The biggest takeaway from The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, rather than the gripping scandal or reality show, was clearly their fake hair.
After their successful Hulu premiere last month, their slightly-too-tricky balayage and blown-out manes became known as “Utah curls,” after the origins of the #MomTok troupe.
“We love hair extensions here,” Lale Day, 28, a Salt Lake City beauty pageant contestant and business owner, told The Wall Street Journal.
The #MomTok influencers-turned-reality TV stars are regularly featured in hair salons across the country as customers request long hair extensions and loose waves. Paige Kahn from Page Six
She had her 22-inch hair extensions installed at JZ Styles, a salon in Pleasant Grove co-owned by “Mormon Wives” star Jesse Ghatikaula. Fellow #MomTok creators also receive hair services there.
“There’s nothing like having Rapunzel hair,” Day said.
This style is extremely popular and is spurring a wave of hair tourism in Utah.
JZ Styles stylist Kate Moritz said she has been inundated with demand for hair extensions since seeing the reality star’s hair on the show. She claimed that her inbox on social media is flooded with requests from fans.
“Right now, people all over the country want to fly into the country,” Moritz, 25, told the newspaper.
Macy Neely and Taylor Frankie Paul are among a group of “Momtalkers” who live in Utah and have a reality show on Hulu. Paige Kahn from Page Six
She added that she often styles her hair in “Utah curls,” and told the magazine that the cost of her “Mormon Wife” extensions is about $1,500 per appointment for the hair alone, not including cut and color. spoke.
“It’s fun to wear extensions and feel like a different person,” Moritz added.
But it extends beyond the Beehive State. In New York City, stylist Liz Christensen said her clients regularly cite the “Mormon Wife” star’s name as hair inspiration, while Lindsey, owner of Root & Sage salon in Texas Torres said her customers often refer to Hulu series when making reservations.
Trendy curls have inspired a wave of influencers to try out the look for their viewers, even though critics have slammed the style. TikTok / @officialmayraisabel Lily Maury said that styling her hair is her “favorite way” whether people “like it or not.” TikTok / @lilymorley Critics like Alyssa Kimber’s TikTok tutorials snort that “Utah curls” look a lot like beach waves. TikTok / @alyssakimber
The trendiness of mermaid-like hair has also caused some to regret their haircuts. Siobhan Wieman, a 41-year-old sonography student from Valencia, Calif., told the magazine that she began to question her decision to cut her hair.
“I thought, ‘Is it stupid that people want to put extensions on when they just got a haircut?’ Look at how put together everyone looks,” she says, adding that she still has extensions on. However, he said that he purchased a JZ Styles curling iron during that time.
However, this style has drawn criticism from some who say it looks half-baked.
“Being born and raised in Utah, I had no idea this was an intentional style,” one critic wrote in a Utah curl tutorial on TikTok. “When I saw that, I thought they just don’t know how to curl hair.”
“Why do you leave the ends straight? The ends are damaged,” jeered another.
Alyssa Grenfell, 31, a former Latter-day Saint member, said the curls speak to a larger value of physical beauty in the Mormon community. The San Antonio resident has been vocal in her criticism of the church, which says that “one of the greatest values of a woman is beauty” and that long hair is one way to be seen as beautiful. He claimed that.
“The goal is to be beautiful, but to be beautiful as well,” Grenfell insisted to the magazine.
At Jessi Ngatikaura’s salon, JZ Styles, more and more clients are requesting long extensions. TikTok / @_justjessiiii Seeing the growing popularity of “Utah curls,” the #MomTok group posted tutorials online for fans to copy their hairstyles. TikTok / @maycineeley The “Utah curl” style creates loose waves with a curling iron, but leaves the ends straight. Paige Kahn from Page Six
The LDS Church has condemned some of the behavior and depictions of religion on Hulu shows, but Mormon content creator Sierra Hudson, 29, told the Journal that it was more about Utah than about religion. He said that it has something to do with people’s lives, and called for the following. Utah women are perfectionists.
“Everyone is competing with each other here,” she said. “Some people are born with beautiful hair, but others get extensions.”
