Growing up in the Duggar family meant following the strict rules of their family’s ultra-conservative religion, the Institute in Basic Life Principles. That means when someone started living their life differently, it was a big deal, and even though Jinger Duggar has since left the IBLP, she’s now admitting she once had some pretty strong reactions to those who decided to break the rules.
Jinger opened up about following the IBLP’s rules.
The topic came up when Joy-Anna appeared on The Jinger & Jeremy Podcast again this week. As she, Jinger, and Jinger’s husband, Jeremy Vuolo, talked about the standards of modesty the Duggar kids grew up under, Jinger admitted that it felt “normal” to follow their dress code â inside their world, it was what everyone did.
âYou kind of start to not think twice about it until you are surrounded with other people who are conducting their lives differently ⊠and then thatâs something where you start to think more about, âOK, why do I do what I do?’â she said.
Someone making the choice to wear pants once threw Jinger for a big loop.
Joy agreed that it was a “big deal” when someone in their community would start wearing pants even though under the IBLP, women are supposed to wear long skirts and dresses only.
“To me, it was a big deal when somebody that always wore skirts started wearing pants,” Joy-Anna said. “Then I was like, âOh, well they know better.â”
For Jinger, it was a bit more emotional. “I remember when a couple close friends started wearing pants and I was, like, so brokenhearted over it,â she said. âI remember crying over one friend just thinking, âWhy are they doing that?â Without even asking or hearing them out as to why.â
Joy-Anna pointed out that she didn’t let dresses hold her back as a kid.
 “If I wanted to ride a bike, if I wanted to do anything, I could,” she said on the podcast, adding that she doesn’t have any regrets. “I know everybodyâs different, but for me, wearing pants wasnât that big of a pressure, I guess.”
It was also a big deal when Jinger decided to stop following the family’s dress code years ago.
During an appearance on the Unplanned podcast last year, Jinger shared what happened when she approached parents Jim Bob and Michelle to tell them that she had decided to start wearing pants.
âI think the big thing is just because we are in the public eye, I knew that there was gonna be so much that would blow up,â she said on the podcast. “If itâs a paparazzi photo while we are out thatâs taken, âOK that happens all the time, so letâs just be ready for it.â Iâm just gonna tell them and then that way they know and they know it came from a heart of, âHey, this is what I feel convicted of or donât anymore.â And they can just know from my heart and then weâll move on.”
