S09.E07: Duggar Girls Go Glam

[abseedee]

When they were discussing the alteration, Jana said they could shorten the straps to raise the neckline. This moved the waist from natural to kind of "empire" where the ugly brown belts sat just under the bust. The sleeves weren't bad but the additions layers totally ruined the flare of the skirt. I was surprised when Jana said she could do the modifications with one extra dress. I wonder if the white piece at the bottom is a fundie trend with teens who want to wear "normal" clothes and stick to the rules. We've seen a couple of these panels on Jessa's Forever 21-type skirts.

The whole dress thing is ridiculous. Going to that much trouble to alter a cheap dress.Lots of options out there that would meet their standards. It's just another attempt to flaunt the exceptionally godly Duggar modesty.

Shortening the straps also shortened the length of the hemline from just above the knee to mid thigh so more fabric was needed at the bottom.  I don't think one extra dress would have been enough for that extra green panel on the bottom.

 

I think what would have been better was if they bought one size larger and then taken in on the sides.  The neckline didn't look like it was raised too much so an inch width or less of a biased strip could have been added.  Lol, like the type they have on T shirt necklines, but then I don't think the dress would have looked like one anyway.

 

Still a lot of work but the end result would have been better.  I liked the width of the panels on Hannie's dress and I think that was the original intent for the bridesmaid dresses.  Too bad it didn't work out that way. 

Edited October 4, 2014 by abseedee

[truthtalk2014]

Or why not just buy this and not make poor Janderella slave for days.  Oh wait- she would still have to add the modesty panel at the bottom- but still.  

 

[anstar]

. She's had enough opportunity to get out on her own if that's what she wants. If she's going to stick around she might as well help out her family.

In their religion (cult), and the way she's been raised since birth, she's had no opportunity at all to get out on her own. "Children" are under the authority of their parents (read: father) until they marry, and that goes for both boys and girls.  Jana will be allowed to move out when she gets married and not one minute before. If she rebels and leaves on her own, she will be completely cut off from everyone else in her family.  Shunned, in essence.  She wouldn't be allowed any contact with her siblings until/unless she repented and came home.  And as far as "she might as well help out her family" the poor thing has done nothing but help out her family since she could lift a baby to her hip and operate a can opener. She has been mother/teacher/cook/maid/secretary/slave all her life.

[truthtalk2014]

It's funny that this is all coming out because when I was watching the epi I had the feeling that dress didn't come from that store. 

Bitterapple you deserve an award for this ! I think we should all commission an oscar with a mullet - made of second hand shoes for times likes this!  LOL  

Edited October 5, 2014 by truthtalk2014

[ranchgirl]

Those nude little heels in the picture that truthtalk2014 posted above look so much nicer than all those clunky "natural" color shoes the bridesmaids wore. 

 

Jill said her colors were teal, peach and accents of gray .... but the bridesmaids had  white in the hem and then the brown belt and shoe accents.   

 

And the alterations to that dress shown in the store had to have been extensive.  Adding to the neckline, + sleeve and hem x 6.  Poor Jana. 

Edited October 5, 2014 by ranchgirl

[GEML]

I find the whole theme of "Anna is stupid" ridiculous since it's pretty clear she is quite able to handle things fine. I wonder how much of these stories might be driven by fan type communications.

[BradandJanet]

Or why not just buy this and not make poor Janderella slave for days.  Oh wait- she would still have to add the modesty panel at the bottom- but still.  

 

The dress in the photo wouldn't provide MEchelle enough reason to wail about modesty or Jim Bob a chance to spend as little money as possible.

 

Anyway, I'd hate to see a nice dress sacrificed to fulfill Jill's shabby chic wedding vision.

[Barb23]

Floridamom - I was thinking the same as you earlier today about why does TLC or the Duggars think their audience is so stupid not to pick up on all their idiosyncrasies ? Ex: bridesmaid dresses, episodes out of time order, all the "healthy" food, their modesty/courting rules being said over & over, the pop ups that give wrong info, they have to visit stores/businesses that are supposed to be friends that aren't, etc.

