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

[TaxNerd]

I knew she wouldn't let the 20 week milestone pass without a selfie.

https://instagram.com/p/36xF8zDfm6/?taken-by=jessaseewald

I guess no one's going to say it, so I will. The picture looks intended to be very seductive to me. The hair, the makeup, she spent a lot of time getting ready for that snap. Seems really really weird to me.

[Barb23]

It's hard to tell in the picture but is Jessa wearing a similar skirt that Jill wore (& stretched out) while she was pregnant? Buy one get one free at the thrift store?

[allonsyalice]

I guess no one's going to say it, so I will. The picture looks intended to be very seductive to me. The hair, the makeup, she spent a lot of time getting ready for that snap. Seems really really weird to me.

i wouldn't read too much into it! you wanna look your prime when you take your selfies. She probably just wanted to look and feel good enough to post it. 

[drafan]

I

 

As for her expression, I personally think she is smirking. She looks unusually smug. MMV, of course. :D

I think she googled Angelina Jolie : Pregnancy Pout/Smirk.

 

The minute these Duggettes get preggers, the layers get shed, the (one ) top gets tighter, the stripes emerge, and ruffles sprout from somewhere. They really don't need any surprise announcements.

Edited June 15, 2015 by drafan

[cereality]

Jessa definitely spends more time at the TTH than Jill did post-wedding, most likely because Jill is so codependent that she had to drive Derick Dillard his lunch every day.

 

What's the commuting distance between Mold House and TTH?

Doesn't Ben work for JB still? I'm guessing that means that JB expects him to show up at the house a few days a week, so that JB can create some task for him like clearing brush or cleaning toilets or whatever. Most of the time I'm guessing Ben is just hanging out at the house since I doubt there is 8 hrs of work per day -- or even per week. So I'm guessing Jessa comes along to hang with him and to "fellowship" with Jinger. I mean Jill would spend 40 hrs a week in Derick's cube at WMT if she could.

[bluebonnet]

Heh. I think the whole point of Jessa getting married was so she could escape her duties. This is a girl who the second she got engaged couldn't be bothered to help Jana and Jinger get the little girls dressed in the morning while she sat in the background doing her nails. She checked out a long, long time ago IMO. I seriously doubt that she's hosting sleepover parties for her buddies like Jill did. 

 

Didn't say anything about sleepovers.  The whole point is that she's apparently been at the main house a lot since she's married.  I have no idea what she does when she's there, last I heard from the Duggars was that Jessa was very involved in the children's schooling.  If there is some new update that she now primarily does her nails, I haven't seen it.  

[Sew Sumi]

Heh. I think the whole point of Jessa getting married was so she could escape her duties. This is a girl who the second she got engaged couldn't be bothered to help Jana and Jinger get the little girls dressed in the morning while she sat in the background doing her nails. She checked out a long, long time ago IMO. I seriously doubt that she's hosting sleepover parties for her buddies like Jill did. 

 

I thought Ben and Jessa's house was in Fayetteville which is more than 5 miles from the TTH? 

Correct. But Fayetteville abuts Tonitown and Springdale to the south. It's much closer than I'd also originally thought. 

[Cherrio]

What is that slinky looking sleeveless polka dot number in the closet?

[MrsMommy]

What is that slinky looking sleeveless polka dot number in the closet?

Hum.. I just noticed that, looks like a small summer dress to me

[NikSac]

I imagine it's difficult to go from a house of 20+ to a house of only 2.  I remember when I first moved into my own apartment without even roommates, the silence was deafening and I was always going to visit other people.  I mean, I also assume Jessa still does her child care duties, but outside of that, just being around familiar things seems normal, especially since they live nearby.  

 

I remember her being pretty wistful when she was moving out too, about how it was the last time she'd be in the house as a Duggar.

 

And yes, I remember that too with my first apartment and I only moved out of a house with 4 of us! I can only imagine leaving 20+ people behind would be a relief for a short time, but it'd start to feel lonely pretty fast. Plus as far as we know Ben may still work for JB, and Jessa's certainly got reasons to be extra protective of her sisters right now, so it makes sense she's there so much.

[NikSac]

It's hard to tell in the picture but is Jessa wearing a similar skirt that Jill wore (& stretched out) while she was pregnant? Buy one get one free at the thrift store?

 

I actually thought it was the same one at first - I was thinking "Hey Izzy already stretched that out!" - but hard to tell.

 

Re: the slinky dress in the background, I'm assuming that probably goes over a short sleeved shirt plus has a sweater to go over it.

