Mary-Elizabeth Arndt & her new handbag

[0 kids n not countin]

"Wizzy", as they call her, & her new bag Mommy helped her make. I know it's been said before, but she looks so young for a teenager who will be 16 this coming January. The bag is cute for a 6 year old maybe, but for someone who is almost 16? Her hairstyle is a bit better though, no braids!

 

[TMS]

I just asked my 14yo daughter to guess how old she is and she said, "Nine or ten?"

Who is she?

[JenniferJuniper]

I'm beginning to worry that Wizzy is being given some sort of drugs to delay puberty. Maybe Mom and Dad are concerned about the affect it could have on all of the man children in the house.

[JenniferJuniper]

I just asked my 14yo daughter to guess how old she is and she said, "Nine or ten?"

Who is she?

She's on the Arndt FamTeam. Has 13 brothers, some in their 30's, who all live out some weird fundie Peter Pan lifestyle "safe at home" with their parents.

[ElphabaGalinda]

They are definitely trying to keep her a little girl as long as possible, from the way she dresses, to that purse, to her childish passtimes, to that ridiculous babyish nickname. She really does look 9 or 10, it's super weird. I wonder, are the Arndts the type that think sisters can defraud brothers? Maybe not, because the mom wears shorts, but all those "kids" including the 30something year olds are treated like 9 or 10 year olds, so I supposed Wizzy is treated just like all her brothers in that sense. None of them, including the girl, will ever get to marry.

[Sydney Fox]

I just asked my 14yo daughter to guess how old she is and she said, "Nine or ten?"

Who is she?

I just asked my 13 yo daughter and she says she looks about 9 as well. She also commented that it wasn't just her outfit that made her look so young, but the shape of her face.

[MissBeaufort]

I just asked my 13 yo daughter and she says she looks about 9 as well. She also commented that it wasn't just her outfit that made her look so young, but the shape of her face.

I looked far, far younger than my age in terms of face and body shape until I was about 16 and a half - and then I hit puberty like a brick wall and everything matured almost overnight. I was thrilled beyond belief that I wouldn't have people asking my friends if I was their little sister any more, but I expect the transition won't be such a positive thing for this poor girl.

ETA: And even when I was newly 16 and looked about 10, at least I was allowed to wear clothes that made me look age appropriate! Yeesh.

[ILoveJellybeans]

I would have guessed she was about 10, she looks young for her age.

I look very young for my age though.

[Witsec7]

I'm beginning to worry that Wizzy is being given some sort of drugs to delay puberty. Maybe Mom and Dad are concerned about the affect it could have on all of the man children in the house.

I'd like to avoid the sinister :D Could she not be suffering from a naturally delayed puberty ? Looking at her, she has adopted her mother's fashion sense/style, without having a chance to learn who she is and what she wants her clothing to say. Naturally her choices are limited due to her closed family. The brothers and the parents infantilize her. Her parents infantilize her brothers as well. Perhaps a combination of factors?

ETA In most of the videos she is seen in the background pushing a broom, or 'cooking' with her brothers.

[darkplumaged]

I'm beginning to worry that Wizzy is being given some sort of drugs to delay puberty. Maybe Mom and Dad are concerned about the affect it could have on all of the man children in the house.

I doubt they'd go that far. What doctor would prescribe them?

To me she looks 12, because she looks about the same size I was at 12. I was small for my age, though. Based on the shape and proportions of her face, I can see how one might say 10.

[HOTW]

My DD at 16 is mistaken for much younger despite hte fact shs is chesty however she does dress modestly- always has- her and her sister have such diverse taste it isn't even possible to think they were even raised in the same household! Many of my clients are surprised at her age because she does not wear makeup(she has whiteskin that does not tan and thinks she looks like a clown with makeup) but once they talk to her they are amazed at how mature she is-it's just gettingnher to talk! Sometimes I wonder if I took home someone elses DD because my 2 girls cannot be more different from the other but since they look like us we can't say we did!

[Deleted06]

She looks about 12 or 13 to me. And that purse/tote/whatever has the colors for Halloween. Could this be some trick-or-treat bag? Oh never mind, no way would she be out trick-or-treating.

[Coconut Flan]

My first guess was 12. Where did they find those clothes though? I guess if she's small enough they could still shop pre-teen styles and sizes for her.

[JenniferJuniper]

I doubt they'd go that far. What doctor would prescribe them?

It was mostly meant to be tongue in cheek, however, believe me, in places like Florida - where they seem to visit relatives often enough - if you check the right places, you can find a doctor to prescribe literally anything. I deal with the insanity that goes on in certain areas there on a nearly daily basis at work.

It just seems an odd coincidence to me that a family with over a dozen emotionally, psychologically stunted and sexually repressed sons would then end up with a daughter who still hasn't hit puberty 4 months before her 16th birthday.

[gustava]

She's so covered up, I don't think we can tell about budding breasts. I'm guessing she covers up to hide them. And, yes, she definitely has her mother's hairstyle.

[Olive Plant]

Is she getting enough to eat? Thin girls (and overworked girls) have delayed puberty because of a lack of fat.

[JenniferJuniper]

She's so covered up, I don't think we can tell about budding breasts. I'm guessing she covers up to hide them. And, yes, she definitely has her mother's hairstyle.

And somewhat unfortunately, her father's face.

Most girls her age are way past the budding stage, especially these days, but I can see how she might end up under fed in that home.

[SoSoNosy]

Does she have braces on her teeth?

[Hane]

I kinda like the bag (runs and hides).

[YPestis]

I don't think we should assume hormone treatment or being starved here. Girls can look years younger than their actual ages. I was constantly told I looked 12 when I was 16 and I hit puberty years before.

Also, it's pretty hard to find a licensed physician who will prescribe medication to delay puberty without good cause or constant supervision. And she doesn't look under-fed enough to delay puberty to that extent. She looks about normal weight and healthy for a teenager. I think with the increasing obesity of American children, we forget that healthy children should look thin LOL.

The girl is probably just a late bloomer. The medical definition of delayed puberty for girls is (if I remember correctly) defined as no breast development by 13 years, or no period by 16. We can't tell if this girl is delayed by the picture. I think the girl just looks young. Just because she's fundie doesn't imply anything nefarious going on.

[0 kids n not countin]

Her's a photo of her not so covered up:

[itsnikki05]

Eh. She's a cutie! I looked about 15 when I was 18 and graduated. I still look younger than my age. Some folks just have a young face. KWIM?

[Just_Jane]

The bag isn't so bad. They probably made it. I've seen a lot of handbag patterns that have layers of ruffles. I'm personally not a fan of them. It might have looked more grown-up if it had been made in different fabrics.

[bionicmlle]

ANyone else think the bag looks like a Halloween (gasp!) costume?

regarding hormones -- aren't there allegations about the Hephzibah House girls getting some type of hormone to stop periods/delay puberty? I wouldn't put it past some of the "medical professionals" that practice in these circles. Oral Roberts University DID have a medical school at one time....

[pixydust]

I probably looked that young when I was 16, if I was make-up less (that was rare!), at that age I was 4'11 and maybe a size 5, with A cups. No late puberty (I was an A cup at 10, period at 11.5), just small (I never once had a growth spurt). I also don't think that she is to thin, they are a very active family and active kids tend to be thin.