Josh & Anna Smuggar: A Series of Unfortunate Events

[JessDVD]

But yes, once you reach a certain point, it's tailored suits, gorgeous shirts, French cuffs, maybe suspenders occasionally and the buttery soft dress shoes. We aren't about fashion, but you better beautifully underdress.

 

Man, that just makes me want to go to a black tie event! :-) My husband's office's idea of a staff party is beer & brats at his boss' house, or first round is on the boss at Wings Etc, so I have to live vicariously through all my friends who post pictures of them & their spouses at their work Christmas parties. (sigh)

 

Consequently, I couldn't really tell you what's considered appropriate for a party like this but I do agree that Anna should have been wearing hose and it looks like she wasn't, and Michelle looked ridiculous but doesn't she always, and Josh could have used an iron, but all in all it could have been worse and hopefully Josh & Anna, at least, will learn in time.

[Ljohnson1987]

Aren't we supposed to learn the jender of M4 this week? I bet it's another boy. I wonder how they'll reveal it. Like we care any more. 

[Barb23]

I think Anna's fashion sense is backwards. She should have worn a longer dress to the dinner but she switched it up & wore a shorter one. Yet her everyday wear includes that floor sweeping denim skirt. Go figure.

One of the posters (leg humpers) on the Instagram comments made it sound like Josh's weight gain was from Anna's good cooking. I know these type of comments are meant to compliment Anna but she did take it personally in the past when it was discussed on the weight loss challenge with Josh & Boob. She thought her cooking caused his weight gain. Hopefully by now Anna is buying & cooking healthy but people need to realize Josh controls what he puts in his mouth -- he needs to put down the fork & get moving.

[maraleia]

Man, that just makes me want to go to a black tie event! :-) My husband's office's idea of a staff party is beer & brats at his boss' house, or first round is on the boss at Wings Etc, so I have to live vicariously through all my friends who post pictures of them & their spouses at their work Christmas parties. (sigh)

 

I've been to plenty of black tie events (mostly LGBT orgs). They aren't anything exciting after awhile.

[JessDVD]

I've been to plenty of black tie events (mostly LGBT orgs). They aren't anything exciting after awhile.

 

I know... but I like dressing up now and then and don't really have anything to do it for, being a stay at home mom and with my husband's aforementioned non-black tie job. Most of the time this is fine, but sometimes I feel a brief pang of longing, like when GEML was talking about dresswear above.

[GEML]

I will admit, Washington can be very exciting at first. And it's a city unlike anywhere else - and I'll always love it. But like anything, things become mundane after awhile. I'm looking forward to the break from fundraisers! :)

The hose/no hose is something of a touchy issue. Michelle Obama started the no hose thing (DC is so traditional that until then it was always hose, period) and it's still mostly hose. Given that this was a conservative fundraiser, I'm mildly shocked by no hose for multiple reasons. Not to mention it's just plain cold. Of course it could be that she tried on several pairs and their either didn't fit or had runs and there wasn't time to get new ones last second. I've been there too! :)

[kassygreene]

The right long skirt (no slit) and good dressy shoes let you get away with knee-highs.  I've been incorrectly dressed enough times to put together a few basic and sort of timeless looks, just to minimize my own cringing.  I don't get how anyone can be so un-self-conscious, unless you are making a virtue of it.  Women can cut you with the flick of one eyebrow.  I don't really care about that sort of stuff, but I do enjoy dressing up once in awhile, and I can enjoy the event better if no fashion cop is putting me in my place.

 

But these Duggars seem to really not care.  That's bone-deep insensitivity to the social norms they apparently approve, and attention seeking as well.

 

Can they really provide the kind of pay-off that makes them worth the association?  I snark all the time, but really why would anyone find this admirable?

[GEML]

I've pointed out before that in DC the Duggars aren't anyone. They aren't even B or C list. Of course, DC is an extremely snotty city I it's own way. Anyone can break in - but you don't do it by being the Duggars.

