Jessa, Ben and Their Brood: Making a (Diaper) Mountain out of a Mold House

[Katydid]

Why in the world can't the Duggar girls do their bump selfies on the actual day each week (I mean, if they really feel the need to do them weekly at all) rather than this "16 weeks and 1 day" business? First Jill did it, now Jessa. Just write "16 weeks" on the board!!! I'm shocked they don't have it down the hour and minute.

Edited May 19, 2015 by Katydid

[JoanArc]

LMAO Oh Mrs. Duggar isn't it past your bed time now? MEChelle: Oh Bin you look sooooo good in your uniform I just want to hang out longer to make sure your safe and pure....you know your going to be a daddy soon....I find that so sexy errrr I mean manly.......

"Slip me a frap, no one will know. Jesus is busy hassling Jana."

[Absolom]

I'm shaking my head over Jessa's style sense heading out the door shortly after announcing her pregnancy.  They can't realize that a woman can still look good even when pregnant.  I can't find modesty in a shirt so sheer that the skirt shows through.  She didn't do that non-pregnant so it seems it's done as one more method to emphasize the bump.  

[Jenniferbug]

I think Jessa looks a normal size for 16 weeks, when she isn't ridiculously arching her back. In the above picture, she looks like what I referred to as "pregnant or fat" during my own pregnancies (that point where you're showing, but not so obviously that people would be sure you're pregnant and not just putting on weight)

Ben's hair is really atrocious.

[GEML]

I think this is where we realize that Jessa doesn't have a sense of style - what she was was a Twiggy type body style that was fortunate to be able to wear many things directly off of the rack. She was making style choices that started from "good" and moving to "better" and "best". And because she was so small, she likely was able to find some good bargains in clothing from outlets and other places that are harder to find if you are a normal size and those are the clothes doing a brisk business in the stores.

That's a very different thing that understanding stylistic principles that you can apply no matter how your body changes - such as are you an hourglass, and apple or pear or straight? Do you have a large, average or small frame? Short torso or long one? Long legs, short legs?

I think the Bates girls are better on these core things, which is why they just look better put together, no matter what their circumstances. They have style - may not always be something we would choose, but it's thought out. I did think Jessa had it, but I think maybe she just looked great in everything she put on because she was an attractive young woman. Now that her body is changing, she's going to have to work a little at it, and I'm not sure anymore if she know what to do any more than any of her sisters.

[yogi2014L]

from p&h.  jessa doesn't look like she's arching her back here so she's not showing much of a bump but she looks like she's gotten wider.  are striped skirts the norm for pregnant duggar girls?  i'm just gonna say it.  that brown top and and green stripe skirt combo is fugly..  aaaaand bin's helmet....i mean hair.  it looks like a bowl cut.

 

 

edited for spelling.

Jessa- ugly outfit, and isn't that top defrauding with the weird ass ruffles right down the boobs?

Ben- your hair is ridiculous. its Jim bob 'bob' . Not cute

Jana- looks really good! I like that top on her. I would wear that top. Jill and Jessa could take some pointers from her on how to look like a grown up. 

Edited May 19, 2015 by yogi2014L

[Ljohnson1987]

Ben looks like he's wearing a toupee. Not a good look for a 20 year old.

[kandinski]

Any spark of difference or hope we may have for them really does vanish as they absorb deeper into the cult,Ben seems the type to do whatever Master Duggar tells him too.

Edited May 19, 2015 by kandinski

[Abstract]

Jessa's "bump" looks more like a food baby in this picture. Baby bumps are not around the stomach!

[dillpickles]

from p&h. jessa doesn't look like she's arching her back here so she's not showing much of a bump but she looks like she's gotten wider. are striped skirts the norm for pregnant duggar girls? i'm just gonna say it. that brown top and and green stripe skirt combo is fugly.. aaaaand bin's helmet....i mean hair. it looks like a bowl cut.

edited for spelling.

Honestly, i think that skirt is their version of sweatpants. I've never been pregnant, but i imagine it gets pretty uncomfortable. They may not want any jeans skirts or anything squeezing them in places, but they just can't walk acaround in loose fitting sweatpants, so they throw on a skirt with a random top and call it a day.

[Literata]

Honestly, i think that skirt is their version of sweatpants.

 

Yes!  I'm wearing a long black one right now (my husband calls it my "Duggar skirt") and I can attest to the fact that it's like wearing my jammies to work. You're exactly right -- these skirts are their sweatpants. IIRC, Anna wore one to exercise class when she was pregnant with Marcus.

