If you know anything about them, you’re probably familiar with the three central tenets of the Duggar family:
1. Women are put on this planet for the sole purpose of making babies.
2. Sex is an invention of the Devil, and a sadly necessary part of the procreation process.
3. The best way for women to ensure they don’t inspire any impure thoughts in men is to wrap themselves in an excessive amount of fabric at all times.
But despite the Duggars’, um … somewhat conservative views on sex and fashion, the the first ladies of Tontitown sometimes let loose with styles that would curl the beard of the most godly elder in Amish Country.
See what we mean in the gallery below:
Joy-Anna Shows Some Knee
The Duggar gals typically favor floor-length skirts, but as you can see, Joy-Anna’s denim seems to stop just above the knee in this photo. Scandalous!
Ankles Ahoy!
It’s more calves than a cattle ranch as the Duggar ladies line up on what we can only assume was a blisteringly hot day. It’s almosy enough to distract us from our questions about what might be living inside Derick’s beard. Almost.
Jill at Jessa’s Wedding
Did somebody say bare shoulders? Okay, not quite “bare,” but with the almost flesh-colored fabric that Jessa Duggar chose for her bridesmaids dresses, you could’ve fooled us at 40 paces!
The Swimsuit Issue
Speaking of almost bare-shoulders, here’s Jill at the beach in El Salvador. The t-shirt pic protects you from both sunburn and unwittingly arousing the locals.
Jessa and Ben Poolside
As you can see, t-shirts seem to be the only approved swimwear. We’re actually okay with that. We’re fans of normalizing shirts-as-swimwear for reasons that have nothing to do with our lack of six-pack abs.
Jinger Duggar: Fashion Rebel
Ever since she married Jeremy Vuolo, Jinger Duggar has started wearing shorts. Shorts, people! We might officially be living in the Upside Down.
Jessa Duggar and Bridesmaids
Jessa’s bridemaids wore skirts that didn’t reach all the way to the floor. Someone call LeBron because we found the rest of the calves! (Hey, not all calf puns can be winners.)
Jessa’s Workout Attire
When we say the Duggar girls aren’t allowed to wear pants, we mean the Duggar girls aren’t allowed to wear pants.
Jinger: The Rule-Breaker
Jinger wears pants these days, but only because she was her husband gave her permission. The Duggar girls basically live under Harry Potter house elf rules–they can be granted freedom with an article of clothing.
Joy-Ankles
What’s up with these Duggar gals flaunting their ankles in church? Well, at least it was a Saturday. That’s the devil’s day, anyway.
Joy at the Gym
The Duggar dress code applies to all activities. It’s a bummer for the women in the family, but on the bright side, if you’ve ever wondered what squatting 145 lbs in a skirt looks like, you’re in luck!
Take a Knee
Usually, the rule in the Duggar family is “knees are for praying, not displaying.” But clearly, Jessa and Jana decided to make an exception while on vacation in Texas.
The Right to Bare Arms
You’ll never see an exposed shoulder in a Duggar family photo, but arms are fair game. That is, unless they find out some perv is into elbows or collarbones … then it’s year-round turtlenecks!
Jessa Modesty Meme
Granted, pregnancy is going to make any clothing look tighter on any person, but Jessa’s penchant for espousing her family’s “modest” dress to anyone who will listen doesn’t jibe with her love of snug-fitting maternity clothes – at least not in the eyes of some fans.
Busted! Again!
If you can wear floor-length skirts to the gym, why not on the water? Just asking!
Obscene PDA
Joy-Anna is dressed quite modestly here, but fans called her out for the “obscene” act of sitting on her then-boyfriend’s lap before marriage. Seriously, this was a controversy.
Getting a Leg Up
This photo of Jessa Duggar from a few years ago shows a considerable about of leg and arm … by Jessa Duggar standards.
Fab Five
Are they skirting the rules, so to speak? No, but some are shorter than others.
These Boots Were Made For Walking
The Duggar girls show a little calf with some friends. Fans were scandalized by Joy-Anna’s decision to go barefoot.
Rebel, Rebel
Never one to follow orders, Jinger recently broke protocol by wearing a mini-skirt — while filming an episode of Counting On!
Lauren’s Legs
Josiah Duggar’s bride-to-be, Lauren Swanson, has joined the rebellion by showing more skin than Jim Bob would prefer.
Showing Off
Lauren’s not shy about being photographed while wearing a “short” (by Duggar standards) skirt, likely much to Jim Bob’s chagrin.
Seeing Some Knee
Josiah has long enjoyed a reputation as the family’s biggest rebel, and it seems he’s doubling down by marrying a woman who refuses to follow Jim Bob’s rules.
The Defiant Ones
And from whom did the Duggar women inherit this rebellious spirit? Ironically, from the very person that dreamed up their draconian dress code!
They Got It From Their Mama
Michelle’s daughters addressed the controversy over old cheerleading photos of their mom in their 2015 memoir, Growing Up Duggar. “She had no idea that dancing around in a short skirt in front of a bunch of boys was causing many of them to think sensual thoughts about her and the other cheerleaders,” the Duggar gals write.