Why ‘The Secret Lives Of Mormon Wives’ Cast Is Hard To Tell Apart

If you’ve tuned into Secret Lives of Mormon Wives on Hulu, you’ve probably noticed something strange: the women often look astonishingly similar.

Even loyal fans admit they confuse cast members like Jessi Ngatikaura and Demi Engemann, who seem to share the same glossy waves, dramatic lashes, and almost indistinguishable silhouettes.

One viewer summed up the collective bewilderment online: “Anyone else watch ‘The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives’ but can’t keep up bc they all look exactly alike??”

But this conversation didn’t begin with reality TV — it simply made a long-running cultural phenomenon harder to ignore. The recurring question is: why do so many women in Utah look so alike? And more importantly, what forces are shaping this aesthetic homogeneity?

Many call it the Utah look: a polished, hyper-curated, highly conventional version of beauty that seems amplified in the state more than almost anywhere else.

A Culture Where Beauty Feels Like a Standard, Not a Choice

Fitness TikToker eharmany95 captured the pressure bluntly: “Utah has insanely high standards for girls. Everybody is competing with the girl next to them to be just as perfect, just as tan, just as fit.”

For some, this competition starts early and feels never-ending. On Love Island, Salt Lake City native Vanna Einerson openly acknowledged the stereotype when talking to castmate Ace Greene: “There’s a Utah girl stereotype. All the girls are, like, tan, blonde.” Her fillers and implants became viral talking points, reinforcing how closely viewers associate Utah aesthetics with cosmetic enhancement.

TikToker @avemarin described the emotional toll of living inside this environment: “I have never felt uglier than I did living in Utah.” She went further, explaining the specific look that gets idealized: “It’s not just being white and thin… extremely tiny bodies, blonde hair, blue eyes, big lips, immediate boob job—like right out of high school—and a very symmetrical face. Hence the filler and lip injections.”

These aren’t isolated feelings — they echo something embedded in the social fabric of the region.

The Capital of Cosmetic Procedures

Salt Lake City has quietly become one of America’s most concentrated hubs for surgical enhancement.

The city boasts more plastic surgeons per capita than Los Angeles, rivaling even Miami. Search data shows Utah residents Googling “breast augmentation” and other procedures at some of the highest rates nationwide.

A particularly popular route? The “mommy makeover” — an all-in-one transformation combining lifts, tucks, liposuction, and sometimes labiaplasty.

While women across the country face beauty pressures, Utah’s version feels more intense. Experts believe a major reason is cultural homogeneity — particularly among members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS).

With a population over 90% white in many areas, living in communities with similar lifestyles and religious expectations can magnify comparison.

As Susan Madsen, EdD, founder of the Utah Women & Leadership Project, explains: “The more homogeneous, the more things you have in common—they’re white, they’re Latter-day Saints, you live in the same neighborhood, your houses are pretty much the same—there’s just more competition.”

The Signature Style of the Utah Woman

Aubree Bunderson, a 26-year-old mom and lifelong member of the LDS church, describes Utah’s aesthetic markers with startling precision:

“Anytime I’m traveling anywhere, you can almost tell who’s from Utah… She’s that bleach-blonde girl with Utah curls.”

“Utah curls,” as she calls them, have become almost iconic — soft beach waves with perfectly straight ends, the kind only someone experienced in platinum blondes could achieve.

And it’s not just hair.

“Here in Utah, we’re full of blondes. We’re full of athletic wear. We love the idea of the gym… having the perfect body… skincare and makeup. We want to look our best and feel our best.”

For Bunderson, this isn’t oppressive — it’s inspiring. She admits she feels motivated by seeing conventionally beautiful women: “I want that body. I want her hair. I want her eyelashes. I want her skin.” And like many local influencers and residents, she opted for cosmetic surgery herself after her second child: a breast augmentation she describes with confidence and satisfaction.

Her attitude also reflects how normalized procedures have become: “Here in Utah, close your eyes and you can point to a surgeon. Because there’s such high beauty standards here, they’re at every corner.”

Plastic surgeon Jerry Chidester, MD, confirms it: “I can tell when there’s been a girls’ night because all of a sudden, 10 women who are all friends will start following me… everybody wants to be their best selves.”

Beauty, Perfection, and Religion — A Complicated Intersection

You can’t discuss beauty in Utah without acknowledging the LDS Church, where the teachings emphasize striving toward purity, righteousness, and yes — perfection.

Members referenced a verse many have grown up hearing: the command to “be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

For Amelia Miles, a 37-year-old LDS mother of four, the message has shaped generations:

“From a young age, we’re told that someday we can be perfect and that we should strive to be perfect.”

Though the doctrine teaches that true perfection happens in the afterlife, she explains how easily the idea gets interpreted in the present: looking perfect to neighbors, appearing composed, appearing worthy. Even without undergoing cosmetic procedures, Miles admits she feels the pressure — and has even considered surgery herself after years in Salt Lake City.

A recent survey supports her experience: 14% of LDS members reported having undergone cosmetic procedures, compared with 4% of Americans nationally. The report suggests some members “may erroneously believe” perfection includes physical appearance — even though the church does not teach cosmetic enhancement as a requirement.

Therapist and former Mormon Jordan Forsyth sees how this pressure manifests clinically. She describes religious scrupulosity alongside rising cases of anorexia, bulimia, and OCD:

“I see a lot of neglecting needs in favor of achieving these standards… ‘I can either sleep for another 45 minutes, or I can take a shower and curl my hair.’”

Miles, who has personally battled an eating disorder and OCD, worries about passing these expectations to her daughters: “I don’t want to send the message that this needs to be done and I need to look this certain way.”

And yet, cultural messages can be contradictory. The LDS Church discourages tattoos, piercings, and “excessive” surgical alteration — while simultaneously preaching modesty, cleanliness, and idealized presentation. As one woman put it:

“My grandma always said, ‘Just treat your body like a temple.’”

But in the same breath, she added her own interpretation: “If something is going to help your confidence, I say, ‘Go for it.’”

A Standard No One Can Fully Meet — Yet Many Still Chase

In the end, Utah’s beauty culture isn’t driven by a single factor. It’s a blend of religious ideals, social homogeneity, hyper-visible influencers, booming cosmetic surgery industries, and a collective desire to be seen as “put together.”

It’s not that Utah created perfectionism — it’s that perfectionism found the perfect environment to thrive.

For some women, the culture is motivating. For others, it’s suffocating. But almost everyone agrees on one thing:

In Utah, beauty isn’t just a goal.

It’s an expectation — and a shared identity.

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