There’s a certain irony in this statement:
Jinger Duggar may not wear the pants in her marriage (she’s a Duggar, after all), but she does literally wear them because of her marriage.
Ever since Jinger and Jeremy Vuolo got married last year, she’s been charting a different course than the rest of her married siblings.
First and foremost, she moved. To Texas.
Jeremy is a pastor in the border city of Loredo, and as a result, Jinger has relocated many hours away from her hometown in Arkansas.
The lifestyle change is more than just geographic, too, as fans who follow the duo – they recently opened their own Instagram – know.
Breaking free in the fashion department, photos of Jinger Duggar wearing pants have caused the Internet to lose its collective mind.
Last week, Jinger posted the above photo of herself and her husband, along with Jeremy’s parents who were visiting the newlyweds.
This is just the latest example of a fashion “rebellion” of sorts; Jinger wearing shorts or pants has become a surprisingly common thing.
Why is this noteworthy at all, you may ask?
One of the many things required by the Duggar family – specifically matriarch Michelle – are long dresses or skirts that go all the way down.
Like most restrictions on their impressionable young lives, this is meant to promote modesty and stifle any sexual desires among men.
How men might respond differently to loose-fitting jeans vs. loose-fitting, ankle-length dresses is debatable, but neither here nor there.
The point is that Jeremy Vuolo says she can wear them now, and so she does … and that’s significant on a number of different levels.
Jeremy Vuolo will never be described as an immodest heathen, but he has very different views on this topic than Jim Bob and Michelle.
Vuolo does feel that revealing female outfits fuel men’s sinful thoughts, but at the same time, sees no harm in women wearing pants.
“It is not your liberty, women, to wear sensual, seductive clothing that is designed to draw the attention of your brothers,” he has said.
“It is your liberty,” though, “as to whether you dress modestly with a modest pair of pants, or with a skirt, or with a T-shirt, or with a blouse.”
Jinger’s husband has preached against this kind of legalism in his sermons, saying that despite noble intentions, it’s a tad over the top.
Vuolo believes that the point of the Bible is not to formulate “an army of Christian clones” who all follow the same endless list of rules.
When it comes to what people are allowed to wear, eat, or drink, “Jesus does not save people to make them wear skirts,” Jeremy said.
The 29-year-old also believes that the occasional drink is okay as long as it doesn’t impair one’s judgment (though he no longer partakes).
Jinger’s husband also has a tattoo on the inside of his right arm (which is widely believed to be a Bible verse, obviously, but still, wow).
So basically, he’s a LOT more chill than JBD and MD.
While that’s a breath of fresh air in a sense, some fans are troubled by the idea that Jeremy has to give Jinger permission to do this.
The lingering doubts that we’ll see Joy-Anna Duggar wearing pants for the same reason – Austin Forsyth isn’t a fan – are equally troubling.
Whatever you think of it, the male-dominated culture of the Duggars and their in-laws will be a topic of intense debate for some time.
In any case, it’s safe to say that Jinger is not pregnant right now – or if she is, it just happened, and she hasn’t been hiding a baby bump.
Many fans thought she might be carrying her first kid based on some of her recent fashion choices, but she still looks very, very small.
If and when that day comes, we’ll be very interested to see if the expectant Jinger channels some of Jessa Duggar’s pregnancy style.
Which, some members of Duggar Nation have frequently commented, is considerably less modest than you might expect from her.
Check out some of the pics below and see:
