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When Jill Duggar’s husband, Derick Dillard, joined the Marines, their entire family began a journey to a different way of living on an Army base. Eventually, Jill will adapt, but for now, there is a big learning curve that people see her struggling to get over as a hashtag Marine Corps wife. Though she seems to be doing just fine, generously using those hashtags.
In an Instagram post from Derick’s direst Marine Corps ball, Jill is wearing a dress that internet critics don’t think is nearly formal enough. So they took to Reddit to discuss Jill’s dress choice. And her hair. Oh yeah, and how much Derick’s physical appearance has changed since he began basic training.
Jill Duggar posted photos from Derick Dillard’s first Marine Corps ball.
After Jill and Derick moved their family from Arkansas across the country so Derick could train and then begin his career as an Army JAG officer, their life changed dramatically. They now live on a base, and in November 2026, Jill and Dwrick attended their first ever Marine Corps ball, which takes place every year on or around Nov. 10 of that year.
Jill posted photos from the event, which she and Derick attended without their kids.
She wrote in the caption, “Happy 251st to the Marine Corps! I was honored to attend my first ball with my favorite Marine.”
It was the first of many formal events that Jill and Derick will attend as he serves in the Marines, and people are hopeful that Jill will learn about the dress code, which includes guidelines of formal evening gowns for women attending the event.
Jill Duggar’s Marine Corps ball gown was less of a ball gown and more of a maxi dress.
In the photos, Jill’s dress for the Marine Corps ball is a simple black dress that falls to her feet. But it is missing a lot of the flashiness you might expect from the wife of a Marine attending the yearly event. On Reddit, users made sure to point out the fashion flub.
“I think this is the most casual ball dress I’ve ever seen lol (as someone who used to attend),” a user wrote in the post.
Someone responded, “The way I came over here to look for someone saying this! The dress is so painfully casual I almost feel bad that no one told her what to wear.”
“She did NOT understand the assignment,” another user commented.
“There’s so few opportunities to wear a ball gown in your life, so I genuinely do not understand this dress choice at all,” a Redditor added. “I would be chomping at the bit to wear a beautiful, formal ball gown.”
And even under Jill’s Instagram post, fans wondered what she was thinking,
One person commented, “Girl, next year you have to pretend it’s the prom you never had and go all out with the dress, makeup, and hair!!”
Jinger and Amy Duggar commented on Jill Duggar’s post.
Internet strangers might not be inclined to sing Jill praises for her outfit choice, but sister Jinger Duggar and cousin Amy Duggar commented on the Instagram post to do just that. Jinger wrote that both Derick and Jill look “so classy,” while Amy commented, “Love seeing you both so happy! This move was so good for you though miss you tons!”
And for Jill, the dress is a lot more formal than what she is used to wearing. Before now, the extent of a formal event for Jill and Derick would have been an anniversary outing where they had dinner or lunch at a restaurant without their three kids present. And hey, there’s always next year for Jill to gussy it up more.
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