Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have criticized Brigham Young University’s women’s cross-country uniform, arguing that the school should adopt clothing more compatible with the church’s expectations around modesty.
BYU’s cross-country program competes in NCAA Division I, the top level of collegiate athletics. Its athletes’ racing kits are broadly similar to those worn by competitors at other universities.
After the team posted photos of its runners online, the images drew intense reactions from some members of the Latter-day Saint community.
“Does running naked make you faster?” one Mormon Instagram user wrote beneath the team’s official post.
Another LDS church member reposted one of the photos on X and complained about the immodesty of the athletes’ sports bras and athletic shorts.
“I know it’s not cool to bring up modesty, but is this really necessary for BYU students to wear while running?” the commenter added.
The post had collected more than 2 million views since it was published the previous Wednesday.
In a later comment, the same user clarified: “I’m not even asking for pants and long sleeves. I just think BYU should have a higher standard than the world.”
Some Mormon commenters sharply objected to what they viewed as immodest uniforms worn by BYU’s student-athletes.
BYU Cross Country competes in NCAA Division I, the highest level of college sports.
The university is sponsored by the Mormon church and follows rules established by the faith.
Another commenter proposed a design-based approach: “My policy would be to make all uniforms possible to wear with garments, so people can keep covenants easily if they so choose. That’s it. No policing, just good design.”
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‘I just want people to be able to do so without modifying the clothing issued by the Lord’s university. If you want to wear clothing incompatible with the garment, go to any one of the thousands of not church universities and compete there,’ the same user wrote in a separate follow-up post.
Unlike the Amish and Mennonites, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints generally wear mainstream clothing. Still, the church’s teachings can influence how members dress, including an emphasis on modesty and more formal, traditionally conservative styles.
Many adult members wear a distinctive white garment beneath their everyday clothes. Known within the faith as the “temple garment,” it is worn by both men and women.
People outside the community sometimes refer to it as “magic underwear,” but the church has said that description is offensive.
The temple garment is comparable in coverage to a white undershirt and boxer briefs.
A church guide for young people advises members to avoid clothing that draws inappropriate attention to the body rather than to their identity as children of God. It also encourages them to let “moral cleanliness and love for God” shape their choices.
Leaders of the LDS Church have frequently addressed standards for young women’s clothing, linking modesty to the faith’s teachings about an “eternal future,” its concept of the afterlife.
“In the gospel of Jesus Christ, modesty in appearance is in fashion,” Jeffrey R. Holland, a former BYU president and prominent church leader, said in a sermon addressed to young women.
Brigham Young University is based in Provo, Utah. Brigham Young, the university’s namesake and the second president of the Mormon Church, founded it in 1875. Young was also a prominent advocate of polygamy and slavery.
The Mormon church continues to support and fund BYU, and the university closely applies the church’s standards and policies to campus life.
The university’s dress guide states: ‘[Clothing must be] modest in fit and style. Dressing in a way that would cover the temple garment is a good guideline, whether or not one has been endowed. Accommodations may be made for athletic participation.’
Our News Outlet reached out to BYU for comment.
