Mormon Men On a Mission to Bring Sexy Back

Titled “Men on a Mission,” the calendar features 12 buff missionaries that defy the stereotype of the straight-laced, conservatively-dressed Mormon male. While the calendar shows the men in standard missionary attire – white button-down shirts and ties – it also reveals them shirtless, with chests waxed, in various moments of repose.

For Chad Hardy, co-producer of the calendar, “Mormons on a Mission” started as a gag. The 31-year-old native of Palm Springs, Calif., imagined young missionaries posing for a beefcake calendar, for charity, and found the idea laughable.

But it also seemed novel, and Hardy believed the calendar would sell. He pushed ahead with his idea, found an investor (co-producer Fred Brodsky) and reserved a domain name, www.mormonsexposed.com.

He says the availability of the domain surprised him. “I figured it would be taken, given all the criticism of the church,” he states.

And like the church, he has not escaped criticism. Hardy claims that he has received 13 pages of fan and hate mail, with critics making up half the correspondence. Most opponents of the project say that the calendar misrepresents the values of the Mormon Church.