The Duggars have been scrutinized and criticized many times throughout their years in the spotlight, sometimes for very good reason, and sometimes because those very good reasons have put the public on high alert for the slightest sign that something is amiss.
In the 19 months since news of the Josh Duggar sex scandals went public, the family’s every social media post has been dissected by skeptical followers in search of indications that Jim Bob and Michelle’s many, many children are still being mistreated.
The latest possible sign of trouble involves one of the couple’s lesser-talked-about kids – 11-year-old Johannah:
As you can see, Johannah appears to have suffered some sort of minor injury not long before this photo was taken.
The image was posted on Instagram by Johannah’s older sister Jill in celebration of her birthday back in October.
Jill made no mention of the sores on Johannah’s forehead in her caption, but many fans expressed concerns in the comments section.
The matter was mostly forgotten until last week, when a new photo of Johannah showed that the mysterious marks have not yet healed.
The above image was posted on the family’s official Facebook page, causing Duggar fans to speculated about the cause of the mysterious marks.
Comments included:
“Those red dots have been there for awhile so it’s not a bruise, acne, or stitches I’ve never seen anything like that.”
“Is Johannah ok? Anytime I see a picture of her lately, she has what appear to be injuries on her forehead.”
“Johanna had similar sores on her forehead in her birthday photos over two months ago. Time to see the doctor.”
Many have suggested that this another case of the Duggars ignoring a serious problem because they have more children than they’re able to properly care for.
It’s not the first time that the Duggars have been accused of neglect, and they’re handling the same way they have in the past – by completely ignoring it.
As the oldest of the Duggar girls who are still minors, perhaps it was inevitable that Johannah’s welfare would become a topic of interest to fans.
It’s possible that this is nothing more than en extreme overreaction to a very minor problem.
But it’s also possible that there’s legitimate cause to be concerned about Johannah.