The narrative regarding Jinger Duggar’s decision to wear pants in defiance of her family’s dress code usually goes something like this:
Jinger married Jeremy Vuolo, and like a wizard granting freedom to a house elf, he gave her the gift of liberty in the form of an article of clothing.
Jeremy allowed Jinger to wear pants as a sort of public but extremely mild eff-you to her domineering dad.
Or at least that’s the story we’ve been told up to this point.
But perhaps Jinger earned her rebel cred much earlier than anyone thought.
And perhaps she didn’t need the help of a man to assert her independence.
The photo below first appeared on social media in 2017.
But eagle-eyed fans recently noted that it was taken in 2015!
Yes, that’s Jinger wearing pants months before her courtship with Jeremy began.
And second from left? That’s Joy-Anna Duggar — who’s also wearing pants!
Granted, these are snow pants we’re talking about, and the ladies are clearly about to embark on some sort of wilderness expedition.
But for most of their upbringing, the “no pants” rule was inflexible.
Women were forced to wear long skirts at all times, even while playing sports or engaging in other outdoor activities, as evidenced by video in which Joy-Anna lifts weights in a floor-length skirt.
So the revelation that exceptions were made is rather surprising.
The above photo appeared on Jinger’s Instagram page earlier this week.
As you can see, she’s proudly rocking both pants and a sizable baby bump.
Fans have had nothing but praise for both the pic and Jinger’s rebellious spirit:
“I love how she is just always herself and doesn’t conform to others’ orders — for example, the pants. #strong #blessed, ” one fan wrote on Instagram.
“You look so beautiful, @jingervuolo — even in your pants. I’m glad to see that you’re being the person I always knew you would grow up to be, your own person,” commented another.
Something tells us Jinger will soon be the most free-spirited mother the Duggar clan has ever seen.
Watch Counting On online for more from reality TV’s most controversial family.
