Thanks, I Hate It

Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar expected to be looped in on all major life decisions for their adult decisions, including the decision to wear pants. Jinger told her parents about her plans, Jill did not.

Published on October 4, 2023

Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar’s adult daughters have opted to toss out the family’s strict, modest dress rules. Instead of wearing strictly skirts, they have decided to wear pants. Jinger Vuolo was the first to make the move, but Jill Dillard revealed in her new book, Counting the Cost, that she was the family member iced out for her decision to wear pants. There was apparently a reason for that. Jinger allegedly didn’t receive the same treatment because she first cleared her plan with her parents. 

Jill Dillard said her parents criticized her for wearing pants

The tension between Jim Bob Duggar and the Dillard family ramped up in 2017 when the couple opted to stop filming for the family’s show, Counting On. While the couple has always said they decided to step away from filming, not family life, the two seemed to intersect for the Duggars. That isn’t the only issue that led to a rift between Jill and her famous family. 

In her memoir, Jill said her father treated her poorly for several of her decisions, including her style choices. Jill began wearing pants and shorts and decided to pierce her nose. While Jill’s decision to wear pants was met with anger from her parents, she said her sister, Jinger Vuolo, didn’t get the same reaction. There is a reason why. 

Jinger Vuolo didn’t get the same pushback because she asked for permission 

While Jill dealt with a lot of criticism from her parents for her style choices, her sister, Jinger Vuolo, didn’t deal with as much tension. In Counting the Cost, Jill revealed that her parents told her Jinger’s journey to wear pants was easier for them to deal with because she first had a “conversation” with them. Jim Bob told Jill that Jinger had come to them with prepared arguments from the bible to justify her decision. Giving her parents a heads-up saved her from the drama Jill dealt with. 

Still, it doesn’t sound like the choice was exactly smooth sailing. Jeremy Vuolo revealed in a court deposition that he and his wife, Jinger, had a few conversations with Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar about “modesty.” He said they discussed modesty and skirts. Still, he didn’t mention Jinger mounting a biblical argument for pants.

Clothing choices aren’t the only decisions Jim Bob wanted to be looped in on 

While the decision to wear pants led to tension between Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar and their third child, it isn’t the only decision they expected their adult daughters and sons to loop them in on. In her book Counting the Cost, Jill revealed that Jim Bob expected to be included in all major life decisions. 

She claimed the father of 19 expected to be asked about housing, job, and other major life decisions. In fact, Jill revealed that almost none of her major milestones were reached without Jim Bob influencing them. When she had her first child, Israel Dillard, she had no desire to have the event filmed by TLC. Still, she felt like that was not an option. Israel’s labor was filmed, with only some input from Jill and Derick Dillard. She said that the family was thwarted by Jim Bob when it came to taking other jobs, too. 

While Jill opted not to speak for her siblings, she heavily implied that several siblings faced similar pressure. She did not name names. She also did not reveal which type of life choices they had to pass through Jim Bob first, though. 

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