Counting On star Jessa Duggar Seewald is known outside of television for a series of crafty YouTube videos that cover everything from family moments to DIY projects (and even some orgazination). She recently posted a cool video of updating a changing table to make it more modern for her family, but it wasn’t the brand new color catching peoples’ eyes. It was the fact Jessa Duggar had chosen to wear pants!
This is a bigger deal than it probably seems at first glance. Modern women wear pants the majority of the time, and I’m certainly not trying to shame any ladies for any fashion choices they might make. However, the Duggar family is historically known for preferring skirts on the ladies in the clan. So, seeing Jessa lounging casually in sweatpants is a particularly big change.
You can catch glimpses of the casual wear by checking out the full video.
Wearing a comfy cardigan and cotton tee, Jessa Duggar Seewald explains her “process” for making over furniture before actually working on the changing tables. It’s when she gets to work that we see glimpses of her white drawstring pants, which is certainly a change of pace for the reality star.
It’s so noticeable that the first several comments on the video are things like “I don’t think I’ve seen her in pants” and “I know it’s pjs but I love that [she’s] wearing pants.”
Why is this so unusual? The Duggar parents, Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar, always taught the family to dress modestly, avoiding “low-cut, cleavage showing” tops and tight bottoms, along with choosing skirts that fall “below the knee.” In the book Growing Up Duggar the girls wrote about this and other fashion choices, noting specifically:
It’s okay to enhance or accent whatever beauty God has given us, but we try to be careful not to wear clothes that are too tight or draw attention to the wrong places. But this does not mean we go out dressing frumpy or trying to look formless. Clothes can be cute, trendy and stylish but still entirely modest.
Over time, these restrictions seem to have relaxed a little and we’ve seen at least some of the Duggar girls occasionally wearing pants. In particular, Jinger Duggar Vuolo is often seen rocking pieces that are trendier and pants-oriented.
This was notable when it started and matriarch Michelle Duggar even had to come out and make it clear on Counting On the pants thing was not going to come between her and her daughter[s].
It’s OK that my kids may have different convictions than me. I know that he’s leading them and that’s the most important thing — their walk, their relationship with God. And they really love the Lord. And I can honestly say I can have no greater joy.
Now 27, Jessa Duggar Seewald is married to Ben Seewald and has her own family, complete with a brood of three kids. In her own house, she can totally wear pants if she wants to, but it’s still a rare occasion to see a Duggar, in particular her, without at least slightly more formal wear on.
Speaking of formalwear, Jessa Duggar Seewald is also set to accompany her sister-in-law in an upcoming episode of Say Yes To The Dress: Atlanta.
It's something to look forward to, as right now Counting On is on hiatus. While TLC hasn’t officially renewed the series, it looks like we may be getting Season 11 coming up. We’ll keep you posted if there’s more information on the new seasons as well as if there are any more pants sightings, of course.
