PROVO, Utah - Even on scorching summer days, faithful members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints wear sacred religious garments underneath their clothing.
But Brigham Young University student Dara Layton answered the door on a 100-degree day in Provo, Utah wearing something very new to her: a tank top.
For years, she only wore shirts that fully covered the cap sleeves of the religious undergarment. Then last fall, her church opened up a new option with thick straps instead.
This is the first summer the faith, widely known as the Mormon church, has offered the underclothing without sleeves in its nearly 200-year history.
Many Mormon women are celebrating the new garments, which they've been requesting for years. Others say the church's all-male leadership should have listened to them sooner. As for Layton, she's just excited.
"My shoulders, they, like, have never been more tan in my entire life," she laughed.
The redesign isn't available in the U.S. yet, but that's not stopping American women from getting their hands on them from other countries. That includes some social media fashion influencers who post about how to style the religious wear for their tens of thousands of followers.
Layton thinks her closet has doubled in size since getting the sleeveness garment about a month ago.
"I went on probably the biggest shopping spree I've ever gone on in my entire life," she said. "But I was just like, so excited to have new styles that I could wear."
Hangers squeaked as she showed off her closet, now full of shirts without sleeves — including the same tank top in about five different colors.
She laughed again, "I really kind of just went crazy. It was really bad."
Adult church members receive the garments as part of temple ceremonies. That includes the top, and also bottoms that go to the knees. There are different fabric options from cotton to silky nylon to a polyester/spandex blend, but always in white.
It's not the only religion with clothing that shows a commitment to God — the church compares the garment to other religious wear like a nun's habit or the robes of a Buddhist monk.
So even though it was a sweaty summer day, Layton still wore the extra layer because it's sacred to her.
"They are about this two-way promise that we make between us and God," she said. "And it's just a way to remind ourselves to bring Christ into our everyday lives."
But not all women are excited about the sleeve removal. Some are confused — they thought they were supposed to be different as Mormons, and now they're dressing like everyone else.
Other women are angry and wonder why they sacrificed to cover their shoulders for so long, only for them to be OK to show now, said Jana Riess, a member of the church and an American religion historian.
"There's a lot of frustration that the church is not acknowledging the fixation that it had on women's bodies, and they're really pretty sad," she said.
The church's focus on modesty for girls and women, Riess said, became extreme in the late 1990s and early 2000s. As an example, she pointed to a church periodical taking an angel depiction and adding sleeves to it.
Part-time legal assistant Rachel Gerber remembers wearing a tankini swimming suit to a church activity when she was 14, but a leader told her it was inappropriate and that she had to cover up.
"And I got, like, pissed. I was super upset. And someone was like, 'Rachel, you have to wear it or go home,'" she recalled.
Gerber is a mom of two and runs a social media account called LDS Changemakers to promote gender equality within the church's current policies.
She believes modesty and garments represent larger inequality in the church. There are new temple undergarments for men as well, but Gerber says it's always been much easier for men to wear fashionable clothing with garments.
"It controls my life much more than it controls my husband," she said. "He can wear basically whatever he wants."
The sleeve change is something many women have wanted for at least 15 years, but the church hasn't acknowledged that. It declined to comment for this story and didn't respond to NPR's interview request.
A short church statement from when the news first broke, though, says some members live in hot and humid areas, and the garment change is to bless them and others who might benefit.
At the end of the day, Gerber calls the sleeveless garment a win and a good step forward.
"I don't think the leaders of the church, like, hate women. I just think they are within this patriarchal system, trying their best to function within it. But there's definitely more we can do."
She said this change signals that church leaders are listening.
The new garment style will be available in the U.S. later this year.
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