Edited May 19, 2015 by Literata

[BitterApple]

I think Erin and Alyssa invested in some nice maternity clothes while the Duggar girls wear regular clothes in larger sizes making themselves look frumpy and disheveled. I have nothing against maxi skirts, but if you're going to wear them throughout your pregnancy, buy a couple cute ones that can be paired with an appropriate top.

Edited May 19, 2015 by BitterApple

[Absolom]

Given their view toward birth control, they should buy nice, classic maternity wear in basic colors and then a few inexpensive accent pieces.  They would look much better and wouldn't have to keep rebuying cheap shirts every time around because they'd stretched them completely out of shape or ripped the seams.

[Skittl1321]

I don't see the problem with Jessa's outfit.  The top doesn't really match the skirt, but she looks fine to me.

[anony mouse]

I don't see the problem with Jessa's outfit. The top doesn't really match the skirt, but she looks fine to me.

Same. It doesn't match but it's not that fug. I see lots of people wearing similar things out and about.

[Fuzzysox]

Is there a photo op every time they go anywhere? They take pictures everywhere with anyone. I guess they can't give up the famewhoring game e.v.e.r.

[Jellybeans]

i loveeee long skirts and cotton tops. its the style in this bohemian town i live in. i think they look just fine but i am not a fan of ruffled boobs.

[Skittl1321]

Is there a photo op every time they go anywhere? They take pictures everywhere with anyone. I guess they can't give up the famewhoring game e.v.e.r.

They are semi-famous. Presumably people are asking to take photos with them.

[trimthatfat]

I'm sure the Duggars get approached often for pictures. I don't think that's famewhoring as much it is being polite.

[CarolMK]

Looks like it's Ben's birthday today. He's finally turned 20, didn't it seem as if he was 19 forever? And since he just got his associate's degree the other day (in political science from what I remember), are there any plans for him to obtain a bachelor's degree? Or is he pursuing becoming a minister now at the education level that he's attained? 

[GEML]

I think if they were standoffish about having their pictures taken we would criticize them for that. One of those issues where you can't win.

If this were Jill, I wouldn't say anything. But Jessa seemed to care so much about how she looked and always looked very, well, NON-bohemian.

[Happyfatchick]

It's the top. It's just bad.

[bybrandy]

Seriously, if they get approached in the store and they won't take a picture they are standoffish and rude.  If they do take a picture they are fame whores.   If you can't win, you might as well try to make the person who recognized you happy.   

[JennyMominFL]

Do they really do AA degrees in Poly Sci? I am about to have my AA, and it's just that, AN AA with no specification. More than half of the credits for and AA degree come from required Gen Ed classes from various disciplines, Maths, Science, Social Science, English etc.  There are some articulated ones, where you state your intended BS major. I would think Poly Sci would just fall under an AA degree. 

Edited May 19, 2015 by JennyMominFL

[BitterApple]

I think the Duggars claimed Bin was 19 long before his actual 19th birthday in order to make the courtship seem slightly less ridiculous. Jessa was 21 dating a boy who was basically a high schooler. In the real world that reeks of desperation. 19 is slightly more palatable for the viewing audience.

[RazzleberryPie]

I don't see the problem with Jessa's outfit.  The top doesn't really match the skirt, but she looks fine to me.

It just looks a size too small and immodest to me. Very tight in the chest and so tight across the stomach, you see her belly button. 

 

I think the Duggars claimed Bin was 19 long before his actual 19th birthday in order to make the courtship seem slightly less ridiculous. Jessa was 21 dating a boy who was basically a high schooler. In the real world that reeks of desperation. 19 is slightly more palatable for the viewing audience.

Yeah, that's weird. A high schooler and a woman old enough to be a 4 year college graduate. While a 3-4 year gap is nothing at say, 30 and 34, at 18 and 21 it's HUGE, especially on levels of maturity. No wonder she was a little standoffish at first (besides all the cameras around), but actually Ben still seems a little more mature than Jessa. I wonder if they though he was interested in Jinger or even Joy, due to the being closer in age, when he first appeared on the scene.

[Fosca]

You can get an A.A. degree in a particular subject (that's recommended), or you can get a Liberal Arts A.A., which may make it difficult to transfer anywhere.  Generally, an A.A. degree is a preliminary degree, a stepping-stone to a B.A. or B.S. degree.  It's not worth much on its own.  And a community college can indeed be a good start; on average our students who transfer earn higher grades as juniors and seniors than those who begin at that particular 4-year school.

 

An A.S., A.A.S., or certificate are terminal degrees; you are ready to go once you graduate.  These are generally the nursing and other health-science related programs, as well as more "vocational" degrees like construction and such. 