[Joe Jitsu913]

Jessa and Ben are probably bored, have little in common and have nothing interesting to say to each other. They're both shallow as hell and got married just to have sex. Jessa probably spends so much time over there because Bin works at the TTH and she has no hobbies. What else is she going to do with her free time? Read literature? Go for a walk? Study?

[Happyfatchick]

Thanks for posting that SewS - I first thought she was in a thrift store, then decided it was her closet. Is that a sleeveless dress hanging behind her? WHAAAAAAT??? Remember that conference she and Ben did (some sort of speaking tour thing)? They swung through Savannah, and took a pic on Tybee beach (my favorite place!!!). Sometime during that tour, Jessa wore a black dress with some white adornments down the side. Hit her right at the knee, sleeveless, and the fit was very flattering. She wore black hose and not flippies. Yay! Certainly no prairie dress. I remember thinking she was branching out some and being very proud for her. Baby steps maybe, but steps nevertheless.

[bluebonnet]

I feel really weird asking this as I know any answer would likely be speculative, but took a stroll through Jessa's instagram thing and was wondering, is she a mean girl?  I get this vibe from her based on the instagram, mostly due to the type of passages and comments she's posted. Would she be a Regina George if she were mainstream?  Or am I way off the mark?

Edited June 15, 2015 by bluebonnet

[DangerousMinds]

I guess no one's going to say it, so I will. The picture looks intended to be very seductive to me. The hair, the makeup, she spent a lot of time getting ready for that snap. Seems really really weird to me.

That's the impression I got as well. A lot of attention spent on appearance and very tight clothing. Modesty?

[roamyn]

I feel really weird asking this as I know any answer would likely be speculative, but took a stroll through Jessa's instagram thing and was wondering, is she a mean girl? I get this vibe from her based on the instagram, mostly due to the type of passages and comments she's posted. Would she be a Regina George if she were mainstream? Or am I way off the mark?

It's not you. I've always gotten that impression from her, too. And it's gotten worse since she & Ben were married.

Edited June 15, 2015 by roamyn

[BitterApple]

I knew she wouldn't let the 20 week milestone pass without a selfie.

https://instagram.com/p/36xF8zDfm6/?taken-by=jessaseewald

She's back, bitches!!!!

[Aja]

That's the impression I got as well. A lot of attention spent on appearance and very tight clothing. Modesty?

That was my first reaction too, which says a lot. Under any other circumstances I wouldn't bat an eyelash at a photo like that, but after spending a decade listening to the Duggars harping about modesty and wearing full-on rubber prairie dresses to go swimming...that's an AWFULLY snug top. Perhaps the rules change when one is pregnant so as to make sure everyone can see you are a Godly birther.

[bluebonnet]

It's not you. I've always gotten that impression from her, too. And it's gotten worse since she & Ben were married.

Is Ben a mean boy?  It's hard for me to tell if he's just a typical teen who doesn't really understand his position on things yet and so tends to argue a parents position or if he's a mean boy growing up to truly become a mean man.  Papa Seewald's tends to portray himself as an angry old mean man on his blog.  Like, I would assume that if I walked past his house, he'd throw hot dogs and scream at me.  Is Ben on this path?  

[GEML]

She looks, well, old to me. The lines on her forehead and around her eyes. You can see them even as she is likely thrusting her face forward to minimize them, and her fleshier chin.

And while she doesn't look exactly UNhappy, she's not happy, either.

(My contribution to the tea leaf reading.)

[Marigold]

Why the heck would you take a selfie in a closet???  Maybe us regular folk but millions of people saw that?  I'd do a better selfie backround than a closet. 

 

Is it symbolic? She is trapped in a closet...she is not outdoors and free like her other selfies?  You could probably read a lot into the closet setting. ;)

 

I bet she and ben are often at the TTH because they have security gates and it appears you can just walk up to the Mold House.  Imagine Ben is off cleaning toilets for JB (love that) and some reporters, fans, stalkers etc just ring her doorbell while she is home alone? That has to be very scary.  I would stay at the TTH also just for safety reasons until this media storm blows overy a bit. 

[Fosca]

I suspect she took the picture in the closet because that's where the mirror is, and it's a mirror selfie.  It was either that or the bathroom--I wonder if they have mirrors in the bathroom?  Probably not full-length; think of the defrauding of oneself!

 

Given her various "believe what I do or go to hell" posts, my guess is she's a Mean Girl.  The smirks as well (I hate smirks, unless they are obviously jokes).

[JenCarroll]

I feel really weird asking this as I know any answer would likely be speculative, but took a stroll through Jessa's instagram thing and was wondering, is she a mean girl?  I get this vibe from her based on the instagram, mostly due to the type of passages and comments she's posted. Would she be a Regina George if she were mainstream?  Or am I way off the mark?

