Olivia Plath is opening up about how her religious upbringing had affected her relationship with her ex-husband, Ethan Plath. The Welcome to Plathville star reflects on the adverse effects that being raised in a fundamentalist Christian household had on her sex life, as well as how her former religion endorsed that a woman’s primary job after marriage is to please and keep her husband happy.
Olivia Plath and her sister Lydia Grace — who have both left the religion — were seen having a tete-a-tete in Welcome to Plathville Season 6 Episode 8, “Wine Helps the Sex Ed Go Down.” Plath sheds light on how their religious upbringing and centralized emphasis on a woman being subservient to a man have affected her romantic endeavors. After Olivia Plath filed for divorce from her husband, Ethan Plath, in October 2023, it gradually started to dawn on her that childhood teachings clouded her approach to sex and romance. She shared these newfound self-discoveries with her sister in the following words:
“I’m realizing that I actually have way more handicaps than I thought I did.”
Olivia Plath also revealed in a confessional how growing up, she was taught that one is supposed to remain celibate and save themselves till marriage. Plath confessed how this resulted in a string of misinformation as a teenager where she even thought that sitting close to a boy could get her pregnant. The reality TV star also shared how the lack of sex education played a significant factor in her marrying Ethan Plath.
Olivia Plath Compares Her Upbringing to That of a Cult
Olivia Plath shared with Teen Vogue back in April how her fundamentalist Christian upbringing was similar to a cult. From the tender age of 13, Plath was handed books on how to be a great wife and was taught that as a woman, she was expected to get married, have kids, and embrace life as a stay-at-home mom.
Plath also revealed in the confessional that while being a subordinate spouse worked out for a couple of years since her ex-husband, too, was raised in the same faith, she could no longer live like that. She notes how the newfound freedom of being on her own has made her realize that her religion messed her up more than she could fathom. She added that being controlled her whole life affected her initial approach to romance, and she married the first boy she “held hands with.”
Earlier in Welcome to Plathville Season 6, Olivia Plath shared how it was difficult for her to form casual connections after her divorce, as it was the first time she’d ever been single. She also joked about being a “very careful hoe.” Plath has since found love and has a new boyfriend, exclusively telling US Weekly that he’s “an amazing guy.”
New Welcome to Plathville Season 6 episodes air on Tuesdays at p.m. ET on TLC. You can also stream the episodes on Max along with previous seasons of the show.
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