Alyssa Bates/Webster is wearing PANTS!!

[singsingsing]

She listed it as her favorite movie for a Bringing Up Bates promotional interview. She knows whats up :wink-kitty:

I won't believe she's truly broken free until she lists her favourite movie as 'Thor'.

[CaptainFunderpants]

I won't believe she's truly broken free until she lists her favourite movie as 'Thor'.

Does John have any older brothers that can sweep Jana off of her feet? This family is still nuts, but... Alyssa is trending toward "mainstream conservative Christian," remarkably fast.

Won't be surprised to see another pregnancy soon-ish, but a lot of families choose to space their kids close together. What do we think the odds are that Alyssa has fewer than six?

[actuallyjessica]

Does John have any older brothers that can sweep Jana off of her feet? This family is still nuts, but... Alyssa is trending toward "mainstream conservative Christian," remarkably fast.

Won't be surprised to see another pregnancy soon-ish, but a lot of families choose to space their kids close together. What do we think the odds are that Alyssa has fewer than six?

i agree, i think we'll see another pregnancy before allie's first birthday. but that is not necessarily an indicator of how fundie she is. a lot of people i know have had kids quickly after marrying and aren't religious at all.

[SassyPants]

i agree, i think we'll see another pregnancy before allie's first birthday. but that is not necessarily an indicator of how fundie she is. a lot of people i know have had kids quickly after marrying and aren't religious at all.

True- My daughter did but she's 28 and her hubs is 37.

This girl is 20.

[singsingsing]

True- My daughter did but she's 28 and her hubs is 37.

This girl is 20.

I know a girl who got married at (barely) 19, had her first kid at 20, her second at 22, and then stopped. That said, she and her husband were both very religious when they married, and have now left their religion.

[Grace]

True- My daughter did but she's 28 and her hubs is 37.

This girl is 20.

All the more reason to just get it done if you're so inclined and you are comfortable having multiple tinies at once! Then you have your babies, raise them and are still pretty young when they are all grown so you and your husband can go have fun for many years to come. Not that it will happen with the Websters but I would have done it that way if I'd started earlier and felt like I could handle more than 1 in diapers and not sleeping, you know, at all for 5 years or so.

[CaptainFunderpants]

All the more reason to just get it done if you're so inclined and you are comfortable having multiple tinies at once! Then you have your babies, raise them and are still pretty young when they are all grown so you and your husband can go have fun for many years to come. Not that it will happen with the Websters but I would have done it that way if I'd started earlier and felt like I could handle more than 1 in diapers and not sleeping, you know, at all for 5 years or so.

I've also heard from multiple women that birth at 20 and birth at 30 is a whole 'nother ballgame. Regardless of whatever Erika Shupe *smile* tells you -birth is harder as you get older *cheers*.

[MissBitters]

Alyssa posted a picture of Allie wearing a normal bathing suit in the pool :D

[Lemchop]

Alyssa posted a picture of Allie wearing a normal bathing suit in the pool :D

Also, the photo seems to be extremely conveniently cropped to hide what Alyssa is wearing...

[Melissa1977]

I wouldn't be surprised if she has another baby soon. But On the other side, she was pretty clear about disliking the noise at Bates home and she had a "private" bedroom for just 2-3 siblings.

If she loves calm, sure she enjoyed having her own home, with no noise since Allie came. Event with Allie, she can enjoy silence during naps. With another baby, it's over.

Apart from that, Alyssa seems to enjoy free time, going out, shopping...the more children you have, less time to go out, less money...

[actuallyjessica]

Alyssa posted a picture of Allie wearing a normal bathing suit in the pool :D

wouldn't be surprised if alyssa is wearing a normal bathing suit, too. but of course she won't post that. not yet.

[HereticHick]

Meanwhile, Whit posted a pic of her & Bradley (aka the world's cutest baby ever) in a lake and it looks like Whit is wearing a wholesomewear suit. :(

[NotALoserLikeYou]

Meanwhile, Whit posted a pic of her & Bradley (aka the world's cutest baby ever) in a lake and it looks like Whit is wearing a wholesomewear suit. :(

Ew yeah, she totally is.

I don't know how people don't die of embarrassment when wearing those.

[CaptainFunderpants]

wouldn't be surprised if alyssa is wearing a normal bathing suit, too. but of course she won't post that. not yet.

This one I'm actually okay with. If I knew a minimum of 150,000 people were going to see me in a swimsuit, I probably would stick to wholesome wear too.