 

It's also possible to wear a cord for non-honors reasons; we give them out for people who were in the military, and I think for other reasons as well which escape me at the moment.

 

(I teach at a community college in the South)

[JennyMominFL]

You can get an A.A. degree in a particular subject (that's recommended), or you can get a Liberal Arts A.A., which may make it difficult to transfer anywhere.  Generally, an A.A. degree is a preliminary degree, a stepping-stone to a B.A. or B.S. degree.  It's not worth much on its own.  And a community college can indeed be a good start; on average our students who transfer earn higher grades as juniors and seniors than those who begin at that particular 4-year school.

 

An A.S., A.A.S., or certificate are terminal degrees; you are ready to go once you graduate.  These are generally the nursing and other health-science related programs, as well as more "vocational" degrees like construction and such. 

 

It's also possible to wear a cord for non-honors reasons; we give them out for people who were in the military, and I think for other reasons as well which escape me at the moment.

 

(I teach at a community college in the South)

Maybe you teach at my southern CC.    I just get an AA general studies degree and then with transfer to a Florida State University. I'm about to tranfer to UCF with a 3.9 . I'm military but I don't think my school does cords

[drafan]

Maybe ruffles on a wrinkled top are a secret Fundie sign that you're knocked up.

 

Jana's top actually matches that fug striped skirt on Jezza (how Benjermin says her name)....but together it would be even worse. The light-wash denim skirt on Jana looks like the one from Jezza's selfie from the day before....which people were getting all excited about because they thought it was actual jeans.

 

Benjermin looks like Davy Crockett in his coonskin cap.

 

God, I need a life. Seriously.

[JocelynCavanaugh]

As another community college prof., just wanted to confirm Fosca's comment, right down to the military honor cords! Except, technically, an Associate's of any kind is not a "terminal" degree (that would be the PhD, MFA, etc.), although it can be sufficient training for many careers. 

 

Those striped cotton maxi skirts have been all over the place at J. Crew, GAP, etc. for the past year or so. I've bought a few because they're technically work-appropriate, but yes, pretty much like wearing pajamas to work. I don't blame the pregnant Duggars for stocking up on skirts like that since they're comfortable, "modest" (never mind the VPL), and technically stylish!

[GEML]

I don't mind the maxi skirt or the top. I don't like that it's too small. Even the arms are too small. Women always look heavier and dowdier in clothes that are too small for them, even if the clothes themselves are stylish.

[JocelynCavanaugh]

I wasn't really talking about the fit, just addressing an earlier comment from someone else about how the Duggar girls seem to like striped maxi skirts so much. Guess I should've quoted it.

[Wellfleet]

You can get an A.A. degree in a particular subject (that's recommended), or you can get a Liberal Arts A.A., which may make it difficult to transfer anywhere.  Generally, an A.A. degree is a preliminary degree, a stepping-stone to a B.A. or B.S. degree.  It's not worth much on its own.  And a community college can indeed be a good start; on average our students who transfer earn higher grades as juniors and seniors than those who begin at that particular 4-year school.

 

An A.S., A.A.S., or certificate are terminal degrees; you are ready to go once you graduate.  These are generally the nursing and other health-science related programs, as well as more "vocational" degrees like construction and such. 

 

It's also possible to wear a cord for non-honors reasons; we give them out for people who were in the military, and I think for other reasons as well which escape me at the moment.

 

(I teach at a community college in the South)

 

The RA-resident assistant on my floor senior year wore cords at graduation from the National RA Honor Society, simply for membership - no academic honors involved.

[jcbrown]

 

bin's helmet....i mean hair.  it looks like a bowl cut

I really thought it was a hat. Good grief.

[CofCinci]

Ben's evangelical career will be a causality of Josh's sexual abuse story, unless he speaks out against Josh, which I doubt.

[JoanArc]

Ben's evangelical career will be a causality of Josh's sexual abuse story, unless he speaks out against Josh, which I doubt.

I'm not a Bin fan, but I feel bad that the poor kid is 19 (Now 20 years old...and counting!), married, kid on the way, fresh semi-useful degree, NOW THIS. HTH could you handle all of that. On top of that his wife might be a potential victim, or witness, and maybe kept it all from him. Rough times.

[BitterApple]

I'm not a Bin fan, but I feel bad that the poor kid is 19 (Now 20 years old...and counting!), married, kid on the way, fresh semi-useful degree, NOW THIS. HTH could you handle all of that. On top of that his wife might be a potential victim, or witness, and maybe kept it all from him. Rough times.

