TLC fans are curious about the Plath family's strict morals on Welcome to Plathville. Do they really live such a conservative lifestyle, or is it all a scam?
The new TLC show introduced fans to a whole new way of living, thanks to the Plath family and their old-fashioned ideals. On a rural farm in Georgia, the Plath family lives a simple lifestyle with limited technology, sheltering their nine children from the outside world. While the family's ultra-traditional lifestyle looks genuine, it wasn’t long until viewers started to doubt whether the family is as strict as they seem. Naturally, fans took to the internet to try and debunk the family's morals and raise concerns about how the children are being hidden from the real world. Fans are now hunkering down for season two, but are still asking the same question: Is this family for real?
Fans know TLC has a love-love relationship with airing shows that consist of strict Christian values and large families. Their first big hit was 19 Kids and Counting, which featured the Duggar clan. Quickly, the network saw the potential in focusing on religious, larger-than-normal families, and came up with other franchises such as Sister Wives and Bringing Up Bates. The newest member of the tribe is now the Plaths, who live in South Georgia where they deny their children access to technology and pop-tarts. However, most viewers have started to question the realness of the show. While fans understand there is always a scripted element to reality TV, many are baffled that parents Barry and Kim Plath think these strict morals will benefit their children in the long run.
The show centers around Barry and Kim's nine kids – Ethan, Hosanna, Micah, Moriah, Isaac, Amber, Lydia, Cassia, and Mercy. Fans recently learned that the entire family is forced to dress modestly in their daily life. When they venture to the beach, they can't even wear bathing suits. Fans called out the parents, noticing that while the kids are being raised Christian, they hardly attend church services. Those who watch the show have also found numerous inconsistencies, such as Moriah knowing all about makeup and being allowed to wear shorts, though that isn't technically part of the family's conservative dress code. In the most recent episode, fans noticed Lydia had a bikini tan line, which also didn’t seem to add up. On top of that, the boys had video games in their room when Kim stated during the first season that they did not allow such games in the house.
For many fans, it looks like the parents are hypocritical and are only hindering their children from experiencing the world. While they stated that they were trying to protect their children from making bad decisions, it seems they shut off the entire world as punishment for mistakes none of their children have ever made.
Welcome to Plathville airs Tuesday at 9 pm ET on TLC.