Edited February 3, 2015 by GEML

[JessDVD]

Not to mention that wearing hose while 20 weeks pregnant is not exactly comfortable (been there, doing that right now...) but I still wouldn't go to an event like that without them, at least in the winter. I recognize that I may be in a swiftly dwindling minority on that. I actually meant in my post a few up to mention over the hose, that I thought Anna's dress was a poor choice since it's clearly not maternity and is too short in the front. I was about to say that it could be a tall order to find appropriate formal wear that's also maternity, based on my own experiences searching for maternity clothes, but surely there are some options in the larger cities.

[GEML]

I can count five affordable shops where she could have found something appropriate, and three thrift stores. (I lived on the other side of the river, but same area, and my daughter is the same age as Michael, so I've needed glam maternity wear pretty recently.)

So no, I'm not impressed.

[floridamom]

First of all, Anna isn't that far along in this pregnancy to be THAT uncomfortable. Secondly, they have such a thing as maternity panty hose, which are also a type of support hose. I know, because I wore them every day to work until the day before I delivered and I found them to be comfortable. I agree with the posters that she doesn't live in rural Arkansas anymore and almost anything is easy to find in DC...she needs to leave the stroller at home and go shopping with a fashion coach or a personal shopper. I get goose bumps looking at her in that spring/summer dress in DC in January.. Brrrr...

[DangerousMinds]

I will admit, Washington can be very exciting at first. And it's a city unlike anywhere else - and I'll always love it. But like anything, things become mundane after awhile. I'm looking forward to the break from fundraisers! :)

The hose/no hose is something of a touchy issue. Michelle Obama started the no hose thing (DC is so traditional that until then it was always hose, period) and it's still mostly hose. Given that this was a conservative fundraiser, I'm mildly shocked by no hose for multiple reasons. Not to mention it's just plain cold. Of course it could be that she tried on several pairs and their either didn't fit or had runs and there wasn't time to get new ones last second. I've been there too! :)

I am actually surprised that so many here mentioned hose. I didn't think many wore them anymore, formal event or not.

[JessDVD]

I can count zero stores, at least that I'm aware of, in my beloved southwest Michigan, where one might find glam maternity, but yes, the need dictates the availability and Anna clearly has no excuse.

[kalamac]

I hate to side with a Duggar, but I would sooner draw a line up the back of my calf, to make it look I was wearing seamed pantyhose, like they did during the war, than wear actual pantyhose. I have never found a brand or fit that I can wear, that won't have me squirming and tugging at them all night, because they are just that uncomfortable on me. I haven't worn them in years, and will never wear them again, regardless of where I am, because I think being hoseless is preferable to drawing attention to myself with constant adjusting.

 

So, not wearing pantyhose is one thing I won't judge Anna for. Josh looked like a total doof in his getup.

[zenme]

In my neck of the woods wearing pantyhose would draw more WTF looks than in DC, apparently.

[duggarshow]

"I would sooner draw a line up the back of my calf, to make it look I was wearing seamed pantyhose, like they did during the war, than wear actual pantyhose."

I COMPLETELY agree with you. 

[Sew Sumi]

Unfortunately, how Anna feels in hose is really immaterial when she needs to be focused on how Josh appears to the DC high-rollers. And yes, part of that is how SHE comes off in public. Girlfriend needs to step up her game if Josh really does aspire to political office. Connections like these don't grow on trees, and are easily lost with one misstep. The Duggar name isn't as golden as they seem to think it is. 

[GEML]

It's true - DC is not the place to show you are a "barefoot and backyard" person. That's fine if you are and if it works with constituents at home, but it doesn't work while you are actually in DC. As I said, it was little things like that which kept Jim Bob out of DC, and Mike Huckabee never was a DC person, for all he was a popular governor and talk show host.

[Gweilo]

I've been to plenty of black tie events (mostly LGBT orgs). They aren't anything exciting after awhile.

 

I read that as "LGBT orgies"  and I was rather impressed by both your nonchalance about them, and the fact that they have a dress code.

[Catlyn]

If panty hose bothered Anna that much, she could have gotten a longer gown and either wore knee highs or gone without and no on would have noticed. In DC formal, stockings do matter. At most of the meetings/receptions I've been to in DC, if a woman isn't wearing stockings, she's wearing a pant suit and even then she usually has her feet covered.   Although I have to admit, in summertime there does seem to have to be some leeway sneaking in... Newcomers that can't take the DC summer humidity.

