Welcome to Plathville: 8 Ways Lydia Plath’s A Villain (Is She Just Like Kim?)
Sister Wives’ Lydia Plath has an innocent image, but sometimes, she puts on the black hat. She’s done bad things that make her seem like a villain.
Welcome to Plathville‘s Lydia Plath’s a devout Christian who seems very innocent, but she has a dark side. She’s known for being the most obedient Plath child. She’s the one who washed the dishes and helped to homeschool the children. In fact, she seemed like a modern-day Cinderella, minus the Prince Charming. Kim gallivanted around while her daughter got dishpan hands. Now, Lydia’s more independent, and during her journey on the series (and offscreen), there have been times when she didn’t seem quite so meek and mild.
In Welcome to Plathville season 5, the Plath family’s at war with Olivia Plath, and Lydia’s never been Olivia’s biggest fan. While she hasn’t been rude to her sister-in-law, she’s showcased her disapproval. Lydia’s absorbed a lot of Kim and Barry Plath’s teachings…maybe too much. For a long time, Lydia seemed like Kim’s “mini-me.” Now, she’s much the same, but there are some subtle shifts in her personality, possibly due to getting older. Part of her evolution may be due to Kim and Barry’s divorce. She had to navigate relationships with both of them, and probably started thinking about herself more. She may have wanted to detach from some of the drama.
8Lydia Said Olivia Lied About The Plaths Being Involved With The IBLP Cult
Olivia’s accused of lying an awful lot, and the shade tends to come from the Plath family. She’s never had an easy journey with them, as Kim and Barry disapproved of her from day one. This season, Kim won’t speak to her, or vice versa, and she’s also clashing with Moriah Plath, whom she used to be close to.
Lydia’s very loyal to her family, and she didn’t like it when Olivia said that the Plaths have ties to the IBLP cult. That’s fair enough, but maybe she should have spoken to Olivia privately, rather than airing their dirty laundry for the whole world to see. Lydia got heated after the documentary Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets was released.
When the documentary launched, Olivia said that the family was involved in the cult. Then, Lydia lashed out. She claimed that the family was steeped in, “purity culture” and Fundamentalism, but denied any ties to the IBLP. Olivia was raised in that cult, and when she matured, she wanted out. She preferred a less restrictive lifestyle, but still embraced the Christian faith. During an Instagram AMA, Lydia defended her family: “No it’s not true!!!!,” Lydia said. “We never have been [in the IBLP] and never will be. I didn’t even know what that was till a few years ago.”
Lydia may have felt some trepidation about speaking out, but she did it anyway, and it probably didn’t help her relationship with Olivia. The Plath sister-in-law isn’t known for backing down when she’s challenged. She’s a brave person who will share her opinions, no matter what people think of them. So, Lydia showed a new side of herself when she went after Olivia publicly. That villain move didn’t match her demure image.
7Lydia Resented Olivia For Taking Her Favorite Brother Ethan Away
Onscreen, Lydia’s made it clear that she dotes on Ethan. It’s easy to see why she thinks so highly of him, as he’s generally very gentle and polite. Since she’s had to deal with Kim and Barry’s histrionics for so long, Ethan may seem like a soothing presence. However, it could be argued that Lydia should keep that kind of resentment hidden. It’s not smart to show her hand that way while the cameras are rolling. When she does, it seems to point to problems between her and Olivia. Since Lydia’s image is about being nice, letting her jealousy seep out makes her seem bitter, rather than sweet.
Olivia and Ethan are rumored to be having difficulties in their marriage, and if they’ve secretly split, but haven’t announced it yet, it’s possible that tension between Olivia and Ethan’s relatives pushed them to cut the cord. In Welcome to Plathville season 5, Ethan’s said that he feels like he’s, “caught in the middle.” He’s bothered by the clashes, and through the seasons, he’s become more irritable. That’s understandable, but when Lydia shows her envy, it may hurt her brother. He needs people around him who support his relationship, and if Lydia can’t do that, she’s failing him.
6Lydia’s Devoutness Seems Exaggerated Sometimes
Lydia’s all about Jesus, and she’s gotten pretty dramatic when it comes to how she expresses her faith. The prayer closet she used to disappear into is just one example. That tiny nook was where Lydia prayed aloud, asking Jesus to protect her family. On the one hand, it was moving, but on the other hand, it seemed a bit contrived. Prayer isn’t always a private thing, but when a prayer closet’s in the mix, the assumption is that prayer should be a quiet and personal thing. With her, it often seems more like theater. In the post above, Lydia gets celestial by gazing heavenward, but the overall vibe’s a little corny.
Online, she’s also very open about her faith, and there’s nothing wrong with that. The only issue is that she’s using those faith-based posts to gain clout. While most people probably wouldn’t consider Lydia a clout chaser, she’s actually marketing herself fairly aggressively on Instagram. Intentionally or not, Christianity’s part of her personal brand. There’s always the chance that it’s intentional. She’s using her faith to make money, or trying to, as Lydia’s touting an upcoming track, “I’ll Carry You,” which celebrates her faith.
