During the pilot episode of the documentary series, “Polygamy, USA,” two women are out on a date with their husband talking about how they need a new wife.
Wife One says to Wife Two that she’d prefer a new wife who can cook interesting meals, maybe a Mexican? They chuckle and consider other attributes, maybe she could be a massage therapist? They settle back on the Mexican concept. ”Dude,” says Wife One, “it’s all about the food.”
This glib moment is revealing about several things:
1. Though it’s essentially patriarchal, women in polygamous families do have “a voice.”
2. Fundamentalist mormons use the word “dude.”
3. Mothers of young children care more about getting help around the house than pretty much anything else.
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