Here's a photo showing typical Temple garments for men and women:
As you can see, the leggings for women are quite long -- knee-length, usually. As such, a photo from the day of the debate caught the eye of Justin McAfee, publisher and editor of The Nevada View, as well as a self-described Mormon. Here's a screen capture from McAfee's article, entitled "More Evidence Ann Romney Not Wearing Mormon Garments:" There's a lot of garment-free leg in this shot, as McAfee points out. But does that constitute proof Ann went commando, temple-garment-wise, while in Denver? Not according to a few of the commenters to the piece. One man wrote, "My wife is tall and yes her garments actually do hike up far more than you would think."And then there's this exchange between McAfee and two readers:
Reader 1: This is so seriously stupid. When you sit down they can ride up. Big deal.
McAfee: Ha ha! You think they are riding up that far? Man, you are naive.
Reader 2: I take it you are not married. According to my wife yes they can ride up that far.
McAfee: Maybe the silk ones... :) But if they are, they are all the way up her....
Not that McAfee was the first to make these observations. After Ann appeared on The Tonight Show last month, the Temple-garment question made the rounds on Mormon social media and websites like Jezebel, which featured this shot of Romney with Jay Leno.
As the Jezebel article notes, one Facebook commenter who weighed in on the subject after the Leno appearance thought Ann had struck a blow for Mormon fashion. The post reads: "Thank God for Ann. This is a cry to all the LDS Women in the world: 'It is okay to raise the hemline!' Now, let us pray she begins to work on the sleeves next."However, a more disapproving observer shared an excerpt from a Mormon pamphlet that describes "immodest clothing" as any garment "that is tight, sheer, or revealing in any other manner. Young women should avoid short shorts and short skirts, shirts that do not cover the stomach, and clothing that does not cover the shoulders or is low-cut in the front or the back."
Oh yeah: When Romney spoke in Littleton the day before the debate, she wore pants.
More from our Politics archive: "Photos: Ann Romney says Mitt "doesn't fail" at pre-debate Littleton rally."