[trimthatfat]

Eek, I'm in my twenties and still wear tights. I hadn't realized that they were so hated. Haha. I do think Anna needs to wear them as needed for events.

[galax-arena]

I read that as "LGBT orgies"  and I was rather impressed by both your nonchalance about them, and the fact that they have a dress code.

The mods here live a wild life.

[GEML]

No one in that picture looks happy. The Duggars and the Holts/Huckabees had a falling out years ago, likely having something to do with Jim Bob's failed Senate race. It was said to be pretty nasty. But Evangelical/Fundy politics in general and Arkansas politics in particular are too small to just out and out cut people dead. But I notice in classic tradition, Michael Huckabee (whom many suspect is running for president in 2016) sent his surrogates to make nice and didn't join in a photo himself.

But this picture is to send a signal that this group had "made up."

[Skittl1321]

 

So, not wearing pantyhose is one thing I won't judge Anna for.

If she had been wearing a floor length  gown I wouldn't judge.

 

But she looks like she's going to church.

[allonsyalice]

Eek, I'm in my twenties and still wear tights. I hadn't realized that they were so hated. Haha. I do think Anna needs to wear them as needed for events.

 

I feel. (But i mostly wear tights because I live in Canada and refuse to wear jeans) Although, I'm not entirely sure Anna needed tights here. (But then I've been on one black tie event and I wore a floor length gown, so what do I know?) 

[carrps]

IMO, Josh does look bad in that picture. Most men I know have at least one tailored suit - one can easily go to Men's Wearhouse or a similar store and get it tailored. It's not expensive either, and it will take a so-so suit into the realm of very professional.. It might be a regional and cultural thing that the men I know don't wear suits off the rack if they can help it. Josh is in DC and it looks like he wants to eventually go into politics - he will absolutely need to dress the part. Off the rack suits won't do and shouldn't do when you want to advance to a certain level professionally.

 

Yeah, as someone mentioned upthread, most department stores have in-store tailoring, and for men, it's usually free or very nominal. Of  course, I haven't gone suit shopping with a man in donkey's years, so things may have changed.

[DoctorWhovian]

Hopefully by now Anna is buying & cooking healthy but people need to realize Josh controls what he puts in his mouth -- he needs to put down the fork & get moving.

 

She could be serving nothing but steamed vegetables, but if you eat too much, you're going to gain weight no matter what you eat!

 

I personally hate wearing pantyhose, not because they're uncomfortable, but because I get so mad when they snag. I hate spending money on something then having it ruined after only a few uses, if that. Regardless, the dress does not fit her well and it just looks like something you'd wear to junior prom or homecoming, not a black tie gala. But Michelle looks even worse so there's that.

[trimthatfat]

Josh strikes as the type who would totally stop by a fast food place on his way to work  and on his way home after work...plus, eat the dinner Anna has prepared. Anna isn't why he's overweight.

[Missy Vixen]

If Anna wants to support her husband's alleged future career, she will get herself a mentor or someone who can talk with her about how to dress and act appropriately for DC events. If she can't find someone in her husband's office or at one of the political events they attend, she'd be smart to go to Nordstrom and talk to a personal shopper. As others have observed, it's investment dressing. The same person could also coordinate a lesson with a makeup artist and a visit to a salon for a more manageable (and appropriate) hair style.

 

We live on the West Coast, which means most events are business casual. There's ONE restaurant in Seattle (Canlis) that has a dress code. In Microsoft's early days, Paul Allen, Bill Gates and other Microsoft executives got harassed at so many restaurants that most don't raise an eyebrow at customers wearing jeans, for instance. At the same time, it's always good to have at least one outfit that is appropriate for more formal occasions. Most will never go wrong with a LBD, black pumps, pearls and red lipstick.

 

I'm still remembering the episode in which Josh took Anna to the "fancy" DC restaurant and couldn't pronounce most of the dishes on the menu, let alone figure out what they might be. If that wasn't a clue to him that he needed to befriend someone who could show him the ropes, so to speak, he's too stupid to advance in life IMHO.

[bigskygirl]

I hope no one reads this and gets the idea for an Anna gets clothes and makeup tips episode. How boring would that be.

