There has been an ongoing discussion among viewers about whether Jill Duggar Dillard’s (relatively) recent nose piercing makes her the family member who has rebelled the most against Jim Bob and Michelle’s strict clothing rules. While Jill’s cousin, Amy King, used to be called the “rebel Duggar” for wearing jeans on the show, sisters Jinger Vuolo and Jill Dillard have both been seen wearing pants in the last year. However, when Jill first flashed her nose piercing on Instagram, fans thought she might be the truest rebel. Is the piercing really about ditching her daddy’s rules, though?
The Duggar women are brought up with rather strict modesty standards. In their book, Growing Up Duggar, the sisters say that they must wear skirts below the knee, because they believe the Bible says that showing the thigh is nakedness, that they don’t wear low necklines or sleeveless tops, or tight clothing, and that there is a Duggar family code word (“Nike”) used to warn the boys — and even Jim Bob — not to look if they encounter a woman in public who doesn’t meet their modesty standards.
However, as married adults, some of the rules from the Duggar household have been left behind.
Jessa Duggar Seewald’s pregnancy photos have been criticized for being tight enough to show her navel.
Jinger Duggar Vuolo in pants — jeans, even! — came as a real surprise to fans, heightening suspicion that the young women only followed that dress code because it was a household rule, rather than their own conviction.
Then there was Jill’s nose stud. In the comments of the first Instagram photo where the piercing is visible, fans comment to tell her they love that she’s the only Duggar sister with a piercing (other than earlobe), and to question how her father feels about it.
People Magazine called Jill Dillard’s latest fashion choice a “rebellion from her family’s faith,” and other photos Jill and Derick Dillard have released since, showing Jill in pants, or in a skirt that reveals skin above the knee, have encouraged the idea that Jill is rebelling against her upbringing.
However, in a more recent discussion, viewers became convinced that Jill isn’t getting body piercings to show her distance from her family at all. Instead, the decoration could be taken from the culture of India, and intended to reduce pain in future pregnancies and childbirth.
Jill Dillard has been accused of cultural appropriation at various times in the past, such as, In Touch reports, when she called herself her nephew’s “Tia” despite no Hispanic heritage. Then there was Jill’s henna tattoo.
In fact, the timing of the henna and nose ring (both appearing in late 2017) is what one Duggar fan says led her to suspect that the piercing was a borrowed element of another culture, rather than a fashion statement.
“…given the fact that she also had some beautiful henna work on her hand, I immediately made the connection with Hindu beliefs and ayurvedic medicine.”
In fact, according to India Marks, a piercing of the left nostril specifically is thought to ease childbirth.
If that’s the reason for the jewelry, Jill Dillard may be revealing something about her plans for her family size. If the piercing was intended to help with the birth of her second child, Samuel, then she would, presumably, have gotten it before he was born, in July. However, none of her photos before Sam’s birth show a nostril piercing, and this one, two months after his birth, reveals that part of her face clearly, with no apparent piercing.
If Jill Duggar Dillard is truly hoping to ease the difficulties of pregnancy and childbirth with the help of ayurvedic medicine, this piercing would have to be intended as a measure for a future pregnancy — something fans have thought might not be in the cards after Jill’s struggles with the last two deliveries.