[Panders]

I still don't understand how they were able to raise the neckline and add sleeves.. Jana must be some seamstress if she did it because the top of the dress doesn't look altered to me. I would expect it to look more obvious in the pictures. The bottom is a disaster though. And no way that dress would come in Hannie's size so they didn't even need to add the double lace layer and the white thing but guess they wanted it to look consistent. The whole thing is fishy

Edited October 5, 2014 by Panders

[BradandJanet]

I still don't understand how they were able to raise the neckline and add sleeves.. Jana must be some seamstress if she did it because the top of the dress doesn't look altered to me. I would expect it to look more obvious in the pictures. The bottom is a disaster though. And no way that dress would come in Hannie's size so they didn't even need to add the double lace layer and the white thing but guess they wanted it to look consistent. The whole thing is fishy

If the original dress had darts, the top couldn't be raised. Without seeing the dresses close up, it's hard to know what was done. The only certain alteration is the addition of the sloppy white panel. However, there was a comment at the dress shop about buying an extra dress for fabric. Wherever the dresses came from, I suspect the Duggars didn't spend a lot on them. The fabric looks thin and limp and the lace has no luster. Such a mystery to ponder. I really need to get out of the house more. 

[WTFFF]

 

Floridamom - I was thinking the same as you earlier today about why does TLC or the Duggars think their audience is so stupid not to pick up on all their idiosyncrasies

 

Because their actual fans are willing to overlook those things, justify them, explain them away or just plain insist they don't exist. 

 

Actual Duggar fans are more bizarre to me than the Duggars themselves. 

[starfire]

andromeda331, on 01 Oct 2014 - 12:34 PM, said:

Not to mention every time she dares to admit being unhappy she gets sent off to be reprogrammed. It must really suck for her especially when she sees her sisters getting away with doing nothing. She was the only one sewing at the tea party. Jessa could have helped but you know who also could have helped. The bride. Its her wedding, put down the snacks and pick up a needle. The only way my sister ever would have gotten me to help with that much work would be if she was right their along side me sewing away. 

 

 

I do have a general question, do people really feed kids that young squash? Do kids that young actually eat it? 

 

I have read that Jana sometimes is a teacher/group leader at Journey to the Heart. Does that mean that sometimes when she is naughty (according to Duggar standards) she is sent there to be re-programmed and when she has been good she sometimes goes to be a programmer herself? The weirdness never ends.

[NikSac]

I was surprised when Jana said she could do the modifications with one extra dress.

 

Maybe I heard it wrong, and I already deleted it so can't rewatch to see, but I thought Jana said a "couple" or a "few" extra dresses and then Jill or someone else said they bought "one" extra dress. I remember it jumped out at me because it made me even more ticked off on Jana's behalf - she said she needed a couple or a few, but no, she gets ONE and was expected to do all the alterations with that even though several other girls can sew. Did anyone else hear this? 

[GEML]

I really don't think you can take one person's story as the "truth" in anyone of these things. Insisting that they bought 1 dress or that Jana had to sit there doing all of the work while everyone had snacks is naive when we know that the dress did NOT come the way the filming was set up and the dresses were NOT bought at the store where the sisters were shopping.

There is a script. They are following a script. The general story is "true" - Jill does get married, they did wear those dresses and they were altered, likely by Jana - but don't believe any details. The talking heads are scripted, the little scenes are set up.

[BradandJanet]

I really don't think you can take one person's story as the "truth" in anyone of these things. Insisting that they bought 1 dress or that Jana had to sit there doing all of the work while everyone had snacks is naive when we know that the dress did NOT come the way the filming was set up and the dresses were NOT bought at the store where the sisters were shopping.

There is a script. They are following a script. The general story is "true" - Jill does get married, they did wear those dresses and they were altered, likely by Jana - but don't believe any details. The talking heads are scripted, the little scenes are set up.

Indeed. If they were just about any other TV family, I would just dismiss them as scripted TV nonsense. But they are the Duggars--the preachy, self-righteous family on a mission to bring the rest of us to the truth. If you set yourself to higher standards than everyone else, then you have to walk the walk.  Although I feel sorry for the children, I have no problem snarking on these pompous, clueless, hypocritical money-makers. 