It may be you, but it's definitely not just you. There's a bunch of us under that impression, but we could all be wrong. You know. Theoretically. :-)

[Vaysh]

Well, I can't blame her for not looking happy, she's got a lot to worry about right now and might not be feeling too good in general due to the pregnancy and concerns about her future.

 

It is peculiar how different the kids age. They come from the same gene pool, live in the same environment, eat the same food, do everything together, share the workload etc, yet most of the boys age horribly, have bad skin and lose their hair. The girls seem to fare better (at least they get to keep their hair!), but Jessa looks like she might end up in the early ager camp. If you put her next to Jana you'd think Jessa was the older one, mostly because of her bad skin and her efforts to cover it up. My theory is that she's over-tanning in order to keep her acne in check (I have a friend who used to do that) which is giving her early lines instead.

 

I do think Jessa would've made a magnificent Regina George!

[MrsMommy]

Edited to delete my post it was in the wrong place

Jessa is a pretty girl snotty but pretty

Edited June 15, 2015 by MrsMommy

[JoanArc]

 

My theory is that she's over-tanning in order to keep her acne in check (I have a friend who used to do that) which is giving her early lines instead.

A tube of retin-a would serve Jessa, and all of her brothers well.

 

 

I wish that all of them who need it, would get appropriate treatment for acne, but for publicity purposes their images are cleaned up in post processing before publication.

I've read the video postprocessing is used on EVERY reality show. Even 19kac. I'd love to hear from people who've met the Duggars IRL how they fare compared to the photos and video they push out.

 

Given the nicest thing anyone in her family can say about her, is that she's a bitch, yeah, Jessa's a mean girl.

[bluebonnet]

I don't know if that would go over well with an audience, especially if she's presented alongside Jill and without the rest of the family for balance.  There is just such a world of difference between Jill's posts and Jessa's.  Jill will post biblical message, but they are almost framed as helping her be a better, stronger person or meant as some sort of inspiration for others whereas Jessa's seem to be entirely about other people and with a judgmental tone.  I saw it posted all over the internet that Jessa came off really cold in the Kelly interview, both towards Jill and in explaining what Josh did.  I personally don't like hugs and such, so I can see why Jessa didn't offer.  However, for tv and a public brand, it's important to sell a certain image.  I think Jessa would be very disliked if it were just her carrying a show, and especially if it's her and Jill together.  

[dillpickles]

I do like Jessa's mean girl vibe, it's a nice change from keeping it sweet, i can't stand overly nice people, especially if they seem to be trying too hard/faking it.

And i don't think she's "mean" like the family hints at either. She's probably mean by compassion to her kool-aid chugging sisters. She seems more no nonsense to me, like a business woman. Then again, maybe she is a bitch, i don't know her welll enough to judge.

[sigmaforce86]

I suspect that Jessa spends time at TTH because she's bored and I think Jill probabaly was too before the baby came.  Think about it - pre-babies what do they need to do daily?  Even if you take a certain 1950's spin on being a stay-at-home wife and, in Ben's case, pretending he has "regular" employement - Get up with hubby and give him breakfast, see him out the door, clean up kitchen, make bed.  Maybe take out something to defrost for dinner.  If it's been a few days dust and vacum.  Shower, dress and...................then what?  Jill has a few extra rooms to handle but they probably don't use them and especially in Jessa's smaller house how long could all that take - So it's not even lunchtime and what do you do - curl up with a coffee or tea and watch Dr. Phil or The View?  Nope, no TV allowed and if they do have one certainly no normal talk/reality shows. Same with a book - they have approved books but these girls do not strike me as habitual readers. Put on your yoga pants and go to spin class - Nope again.  Volunteer at the library, animal shelter, womans league?  

There's the problem - no outside interests, no education, no involvement in the community unless you're on the church talk circut with the family.  If Jessa were still at TTH and unmarried she'd be working all day raising her buddies and that's ALL she's trained for (Jill too).........left to their own devices I picture them just wandering around the house bored as hell with no idea how to entertain themselves outside of a "mother" role.

[Vaysh]

I'm in two minds about Jessa. On one hand I really love the fact that she isn't keeping sweet because it isn't in her nature; she seems to know her own mind and won't bend to the will of others, which in that environment is quite an accomplishment for a woman IMO. On the other hand, that unwillingness to bend combined with her woeful (wilful?) ignorance about all things Not Duggar often makes her come across as arrogant and occasionally cruel. I mean, it's one thing to quietly believe that sinners will go to hell, it is quite another to publically (and rather smugly) declare that everyone with different beliefs than hers will be horribly tortured for all eternity. I guess I just don't see a lot of empathy or compassion in her (though to be fair we only ever see her public persona, she might be different out of the public eye).

