Derick Dillard ‘So Proud’ Of Jill Duggar For Rocking Pants: ‘Nobody Has To Wear Skirts’

Jill Duggar has been surprising Counting On fans lately with her bolder and edgier fashion sense. The Duggar daughter has been breaking out of her family’s strict fashion rules and has been spotted wearing jeans several times recently.

The Duggar family, led by Jim Bob and Michelle, is known among their Christian fanbase for having conservative beliefs and lifestyle. Apart from supervised courtship rules, Duggar girls are expected to dress modestly. This means that they can’t wear short skirts, shorts, and pants.

Married women, however, don’t have to abide by Jim Bob and Michelle’s conservative guidelines–with the permission of their husbands. Jinger Duggar was first to break free from the no-pants rule after getting married in 2016.

Now, Jill Duggar is following her younger sister’s footsteps by being the second woman in the family to be spotted wearing trousers. According to In Touch, the 26-year-old Counting On star wore pants for the first time in November last year. Taking her new fashion sense one step bolder, Jill even got a nose piercing and has been photographed sporting a nose ring!

On Wednesday, Jan. 10, Jill wore another pair of jeans during a speaking engagement at her husband Derick Dillard’s campus ministry. Derick posted Jill’s jeans-wearing moment on his Instagram account, complimenting his “beautiful wife.” Derick Dillard stated that he’s “so proud” of Jill as she talked to young ladies in the school about “God-centered relationships.”

“My beautiful wife speaking to a group of young ladies at a school today about God-centered relationships! So proud of her!”

Counting On fans were pleasantly surprised by Jill’s recent actions. Many commented on Derick’s post to say how it is good to see a Duggar woman being more current and modern.

“I literally just choked on the air in excitement when I saw Jill in pants. So nice to see the girls having more freedom and choice in the clothing they wear,” one fan replied.

Derick Dillard also commented about his wife’s fashion choices on Twitter, where he had an interesting exchange with a critic who questioned why girls have to get their husbands’ permission before they could decide “to do anything.”

“No, I don’t believe or teach that…The Bible says nothing about wearing skirts or having a certain [hairstyle] to be saved,” Derick tweeted back on Jan. 9.

Their conversation was in response to Desiring God’s tweet about “the beautiful virtues of godly women.” The Duggar critic specifically called out Derick for allegedly preaching that men have “absolute power” over women.

“Here’s your ‘oxymoron,’ Derick. It’s sad but true that well-behaved women rarely make history, but isn’t that what you want and teach the women who follow your cult?” the critic, who goes with the Twitter name Tainted Bubbles, wrote.

Derick replied several times, repeatedly stating that he doesn’t follow that mentality. The 27-year-old Duggar son-in-law, who now works with his church’s campus ministry, said that girls can wear whatever style that suits them.

“Nobody has to wear skirts. Everyone has their own style that suits them.”

That’s right, the Bible says nothing about wearing skirts or having certain hair to be saved. It is a gift of God; none of our merits will save us (Eph. 2:8-9)

— Derick Dillard (@derickmdillard) January 9, 2018

Derick Dillard has been part of the Duggar family’s reality shows in the past, from 19 Kids and Counting to the more recent Counting On seasons. However, TLC recently announced that Jill’s husband will no longer be appearing in future episodes after he posted a series of tweets against the network’s transgender show, I Am Jazz. Derick blasted the network for producing the show which focuses on Jazz Jennings, 17-year-old transgender.

After TLC’s announcement, Derick commented that he wasn’t fired from the show. Rather, it was his decision to part ways with the network because of their conflicting opinions. While he insisted that he didn’t personally attack Jazz Jennings, he held on to his previous statement that “transgender is a myth.”

Although TLC hasn’t officially confirmed Counting On’s return, the show is expected to air a new season–sans Derick–in February.