[GEML]

But the thing is, I don't think they want to bring us to the truth. Maybe at one time they wanted that, but I'm skeptical. I think what they like most is thinking of themselves as better than everyone else. If they converted us, how unpleasant it would be that they couldn't feel superior any more.

[floridamom]

Who doesn't know how to sautee' fresh vegetables in olive oil, salt and pepper? How basic can you get? Anna, what have you been doing these past 6 years in the kitchen?

[BradandJanet]

But the thing is, I don't think they want to bring us to the truth. Maybe at one time they wanted that, but I'm skeptical. I think what they like most is thinking of themselves as better than everyone else. If they converted us, how unpleasant it would be that they couldn't feel superior any more.

 

I like your reasoning, GEML, but there's nothing better to fuel hubris than to believe you possess the "truth." I guess it doesn't hurt that they Duggars are rewarded with a TV show and legions of adoring minions.

[Barb23]

Who doesn't know how to sautee' fresh vegetables in olive oil, salt and pepper? How basic can you get? Anna, what have you been doing these past 6 years in the kitchen?

They actually have the nutritionist's recipes on the Duggar family blog site. Do we really need a recipe to stick chunks of fruit & a meatball on a skewer? Or to saute veggies?

[GEML]

there's nothing better to fuel hubris than to believe you possess the "truth.".

Oh, I'm quite sure that they believe they possess it, but I'm skeptical that for all their talk of "encouragement" that they really want to bring that truth to us. They are fundamentalists, not evangelicals, which is a bit of a difference. One culturally actively converts, one believes in sharing their message, but is more about a ministry based upon their lives and actions and the person on the outside coming to them, not them coming to you. Both have strengths and weaknesses.

The trouble with the Duggars is that I don't believe any longer that many or most of them even care if they do anything for others at all. I think some of them genuinely used to, and at their best moments I think occasionally at least some of them still do. But between the Gothard isolation and their own rise to media star I think that they have gained a lot of the world and lost lot of their own souls in the process.

So do they believe they posses the truth? Oh yes. But oddly, despite the continual exposure, I believe they have hidden it so well that it is now hidden from even themselves - everything except the comfortable feeling that they have something that no one else can every have.

[lottiedottie]

They actually have the nutritionist's recipes on the Duggar family blog site. Do we really need a recipe to stick chunks of fruit & a meatball on a skewer? Or to saute veggies?

I was kind of grossed out at the idea of a meat and fruit kebab. Veggies and meat--totally fine. Heck, you could even throw some pineapple on there. But cantaloupe or anything like that with a meat ball? Blech.

[BitterApple]

They actually have the nutritionist's recipes on the Duggar family blog site. Do we really need a recipe to stick chunks of fruit & a meatball on a skewer? Or to saute veggies?

It reminds me of Rachel Ray's recipe for microwave bacon on the Food Network site. The internet snarkers had a good laugh over that one!

[mimionthebeach]

I was kind of grossed out at the idea of a meat and fruit kebab. Veggies and meat--totally fine. Heck, you could even throw some pineapple on there. But cantaloupe or anything like that with a meat ball? Blech.

No, cantaloupe goes with prosciutto not meatballs.

[GEML]

I eat all kinds of fruits mixed with different meat on pizza, (another good way to introduce kids to new foods) so it didn't bother me at all.

[truthtalk2014]

I eat all kinds of fruits mixed with different meat on pizza, (another good way to introduce kids to new foods) so it didn't bother me at all.

Not to sound mean, but that sound horrible. I'm picturing melon balls mixed with sausage on a pizza crust.  

[GEML]

LOL - not melon balls. But once you move away from red sauce, you'd be surprised what you can put on a pizza!

[TobyBelle]

Nutella with strawberries and bananas pizza! :)

[lottiedottie]

I eat all kinds of fruits mixed with different meat on pizza, (another good way to introduce kids to new foods) so it didn't bother me at all.

Admittedly, I am a picky eater, so most people probably wouldn't  be bothered by the meat/fruit kebabs.

 

re: Pizza--pineapple on a pizza is an abomination, and anyone who disagrees is WRONG (she says, jokingly)!

