Rhetorical Analysis

In an article titled “Why so Many of Your Favorite Beauty Personalities are Mormon,”
Alice Gregory discusses the effect of Mormon women bloggers. Gregory directs her article
towards girls or women who repeatedly find themselves looking for beauty tips on their
Instagram feed or blogs. This article was published on “Allure,” which is a website mainly for
learning about beauty. The author begins the article by describing how the Mormon lifestyle
attracts and grabs a girl's attention and it is easy to find certain characteristics about the blogger
to know her beliefs. The author goes on to explain that the LDS church’s website contains many
makeup tutorials and tips for grooming and dress (Gregory, 4). In this article, Alice Gregory uses
logos and pathos sufficiently and effectively, however the article is inadequate due to the lack of
credibility and ability to identify an effective argument through the use of ethos.
Gregory uses the rhetorical appeal of ethos in this article ineffectively. It is not effectively
used since she does not make connections between her arguments and her own experiences.
Because of this, the author does not show credibility. She describes the opinions and
perspectives of Witney Carson, who was a dancer on the well-known television show ​Dancing
With the Stars, a ​ s well as a model and a fashion blogger. Carson believes that inner beauty is
very important and that it’s good to have self-confidence on the inside as well as the outside
(Carson, 7). However, this did not support the author’s argument of Mormon girls being taught
from a young age to prioritize beauty and that these girls are often underestimated.
Gregory appeals to pathos in a very effective way. She does a good job of making
Mormon mothers seem discontent about their bodies after pregnancy. For example, it is
described that a white woman with a few pregnancies behind her is most likely to get plastic
surgery as a solution to fix her “trashed body” from motherhood. This can seem contradicting
since the Mormon culture teaches principles related to treating your body like a temple. “Many
Utah mothers respond to cultural pressure to undergo the Mommy Makeover” (Jones, 14).
Although Utah is one of the most religious states in America, it has a large amount of plastic
surgeons.
The article contains many logos appeals that pertain to why Mormon girls are seen as
popular when it comes to beauty. The author believes Amber Fillerup Clark, a Mormon blogger,
makes Mormonism seem enviable. She does not wear gunny sack dresses and does not make
it seem like she prays all the time. Instead, she posts pictures with her kids and pictures of
herself in a bikini. Even though bikinis are not ideal in Mormonism, it does not matter because
she promotes such a good Mormon lifestyle (Gregory, 3). The author explains that once you
know what to look for, it is obvious to know if a blogger is a member of the Mormon religion,
even if their faith is not “foregrounded.” Her tips for spotting a Mormon include, “she is white and
under 30 and married. fit and given to flattering dresses that hit the knee and cover the
shoulder, she has multiple children and Lady Godvia hair. She knows her way around a braid.
She is wholesome but not dowdy; her posts are relentlessly positive but never pious” (Gregory,
1).
The author also portrays the importance that Mormons put on beauty by discussing the
content of the LDS church website. The website contains a section that includes makeup
tutorials for women. The author also provides evidence through Megan Jones, who explains that
Mormon girls are introduced to makeup and fashion at a young age and are taught to love
makeup (Jones, 5). Although many Mormon girls are obsessed with fashion, hair, and makeup,
it is not the case for all Mormon girls. “I do not think that every Mormon girl is obsessed with
fashion and beauty, but we do like to take care of ourselves,” Rachel Parcel, a blogger for Pink
Peonies, states. The Mormon girls who have more interest in these things are probably the only
Mormon girls you see. However, there are many Mormon girls you do not see who are not
interested in makeup.
The author uses Courtney Kendrick’s view of the Mormon religion to provide more
evidence. “In my religion, you are not just talking about having to look good now, you are also
talking about your eternal salvation. Ultimately these beauty standards are connected to what
gets us into heaven” (Kendrick, 14). Kendrick believes that women are taught to be involved
with beauty and makeup from such a young age because it is a factor that decides whether you