5She Supported The Status Quo In Kim & Barry’s Household
As one of the chief defenders of the faith in Kim and Barry’s household, Lydia upheld some sketchy rules. For example, to keep them ultra-pure, the Plath kids were basically cut off from modern society. Trapped in rural Cairo, Georgia, they couldn’t surf the Web without supervision, were denied sweet treats, and had to have any social connections that they could scrounge up pre-approved. When Lydia tried to text a boy, she learned the hard way that nothing is private.
Since she’s been frustrated by her parent’s Draconian rules, it’s possible that she shouldn’t be supporting them at all. There are younger Plath kids who are living under those restrictions. In the future, they may find it hard to bloom because they never learned about real life. Ethan struggled to adapt to the modern world, and his younger siblings may have the same experience.
While it’s obvious that she’s a very loyal person who tries valiantly to please her parents, it’s quite possible that Kim and Barry are making serious parenting mistakes. Kim and Barry both had normal upbringings. For example, Kim was able to party at college. Barry got a traditional education that led to a good job in the transportation industry. In contrast, the education provided to the Plath children has been questioned. Is their homeschooling really preparing them for what lies ahead? It seems like Kim and Barry want to keep their children in a bubble, rather than letting them soar.
4Lydia Doesn’t Appreciate Rebellion (Moriah’s The Black Sheep)
In her role as the obedient Plath kid, Olivia misses out on some things that wild child Moriah gets to experience. While Lydia’s branching out, and even went on a road trip recently, she isn’t able to enjoy the sense of freedom that comes from breaking rules. While every rule shouldn’t be broken, it’s safe to say that some of Kim and Barry’s regulations should be ignored.
If no one in the Plath family rebelled, would they be able to become their best selves? Probably not. For example, Micah Plath started a modeling career. During gigs, he posed provocatively with women, and was sometimes shirtless. Obviously, Kim and Barry don’t want him to pose that way.
He does it anyway, and now, he’s quite successful. He broke the rules that hindered his personal development, choosing himself over Kim and Barry’s “utopia.” That was a smart move. Moriah has hit more turbulence as she tries to find herself. Her rebellion was necessary, but the journey’s been tough at times. In the new season, she talked with Barry about living with depression. That’s very sad, but before Moriah began to experiment with life, she was also very unhappy.
Will Lydia ever truly rebel? It’s possible, but more likely that she’ll stay in her lane. She seems comfortable with many aspects of Kim and Barry’s “old rules.” Even Kim isn’t following those rules anymore. Kim’s actually rebelling, and someday, Lydia may want to follow in her footsteps. Without taking chances, she may not realize her true potential. While Kim went too far, ending up with a DUI arrest, Lydia’s very sensible, so she could possibly rebel without negative repercussions.
3Lydia Doesn’t Like Compliments
Lydia’s grown up in a big family, but she’s still uncomfortable when she gets compliments. This is somewhat strange, as a compliment is positive energy from another person. It’s supposed to be uplifting. It seems a bit shady that Lydia wants people to stop complimenting her. It appears to be an attempt to look humble and holier-than-thou. She seems quite confident on Instagram, so perhaps there’s a bit of false modesty in play.
Humility is great, but people should be able to receive affection from others, in the form of compliments, without getting peeved. If no one complimented anyone else, what kind of world would it be? Life would be much drearier. Lydia may benefit from changing her mindset about positive comments. They’re designed to make her feel good, rather than making her uncomfortable. In particular, truly sincere compliments should be greeted with enthusiasm. Why make the giver of the compliment feel bad because they’re too demonstrative? It doesn’t make any sense. When warmth is given, it should be returned.
2Lydia Wanted To Hang Out With Max After & He & Moriah Broke Up
Lydia seemed to break “girl code” when she asked Moriah if she could hang out with Welcome to Plathville‘s Max Kallschmidt following their breakup. At that point, that request was probably the last thing that Moriah wanted to hear. She might have perceived it as a betrayal. Also, it appeared to have some shady undertones. It seemed like Lydia might be romantically interested in her sister’s ex. While that may not be true, it didn’t send the most positive message.
At that point, Moriah was fragile. She needed someone to lean on, rather than a sibling who wanted to enjoy good times with her former flame. Max reportedly cheated on Moriah, so her post-split emotions were very raw and close to the surface. Lydia’s request probably made her feel bad, as though her sister was taking her ex’s side. It was just tacky in general.
Lydia was quite young then, and it’s not a bad thing that she bonded with Max. However, the timing of her request was terrible. It was like pouring salt in a wound. Hopefully, at this stage, Lydia’s grown up, and knows better than to do something like that. Her desire to hang out with Max at such a difficult time in her sister’s life showed a darker side.
1Lydia Seems Saccharine Sweet
Sometimes, people who appear ultra-sweet are anything but. While Welcome to Plathville season 5’s Lydia may not be one of those people, there are hints that she can be just as bold and self-absorbed as her mother, Kim. Hopefully, Lydia won’t go full “dark side,” as another Kim’s probably not what the world needs.
Kim can be very antagonistic indeed. The Welcome to Plathville matriarch puts herself first very often, and she has trouble understanding the feelings of her children. For example, with Ethan, she was quite cruel. He loved Olivia, and Kim made her daughter-in-law’s life almost unbearable. That was unnecessary, and now, reality TV show star Olivia’s feuding with most of the family.