[Barb23]

I watched Yolanda on Housewives of Beverly Hills last nite pack for a charity event that her & her husband were attending in Italy. She had an invitation/schedule she was reading from as to what type of functions they would be attending - black tie, business, casual, so she could choose the proper outfits. You could tell she was used to doing it - "we'll need these outfits for black tie, these for casual, etc". Granted she has a closet full of designer clothes to choose from but she knew what type of outfit, tux, shoes, etc. to pick for each occasion & she did it so quickly. It was fun to watch & I thought of our discussions of the Duggars right away.

[GEML]

In one of those "You know you are from Washington when...." type jokes, a very real answer is " Your teenager owns his tuxedo instead of renting one. It's true - my son has his own, but I wouldn't buy one until I was fairly sure he'd stopped growing three inches a year.

And Id rather watch any of the Duggar daughters get fashion tips than Michelle's makeover (which was a waste of time) since I think the daughters do at least want to try. And heaven knows, it would be a vast improvement over teeth cleaning or throwing up because of motion sickness.

[SmallTownMom]

Even if Anna gets a makeover, she'll revert right back to how she is now right after the episode airs.  Michelle sure did.

 

Just saw the wedding pic with the goofy faces.  Good Lord, Josh and Anna are so darn weird!  Josh is just like his parents, where he thinks everything has to be about him.  Surprised Boob and Mechelle aren't kissing....or dry humping.

[Sew Sumi]

Aaaaaand, here's the latest Duggar faux pas, this time Anna's feet need to be put to the fire. 

 

http://www.intouchweekly.com/posts/anna-duggar-uses-black-history-month-to-spread-pro-life-message-50924

 

Hint, like Jessa comparing abortion to the Halocaust, Anna took this occasion to compare it to Black "History" (you have to read to see where she went with that) Month, not to mention trying to corrupt the #BlackLivesMatter hashtag. 

 

Horrible, horrible stuff. 

[Jynnan tonnix]

I feel. (But i mostly wear tights because I live in Canada and refuse to wear jeans) Although, I'm not entirely sure Anna needed tights here. (But then I've been on one black tie event and I wore a floor length gown, so what do I know?) 

Heck, I have gone to, generally, two or three black tie events per year for the past 30 years. I've almost always worn floor-length gowns just because I like them, and, luckily, the fact that we generally move every 2-3 years means I can recycle whatever still happens to fit me without it being much noticed. But, to the matter at question, there have been numerous events where I went there with pantyhose and left them in the ladies' room trash halfway through the evening. The lights are generally low by then. Most people have had a couple of drinks and have better things to think about. Or not think about. And is anyone really trying to catch a glimpse of my ankles at that point? Pantyhose are about the most uncomfortable item of clothing ever invented, and I blame no one for dispensing with them whenever it's even remotely appropriate for the occasion.

[Mrsjumbo]

In one of those "You know you are from Washington when...." type jokes, a very real answer is " Your teenager owns his tuxedo instead of renting one. It's true - my son has his own, but I wouldn't buy one until I was fairly sure he'd stopped growing three inches a year.

And Id rather watch any of the Duggar daughters get fashion tips than Michelle's makeover (which was a waste of time) since I think the daughters do at least want to try. And heaven knows, it would be a vast improvement over teeth cleaning or throwing up because of motion sickness.

Didn't some of the girls gets "makeovers"- & I have to quote that- before Jill's wedding? Didn't they quickly revert back to their own style?

[floridamom]

As far as the girls' pre wedding makeovers are concerned all they did was visit a bad local beauty parlor where the stylists did their hair like a '70s country music singer and piled on  layers of makeup. I think they all looked awful when they left. These girls need a REAL professional hair, makeup and clothing person...and YES,, please do put Michelle at the front of the line and make a REAL difference with her. I agree that Michelle's new "do" back then didn't "do much" in a change, but one could see some sort of update in her. Anna's hair type needs some real attention as to  what to do with very fine hair for different occasions that would be easy for her to handle.

If pantyhose are uncomfortable, there are thigh highs which are comfortable and knee highs, which, YES, can't be detected under a floor length dress. Stockings complete the outfit and gives a finished polished look for evening events, IMO.

