Layla Taylor of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives has spoken candidly about her excessive use of weight-loss drugs and her struggles with “toxic” beauty standards.
The reality star, 25, is the only Black cast member of the popular series, which follows the lives and drama of a group of Mormon moms-turned-TikTok influencers. During the recent season four finale earlier this month, she revealed she has struggled with an eating disorder since high school and had been using weight-loss drugs for about a year.
Speaking to Allure in a new story that digs into Utah’s Mormon culture, Taylor opened up about her addiction to the weight-loss medicine, saying: “I got (Tirzepatide, a GLP-1) from a plastic surgeon here in Utah in the fall of last year.
“They just handed it to me without ever having an appointment with me. They got me a prescription and it was at my house the next day. I’m very happy that I shared that with the world because there’s so many people that abuse this drug and it’s so easily accessible now.”
Taylor had previously admitted to abusing the weight-loss drugs on the SLOMW season finale, confessing she started taking them to address “stubborn weight” she couldn’t lose.
“I just feel like, I don't think I'll ever be small enough in my head,” the model said on the show. “And I know it's affecting me. Like, I'm so exhausted all the time because I don't eat. And my body hurts every night when I go to bed. I literally lay down, and if my knees are touching each other, it hurts because I don't have enough fat on my body to cushion it.
“I know that it's going too far, and I'm taking it too far, but I can't stop,” she added.
Elsewhere in the interview with Allure, the single mother of two acknowledged her home state of Utah is a “vain” place. She discussed her lifelong struggle of trying to fit the beauty mold she had been exposed to growing up.
“For a long time, I thought the perception of beauty was long, straight hair, light-colored eyes, skin that wasn’t dark like mine,” she said. “I tried to bleach my skin one time, and I straightened my hair my whole entire life and have done things that were very toxic because I thought that that’s what beauty was because it’s all I saw growing up.”
Taylor is not the only SLOMW star who feels the pressure to look perfect. Her co-star Jessi Draper, 33, recently underwent upper and lower blepharoplasty, a procedure that removes excess skin and fat from around the eyes, telling the outlet that she was also “talked into doing other things.”
“It can be really easy to get talked into things because we’re, again, in Utah Mormon culture,” Draper admitted, “and the standard of beauty is so high, and we’re also on TV.”
For anyone struggling with the issues raised in this article, eating disorder charity Beat’s helpline is available 365 days a year on 0808 801 0677. NCFED offers information, resources and counselling for those suffering from eating disorders, as well as their support networks. Visit eating-disorders.org.uk or call 0845 838 2040.
