  Cards to leave around internet cafe's?  I've seen in done before, but the 'wtfamidoing' tag seemed too long.

Not any more.

Get it?  Idaho's a red state!  Hahahaha!!

My marketing brain starts to tick.  I've been doing marketing for 6 years in a previous life, so I start thinking about how to get my blog's website better known.

But eh, it's time to go to work.  Oh yeah, I have a day job.  Dammit.  Granted, I like this job, but there are just some days where a 9-5 doesn't thrill you (mainly the days that end in a 'y').

This week has been, well, unique.  I'm only 3 weeks (ish) old at this place, and my boss is out of town on personal business.  She's available by cell/email, but not in the office, not answering the phone, and not helping walk-in people.  The other girl in the department has been off because of a surgery.  That leaves me, the newbie, alone to handle everything on my own.

Eeps.

Oh yeah, add a few interns and a student worker into the mix.  One intern is badass, and knows how to keep herself busy.  She sees what needs to be done, and does it.  The others, not so much.  Handholding is a term I debate using, because even that seems a little understated at times.

So I'm going solo in the office scheme.  But wait!  Today I'm not in the office for the afternoon!  I get to drive 30 miles to the BYU campus, and fish for more interns for the next semester.

(BYU-rant blogpost coming soon.  There's just too much to share, and I've only been there twice.)

Back to the main story.  I'm on campus, where cell reception is nil, and all the 'pop' machines (not soda.  pop.  ugh.) have no caffeine.  Better still, they don't take money.  There are little slots for "Mormon Mastercards" but not cash.  Grrrr.

My good mood is fading.

IT'S MEET THE STUDENTS TIME!!  yaay...

Most of them were cool kids.  Upbeat, sharp, and friendly.  There were one or two who asked me what Ward I belong to (slang for church) and then gave me dirty looks for not being a part of the cool-kids-club.

Mood levels fading even more.

My phone buzzes.

It's godaddy!

Come to tell me that things are going smoothly?

NO!  OF COURSE NOT!

"We don't like the data you gave us, so we're freezing your account.  Your website is now locked, and we're refunding your money."

What?

....what?

...wow.

Little did I know that my blog was still redirecting to the now-frozen site.  It was essentially dead for the majority of the day.

Granted, I was on my blackberry, but you get the idea.

Thanks godaddy.  I have 45 pageviews today (Thursday) instead of my normal count in the 200's.  My viral versus viral contest is borked now, since people can't vote on a site that's dead.  I make $10-20 a day on ad revenue, and today it's only 10 cents.

Grrrr.  I need a drink.  And bewbs.  And a bj or something.  Or maybe another domain host.  iPage, here I come!