If one wears the proper size panty hose, they shouldn't pull, tug, or be so uncomfortable that they can't be tolerated for an evening.

[GEML]

I'd like a real makeover show where they respect the girls' sense of personal style (and ask each one to articulate it) and modesty. And they go to thrift stores and consignment stores and make each girl into an individual, not one of a set.

[WTFFF]

Aaaaaand, here's the latest Duggar faux pas, this time Anna's feet need to be put to the fire. 

 

http://www.intouchweekly.com/posts/anna-duggar-uses-black-history-month-to-spread-pro-life-message-50924

 

Hint, like Jessa comparing abortion to the Halocaust, Anna took this occasion to compare it to Black "History" (you have to read to see where she went with that) Month, not to mention trying to corrupt the #BlackLivesMatter hashtag. 

 

Horrible, horrible stuff. 

 

God, these people are completely shameless.  Is there nothing they won't appropriate for their garbage?  I'm surprised she didn't trot out the line about how "the most dangerous place for a black baby in America is inside its mother."  Maybe she's not quite that racist. 

[galax-arena]

Hint, like Jessa comparing abortion to the Halocaust, Anna took this occasion to compare it to Black "History" (you have to read to see where she went with that) Month, not to mention trying to corrupt the #BlackLivesMatter hashtag.

This is absolutely disgusting. STFU and STFD, Anna.

[trimthatfat]

WTF, Anna...my goodness. What an idiotic, racist, and offensive sentiment.

[BitterApple]

Oh my God, please tell me she didn't say what was quoted in the magazine. Please tell me that even the Duggars can't possibly be this ignorant.

[Sew Sumi]

Yes, that was her tweet. I know she's parroting other people's thought, but that she even considers it a legitimate source of information is absolutely appalling. Yes, the guy from whose site she stole this is half-African American and was adopted into a good home (a white family, IIRC) doesn't mean that will be the outcome for all African American babies born, but not wanted, by their birth mothers. 

 

At best, she's an insensitive cow. At worst, blatantly racist. I think the truth lies somewhere in the middle, with aspects of both.

[whydoiwatch]

Anna is an arrogant idiot. I have always seen her as someone who thinks she is better than those around her. She apparently needs help with the three children she has and continues to procreate. Josh and Anna both come across as thinking they are an example to others, IMO. Josh having the job he has is a slap in the face to college educated and/or qualified others who could actually contribute to their workplace and not parade around based on their surname.

[galax-arena]

What kills me is that I'm supposed to believe that the Duggars actually care about black people. 

[Darknight]

What kills me is that I'm supposed to believe that the Duggars actually care about black people.

They don't look racist.

[galax-arena]

? I don't think they are, in the active/malicious sense. But when someone like Anna doesn't say anything about black people or Black History Month except when it serves to push her pro-life agenda, then I don't think it's unreasonable for me to come to that conclusion. Did she ever say anything about Ferguson? Trayvon Martin? Did she ever use #BlackLivesMatter without having it attached to abortion? So... yeah, I don't think they really care about issues concerning black people. Well, Anna anyway, since it's her twitter. Guess I can't speak for Josh, but I doubt he's any different.

 

I'm sure they have black friends, though. 

 

Edited because I didn't want to go down that road of talking about politics in general. :D I think it's enough to focus on Anna's specific tweets (or lack thereof).

Edited February 7, 2015 by galax-arena

[GEML]

I don't think it's about racism, in the same way that Jessa's comment about the Holocaust certainly wouldn't be seen as anti-Semitic. It's simply hijacking something and using it for your cause without any thought or sensitivity at all.

[TheDoctorsCompanio]

If Anna said something along the lines of

'Abortion was originally used to control the black population in America #blacklivesmatter #prolife'

I wouldn't have a problem with it. But I don't find what she wrote really racist or highly offensive, just ignorant and not thought through.

[Darknight]

I wonder if they believe in interracial marriage. What if a fundie black dude or woman wants to court their kids? Which I doubt anyway. I don't see any gothard people who are black, Asian, Hispanic, only whites that's discrimination.(sarcasm) and why is everything compared to abortion? Abortion is a matter between a woman and her doctor.