get into heaven or not.
Addison Doxey wrote an article titled, “How Allure’s Mormon Beauty Blogger Article Gets
It Wrong,” in which she discusses how Alice Gregory’s research is not credible nor true.Doxey
directs her article towards ​Allure​, as well as those who believe stereotypes about Mormon
women. The author appeals to ethos by sharing her own experiences as a Mormon. She states,
“being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints myself, as well as being
born and raised in Utah, you could say that I am your stereotypical ‘Mormon girl,’ which makes
this all the more frustrating of a read.” Doxey explains how Gregory stereotypes Mormon girls as
“paper dolls and glorified barbies” (Doxey, 1).
Doxey uses the appeal of pathos in a very effective way. Inferred from the tone of the
article, the author is passionate about this topic. Doxey states, “The list of sexist generalizations
made by​ Allure ​about Mormon women goes on, and frankly makes me nauseous,” as well as
“all religion aside, no woman should be stereotyped because of her ability to rock a modest
dress or apply flawless eyeliner.” (Doxey, 3). From these statements, Addison Doxey portrays
her view on the importance of Mormon stereotypes not being used.
Although the author does not use the appeal of logos very effectively in her article
because her lack of outside sources, she questions Gregory’s research and her appeal to logos.
She also uses doctrine from her religion to argue that beauty is not an important factor in The
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. “What Allure misses the mark on is that none of
these worldly desires to be beautiful are found on LDS doctrine. The lack of research into any
religion is unacceptable when that religion’s doctrine is a major component of an article’s
argument” (Doxey, 3). Although Doxey does not have outside sources to back up her article,
she uses her knowledge from living the religion herself to use as evidence.
Overall, Gregory made an effort to argue that Mormon girls are unexpectedly the most
popular beauty icons.This leads to the conclusion that Mormon girls are underestimated and do
care a lot about beauty. Because of the author’s lack of ethos appeal in the article, it makes her
argument more questionable and considered faulty. The use of logos in this article provides
evidence that Mormons expect their female members to make beauty and makeup a priority and
should learn about it from a young age. This supports the author’s main argument and is used
effectively. Doxey made an effort to argue against Gregory’s claims and explain that Mormon
girls are not taught that beauty is the only way to make it in the world or even to heaven. In fact,
they are taught almost the opposite. However, this lack of logos appeal could cause her
argument to be considered faulty as well.
Overall, Gregory’s article was only effective to some degree. As the title argues, the
article focuses on why the more favorable and popular beauty icons are of the Mormon religion.
However, the author did not use the ethos appeal in the most effective way. Instead of
describing her own experiences or giving reasons to why Mormon girls are taught about beauty
from such a young age, she uses unimportant and irrelevant opinions of others around her to
support her argument. However, Doxey uses personal experiences to explain that beauty is not
the most important thing in the LDS religion and is rarely even discussed. This supports her
argument through ethos. Even though ethos is not used effectively in Gregory’s article, the use
of pathos is.The author supports her argument by describing the connections between Mormon
girls and plastic surgery, since plastic surgery is known to make a person portray beauty. The
article successfully points out that Mormon girls are very much the fashion icons of today, but
does not provide enough evidence to persuade the reader. On the other hand, Doxey’s article is
successful at persuading the reader through pathos by the tone of the article. Even though the
article successfully points out that beauty is not that important in the Mormon religion, it may not
be enough to fully persuade the reader due to the lack of logos appeal.

Works Cited

Gregory, A. (2017, October 11). Why So Many of Your Favorite Beauty Personalities Are
Mormon. Retrieved from
https://www.allure.com/story/why-so-many-beauty-bloggers-are-mormon.

Doxey, A. (2018, August 10). How Allure's Mormon Beauty Blogger Article Gets It Wrong.
Retrieved from
http://addisondoxey.com/new-blog/2018/8/9/how-allures-mormon-beauty-blogger-article
-gets-it-wrong.