Jessa Duggar recently raised eyebrows by trying to lift weights in an unusual outfit.
In a photo that was posted on the Duggar Family Official Facebook page, Jessa Duggar and Ben Seewald are pictured working out together in what appears to be the home gym that Jim Bob and Josh Duggar set up in one of the family’s storage sheds. Check out the photo below and see if you can guess why it’s causing such a fuss.
The Duggars are often criticized for their modest, sometimes impractical clothing choices because of the beliefs that they represent. According to one of Michelle Duggar’s old TLC posts, women must cover up their bodies because they are responsible for preventing men from thinking sexual thoughts. Michelle encourages her kids to keep covered up “from the neck down to the knee,” and she believes that her daughters are defining themselves as women or girls by only wearing dresses and skirts.
“By keeping those private areas covered, there’s not any ‘defrauding’ going on,” Michelle writes. “My kids are taught the definition of defrauding as stirring up desires that cannot be righteously fulfilled. We don’t believe in defrauding others by the way we dress.”
Jessa Duggar isn’t being accused of defrauding anyone by showing off her post-baby body in the slightly form-fitting outfit above. However, many Facebook commenters aren’t fans of her fashion choice; they think that the Duggar girls should be allowed to break the skirts-only rule whenever they work out, especially since the men who share their beliefs are allowed to wear more practical workout attire.
“How do you work out in a skirt, flats and a long sleeve shirt and he’s in sneakers, shorts and a t-shirt, I suggest a wardrobe change next time for a better workout,” Sheryl Weiksner Gehman wrote.
Other commenters pointed out that doing squats in a tight skirt is probably a difficult feat.
“The skirt is below the knees.. It would pull at the knees and the lower back going down. Can’t see how that is comfortable,” Shana Denning Avery wrote.
However, those who closely follow the Duggars probably weren’t surprised to see Jessa working out in a skirt. Jessa has previously shared a video of her 18-year-old sister, Joy-Anna Duggar , wearing a skirt while parallel squatting 145 pounds. However, Joy-Anna wore a loose-fitting skirt with pants underneath, and she didn’t wear ballet flats with her workout ensemble; she opted for a more practical pair of sneakers.
Speaking of shoes, it’s Jessa Duggar’s choice in footwear, not her stretchy pencil skirt, that is getting the most criticism from the Duggar family’s Facebook followers.
“Working out is such a wonderful thing, I love the feeling… Although, I do suggest she get better shoes… haha! Your feet can seriously end up with some issues as you get older without proper footwear,” Sarah Kaye Bishop wrote of Jessa’s decision to wear ballet flats.
Another commenter pointed out that Jessa’s shoes don’t look like they’d do much to protect her feet from getting smashed by a weight.
“She’ll be crying when those weights fall on her foot and break it because she wasn’t wearing more protective shoes,” Alana Marie wrote.
While Jessa Duggar might have something against sneakers, she’s proved that she’ll break her family’s dress code by wearing shorts in certain situations. While she was pregnant, Jessa went swimming in a long pair of board shorts and a T-shirt instead of rocking one of the modest swimsuits with skirts, leggings, and sleeves that her mother is so fond of.
Jessa Duggar’s husband is seemingly responsible for her focus on fitness. During an interview with E! News , Ben Seewald admitted that his wife suffers from slight body image issues and thinks that she looks fat. However, knowing about Jessa’s body insecurities didn’t stop Ben from pushing Jessa to work out while she was pregnant. In fact, Jessa told People that Ben’s first concern when he found out that she was pregnant was the effect that it would have on her workout routines. He immediately told Jessa that they would have to “adjust them for pregnancy.”
In a Father’s Day Instagram post, Jessa Duggar thanked Ben Seewald for helping her make “good food choices” and encouraging her “to stick with those pregnancy workouts.” Do you think Ben also needs to help his wife make better choices when it comes to what she wears during her workouts, or do you see nothing wrong with Jessa’s attire? Sound off below!
[Image via Jessa Duggar Seewald /Facebook]