It's bad all the way around. While Jessa is a forthright person I don't think she would have told Ben about this. Despite not being Gothard, Derick and Ben are still Fundie. Jessa and Jill may have had a genuine fear that the guys wouldn't have wanted to marry them if they knew about the molestation beforehand. I hope I'm wrong, but it's undeniable they're big time Kool Aid drinkers.

[Aw my lahgs]

Now that this has come out, and the show will most likely be cancelled, Jessa won't have the media circus over Baby Blessa.... 

It's bad all the way around. While Jessa is a forthright person I don't think she would have told Ben about this. Despite not being Gothard, Derick and Ben are still Fundie. Jessa and Jill may have had a genuine fear that the guys wouldn't have wanted to marry them if they knew about the molestation beforehand. I hope I'm wrong, but it's undeniable they're big time Kool Aid drinkers.

 

We also have to keep in mind that - in the Gothard doctrine - sexual abuse is always the fault of the woman, for turning the men on/defrauding him. So it is very much possible that Jessa feels that whatever happened was her fault.

[questionfear]

Best case scenario for Jessa is that the Seewalds swoop in and move Jessa and Bin back by them.

[awaken]

Oh my. I really wonder if bin and jessa got to talk about this during all their supervised premarital time tigether. Kind of hard to go into detail about sexual abuse when you have a 10 yr old chaparone or your parents with yiu 24/7.

[dillpickles]

Oh my. I really wonder if bin and jessa got to talk about this during all their supervised premarital time tigether. Kind of hard to go into detail about sexual abuse when you have a 10 yr old chaparone or your parents with yiu 24/7.

Of course they didn't. I'm guessing Ben might be learning a lot tonight. Jessa's "cold" personality and her wating to get the hell out of the Duggar house makes even more sense now. And, the fact that she's so close to jinger adds a whole new level to the mix.

[awaken]

So many things making a lot more sense now. I bet there are some seriously tough conversations happening right now in the various duggar households.

[Darknight]

If the show ends how will Ben support his family

[bluebonnet]

Probably like everyone else.  Get a job.  Plus, there is still all that money they currently have and will continue to have coming in from the show, magazines, the book, etc.  

[CofCinci]

I'm thinking about when Michelle took Jessa to that coffee shop for their staged mother-daughter time and how Michelle told her daughter to be less cold. WTH. Great way to treat your abused daughter.

I wonder if the wedding kiss in private has any connection to her victimization. To be forced to have your brother at your wedding and then to kiss your husband in front your abuser?

[graefin]

Of course they didn't. I'm guessing Ben might be learning a lot tonight. Jessa's "cold" personality and her wating to get the hell out of the Duggar house makes even more sense now. And, the fact that she's so close to jinger adds a whole new level to the mix.

I'd think if she really wanted to get out and away from them, she wouldn't be back there visiting every day.

[kandinski]

Well spotted,yes I thought the same.

[Mountainair]

Yea, where's Bin and his pontificating self now? Why isn't he on social media "preaching" like he normally does?

I was really kind of shocked they decided to breed so quickly (I don't know why I was shocked). It's one thing to get married at 19 (I did it) but it's a completely other thing to start procreating at 19. We were in our mid to late 20s with secure jobs, owned our own home, had health insurance, etc.

If I were Jessa and Bin right now I would literally be crying in the bathroom every day. Their whole world and sense of security literally just vanished in front of their eyes.

I've always known the Duggars were frauds in some way or another and I'm truly horrified by this news however, if Jessa was a victim of said abuse I would think that would be even more reason for her to not get knocked up quickly especially when her husband and her rely on Duggar income to survive. She's married. Go out, get a job, move far away from your abuser and then start your family. The whole lot of them are just so brainwashed they can't even see past their noses.

At least in Jill's case Derrick has a degree and a job outside of Duggarville. Besides the emotional trauma they all most be going through they are the most well equipped to "move on".

What a mess for everyone involved.

[StaceyNotStacie]

I'm hoping that Ben and Jessa will decide to pack up and head to his family's hometown for the next few months.  I'm sure there is a media circus camped outside of the Duggar house right now.  They could easily say that they decided to spend some time with Ben's family and wanted to make Jessa's pregnancy less stressful.

[GEML]

It's also possible that while Jessa was victimized that she doesn't see herself any longer as a victim. There has never seemed to be a relationship between Jessa and Josh, and his coming back to AR to live may be the worst part of this for her. She'd put together what she thought was a pretty good life and he was far away. Now it's all back, and so is he.