[Churchhoney]

 I guess I just don't see a lot of empathy or compassion in her (though to be fair we only ever see her public persona, she might be different out of the public eye).

 

Yes to both parts of this. Can't helping thinking about the Maya Angelou line with regard to the possibility of Jessa having two personas, though: "When someone shows you who they are, believe them.'

Edited June 15, 2015 by Churchhoney

[zenme]

Jessa seems pretty defensive.  She's probably very insecure but likes to pretend that she's not, and tries to pretend that she doesn't care about what other people think.  I'm sure she's been told all her life that she's the pretty one of the older girls, and I'm sure she never wants to relinquish that title.  She would be prettier if she kept her mouth shut.

[GeeGolly]

I believe Jessa is teenage- like and caught up in her looks. Combine that with her no nonsense attitude and Ben's self- righteous influence, she comes off as a bitch. I think if she were married to Derick she would come off as a conceited, no nonsense sweetheart.

[Beaner]

I do like Jessa's mean girl vibe, it's a nice change from keeping it sweet, i can't stand overly nice people, especially if they seem to be trying too hard/faking it.

And i don't think she's "mean" like the family hints at either. She's probably mean by compassion to her kool-aid chugging sisters. She seems more no nonsense to me, like a business woman. Then again, maybe she is a bitch, i don't know her welll enough to judge.

I agree, Dill. I don't follow her Instagram, so maybe I'd feel differently if I did. I do think she's more articulate than Jill and yes, no nonsense. I wouldn't be surprised now that she's married and out of the TTH, if she has a TV. I'd be happy if she did.

[GEML]

I also think Jessa was the original Jordyn. She was completely forgotten about by the adults in her sphere. It wasn't until Jinger would have been old enough to form a bond with her that I think Jessa really had a real relationship with anyone else that wasn't about responsibility or gaining what a therapist might call "negative attention" such as the kicking that lead to the Jana music box story. One of the reasons Michelle likely didn't react (besides that being classic Michelle style parenting) is that I'm guessing Jessa did a lot of that sort of low grade, passive aggressive "please notice me" mischief as a child.

And in Duggarworld, that's enough to get you labeled the bitch.

[drafan]

This is shallow, but so is a lot about TV. I think one of the reasons the Duggs have lasted so long on TV is how good looking and telegenic the kids are, especially Jessa and the other older girls. I wish that all of them who need it, would get appropriate treatment for acne, but for publicity purposes their images are cleaned up in post processing before publication.

 

And they have great facial bone structure for photos and video. In the Duggars, People magazine has some good looking young women to feature on their covers. I wonder if they'd have jumped all over the Duggs' meetin', mating, and babymaking in the way they did, if the girls were ugly. 

 

Heck, even JB and Michelle, for whom I have no patience and less respect, are basically telegenic. 

 

 

The Bates girls have it all over the Duggettes in the looks department. Jessa doesn't even come close. They're pretty hot, even in the non-Fundie world. And they wear great shoes.

 

Michelle: Meh. Could be OK if she would un-gell the mullet.

JB: Gross anyway you slice it.

[zenme]

I do think the Bates boys and girls are better looking than the Duggar kids, and I think they've got better personalities as well.

[Julia]

Wasn't Jessa the one who managed the children's distance learning? Because if that's the case, she's probably the only one of the sisters who was allowed to exert authority over the younger boys and make them do their work instead of doing it for them. That's got to be a heady thing in that household.

Edited June 15, 2015 by Julia

[Marigny]

Jessa and Ben are probably bored, have little in common and have nothing interesting to say to each other. They're both shallow as hell and got married just to have sex. Jessa probably spends so much time over there because Bin works at the TTH and she has no hobbies. What else is she going to do with her free time? Read literature? Go for a walk? Study?

Taking selfies? 

[momofsquid]

My young adult daughter, a bit younger than Jessa, was recently prescribed birth control pills to control acne. Just throwing that out there for Jessa's consideration. I think I feel the fires of hell licking at my toes now.

[ChocolateAddict]

Jessa and the rest of the kids would do well just to wash their faces morning and night.  I don't think that they have been taught the importance of removing make-up and washing your face twice a day.  They don't seem particularly fussed by hygiene in that house and I don't think that the girls would be bothered to take off all that heavy make-up every night.  Even if Boob and J'Chelle don't want their kids to use medication or really strong cleansers, they could do small things to make a difference - less processed crap, more actual skin cleaning, making sure the pillowcases are washed regularly.  It just makes the acne look worse when you stack 5 layers of foundation on top.  