[Catlyn]

Shortening the straps also shortened the length of the hemline from just above the knee to mid thigh so more fabric was needed at the bottom.  I don't think one extra dress would have been enough for that extra green panel on the bottom.

If the original dress had darts, the top couldn't be raised. Without seeing the dresses close up, it's hard to know what was done. The only certain alteration is the addition of the sloppy white panel. However, there was a comment at the dress shop about buying an extra dress for fabric. Wherever the dresses came from, I suspect the Duggars didn't spend a lot on them. The fabric looks thin and limp and the lace has no luster. Such a mystery to ponder. I really need to get out of the house more.

 

Seeing the dress now, I can see how the alterations could have been made, but it probably took at least two dresses. You could have easily cut the skirt for the flounce and that's why the older girls dresses were taken in and not flared. (Which would give the fabric for the small capped sleeve). The first flounce cut would go to Johanna's dress which stayed flared and some of the top of the dress worked for her sleeve. It wouldn't take much fabric for the capped sleeve. The fabric looks like the stretchy kind of lace you see on t-shirts type tops. It's really a cheap fabric and doesn't really hold it's shape for longer styles. I don't think it's easy to sew on a regular sewing machine either (You can, but since it's a lightweight and lacy it's not easy). It's a stretch knit so it would have been better to use a serger. But I don't think the Duggar girls have had that much practice in using that kind of fabric.  Those dresses should also have steamed or pressed because something looks off about the way they hang.

[GEML]

And I still can't help but think they did the two panels and thought it was all right, and then someone, perhaps Michelle, insisted they weren't modest enough and made them go back and add on, ruining what was left of any line that was left. Because either alternating green/white/green or doing three tiers of green would have both looked do much better than the white tacked on layer they ended up with.

[drafan]

 Because either alternating green/white/green or doing three tiers of green would have both looked do much better than the white tacked on layer they ended up with.

Jill's Pinterest had a modesty slip-type extender on it. I bet the thing underneath was a slip, but of course, the Duggars didn't buy the nicer one she pinned....they probably bought Walmart slips in the old-lady department.

 

I think the "Jana is slaving" edit was JB trying to 'sell' her to the fundie guys out there. Gross.

[Missmissie173]

That "flying V" formation done in slowmo of the J-Slaves coming out of the salon after having their make-up and do's done really cracked me up. Reminded me of the Mob Wives opening (only in Tontitown not Staten Island and modest too)!

Jill looks all "I can mess up a bitch..." so don't make me use this bible! HA.

I would love to see MEchelle with short, stylish hair and a conservative business pants suit on. I think she could be a very pretty lady with out the 80's perm and the grab bag clothes.

Can you imagine if that sausage perm hair stays that way? What will it look like in ten years when she is 60? So sad.

[floridamom]

Sorry, folks, but I think "Duggar Girls Go Glam" is an oxymoron... It looked more like Duggar Girls Go 1970 Country Music Stars! Those hairstyles and make up were awful. I wouldn't step within a mile of that salon and let those ladies near me with a curling iron or eyeliner pencil!

[Higgins]

Floridamom - I was thinking the same as you earlier today about why does TLC or the Duggars think their audience is so stupid not to pick up on all their idiosyncrasies ? Ex: bridesmaid dresses, episodes out of time order, all the "healthy" food, their modesty/courting rules being said over & over, the pop ups that give wrong info, they have to visit stores/businesses that are supposed to be friends that aren't, etc.

This is all producer shenanigans. The Duggars have very little to do with this stuff.

 

That "flying V" formation done in slowmo of the J-Slaves coming out of the salon after having their make-up and do's done really cracked me up. Reminded me of the Mob Wives opening (only in Tontitown not Staten Island and modest too)!

Jill looks all "I can mess up a bitch..." so don't make me use this bible! HA.

I would love to see MEchelle with short, stylish hair and a conservative business pants suit on. I think she could be a very pretty lady with out the 80's perm and the grab bag clothes.

Can you imagine if that sausage perm hair stays that way? What will it look like in ten years when she is 60? So sad.

I Don't think hair needs to be short to be stylish. She could blow dry it with a round brush with some long layers and it would look great.