The Jesus Look

Bob Sagers, cheesemonger, models as Jesus (Raff/WSJ)

Pictures of baby Jesus are common during this time of the year. Utahans take it a step further:

Models who look like Jesus are in high demand in Utah. That’s because for a growing number of people in the state, a picture isn’t complete without Him. They are hiring Jesus look-alikes for family portraits and wedding announcements. Models are showing up to walk with a newly engaged couple through a field, play with young children in the Bonneville Salt Flats, and cram in with the family for the annual Christmas card...

Finding a model can be difficult. Areas of Utah with high concentrations of Mormons—who also call themselves Latter-day Saints or LDS—tend to lack potential Jesus doppelgängers. Some men who work or volunteer for the church, one of the state’s largest employers, are required to shave every day and keep their hair short.

I doubt that historically accurate representations of Jesus are what is being demanded. The WSJ interviews of Jesus models indicate that customers think that He looks like a healthy white American male with a beard. Oh, well, give the customers what they want; their hearts seem to be in the right place,