[Sew Sumi]

I suspect she took the picture in the closet because that's where the mirror is, and it's a mirror selfie.  It was either that or the bathroom--I wonder if they have mirrors in the bathroom?  Probably not full-length; think of the defrauding of oneself!

 

Given her various "believe what I do or go to hell" posts, my guess is she's a Mean Girl.  The smirks as well (I hate smirks, unless they are obviously jokes).

The bedroom has a giant hair and makeup station with a triple mirror. It was seen in the redecorating episode (and is still there). You can also see it in the hair tutorial, where Jessa is in her element, even being bitchy to Jill. 

[GeeGolly]

[ChocolateAddict]Jessa and the rest of the kids would do well just to wash their faces morning and night.  I don't think that they have been taught the importance of removing make-up and washing your face twice a day.  They don't seem particularly fussed by hygiene in that house and I don't think that the girls would be bothered to take off all that heavy make-up every night.  Even if Boob and J'Chelle don't want their kids to use medication or really strong cleansers, they could do small things to make a difference - less processed crap, more actual skin cleaning, making sure the pillowcases are washed regularly.  It just makes the acne look worse when you stack 5 layers of foundation on top.

... And maybe wash their bedding

[GEML]

I also wonder about the stuff they spray into their hair, and it sticking to their faces. Hairspray, for instance, acts as a sealant. That's going to lock in dirt and oil. You're talking to a former 80's Aqua Net big hair girl here...

[abseedee]

I also wonder about the stuff they spray into their hair, and it sticking to their faces. Hairspray, for instance, acts as a sealant. That's going to lock in dirt and oil. You're talking to a former 80's Aqua Net big hair girl here...

Hairspray also has repellents that irritate the skin.  I don't know how much hair spray the girls use and how often they wash it off but, it may be contributing to their bad skin.

GEML do you remember the high rise bangs in the 80's?  I never wore my bangs too high but some girls wore them 8" to 10" up with a lot of Aqua Net of course.

Edited June 15, 2015 by abseedee

[Brown eyed girl]

Anyone else notice Jessa's not wearing her wedding rings? Her fingers don't look swelled to me. Maybe she doesn't like wearing them or they turned her finger green. Lol. At least I hope not since Ben had them made at a jewelers. Or she took the off to do housework and forgot to put them back on. The last sentence is just for laughs I couldn't see Jessa doing much housework.

[Brown eyed girl]

Hairspray also has repellents that irritate the skin. I don't know how much hair spray the girls use and how often they wash it off but, it may be contributing to their bad skin.

GEML do you remember the high rise bangs in the 80's? I never wore my bangs too high but some girls wore them 8" to 10" up with a lot of Aqua Net of course.

abseedee I never wore my bangs to high either. But I did go thru an ungodly amount of hairspray back in the day. I think I used more in the 70's ,if you left the house for school and your hair moved you didn't use enough. Lol.

[abseedee]

Anyone else notice Jessa's not wearing her wedding rings? Her fingers don't look swelled to me. Maybe she doesn't like wearing them or they turned her finger green. Lol. At least I hope not since Ben had them made at a jewelers. Or she took the off to do housework and forgot to put them back on. The last sentence is just for laughs I couldn't see Jessa doing much housework.

At first glance I thought Jessa wasn't wearing her ring also but, I think the picture is showing reversed.  If you look at her hand holding her phone you can see the ring.

 

abseedee I never wore my bangs to high either. But I did go thru an ungodly amount of hairspray back in the day. I think I used more in the 70's ,if you left the house for school and your hair moved you didn't use enough. Lol.

Very true! 

[PinkSprinkles]

It could also just be her genetics. Even with treatment I still get a bad breakout once a month and that's using RX meds and seeing a dermatologist regularly. Sometimes your body chemistry is just predisposed to zits no matter what you do. 

[Sew Sumi]

Anyone else notice Jessa's not wearing her wedding rings? Her fingers don't look swelled to me. Maybe she doesn't like wearing them or they turned her finger green. Lol. At least I hope not since Ben had them made at a jewelers. Or she took the off to do housework and forgot to put them back on. The last sentence is just for laughs I couldn't see Jessa doing much housework.

The picture is backward. Check out the hand holding the camera.

 

As for hairspray, they use a TON. They used Aussie Formula super duper strength (don't recall its exact name) to lock in those beachy waves. I think several things contribute to Duggar Girl acne. That said, what's the excuse for the boys? Most of them are even worse. 

Edited June 15, 2015 by Sew Sumi