[crazysnark]

There is hope for Alyssa. I grew up and married into a funding light family as soon as I turned 18. I was pregnant at 18 and gave birth at 19. Shortly after my son was born my husband and I left religion altogether. I decided to have a second baby very quickly since we already started. At the ripe old age of 22 I am done having children:). Also with the whole wholesome wear thing I wouldn't read too much into it. She was with the rest of the Bates family so she might just be wearing that to respect them and not cause a rift. I do the same when with my in-laws. I wear a baggy shirt and knee length basketball shorts. I just don't think it would be appropriate to wear my bikini in front of them.

[actuallyjessica]

This one I'm actually okay with. If I knew a minimum of 150,000 people were going to see me in a swimsuit, I probably would stick to wholesome wear too.

not only that, but she is still receiving a lot of negative attention for sometimes wearing pants, showing shoulder or knees... imagine what they'd say if she wore a regular swimsuit, even if it were still very modest. i don't blame her in the slightest for being careful with what she posts... notice that most of her photos are cropped at the torso unless she is wearing a skirt that is bates-approved.

[MissBitters]

I noticed Alyssa covered her arms when she was visiting her family in Tennessee last week. It didn't bother me too much because I understand wanting to be respectful of your parent's beliefs. It's pretty funny that one of her first pictures back in Florida was Allie wearing the bathing suit, though. I definitely think Alyssa was wearing one too :D

[16strong]

Ew yeah, she totally is.

I don't know how people don't die of embarrassment when wearing those.

I'm not 100% convinced that is a Wholesomewear suit. The blue part looks thicker than those suits are. I'm thinking it is a blue life vest over a pink quick dry top.

[HereticHick]

I was also wondering (hoping) if Whit was wearing a lift vest + sunshirt

[RosyDaisy]

Yeah, no.

If she'd really 'escaped', we wouldn't know because of some Instagram pictures, we can only decide if she clearly renounces ATI curriculum and IBLP.

A few Instagram pictures aren't really a true reflection of her life. She may actually be trying to make the lifestyle more attractive to young girls through her Instagram. She may also be leaving the lifestyle.

Why do I bother anymore? You're still going to look at her next Instagram picture and decide she is defying her parents. Or whatever other conclusion you want to jump to.

All Alyssa has done is marry into a wealthy, POLITICAL IBLP family. Yeah, that just screams escape.....NOT! Alyssa has a role to play, and wearing ugly frumpers is not the uniform of a Congressman's DIL. Apparently that gets lost when fawning over her new clothing choices.

[HereticHick]

Would you be happier if Alyssa had stuck to frumpers & wholesomewear? And if Allie Jane is dressed in frumpers & wholesomewear, starting now?

[actuallyjessica]

Alyssa is her own person. I married into a family who, on one side is filled with alcoholics, addicts and jailbirds... Does that make me the same? I hate alcohol, never touched drugs and have not broken the law.

The way I see it is until Alyssa starts posting the crap the rest of the Gothardites do, I'm going to give her benefit of the doubt. Whether her in-laws are lax on the dresscode or not. Alyssa has been raised to never show knees or shoulders and as soon as she was on her honeymoon she changed up her dresscode... don't say 'Oh, John is her headship and she will do whatever he tells her to' - she's spoken out against the way of being bought up, how women are at fault for men's sexual thoughts. ALL WITHIN ONE YEAR OF LEAVING THE NEST. She is not advertising the ATI lifestyle.

Do you naysayers expect her to cut her family off, start posting pro-choice, pictures of her with a bottle of wine right away? Give her a break!

[Pretzel]

Alyssa is her own person. I married into a family who, on one side is filled with alcoholics, addicts and jailbirds... Does that make me the same? I hate alcohol, never touched drugs and have not broken the law.

The way I see it is until Alyssa starts posting the crap the rest of the Gothardites do, I'm going to give her benefit of the doubt. Whether her in-laws are lax on the dresscode or not. Alyssa has been raised to never show knees or shoulders and as soon as she was on her honeymoon she changed up her dresscode... don't say 'Oh, John is her headship and she will do whatever he tells her to' - she's spoken out against the way of being bought up, how women are at fault for men's sexual thoughts. ALL WITHIN ONE YEAR OF LEAVING THE NEST. She is not advertising the ATI lifestyle.

Do you naysayers expect her to cut her family off, start posting pro-choice, pictures of her with a bottle of wine right away? Give her a break!

Yes, they do. No step away from her fundie upbringing will ever be big enough for them.

[Kak]

Alyssa is her own person. I married into a family who, on one side is filled with alcoholics, addicts and jailbirds... Does that make me the same? I hate alcohol, never touched drugs and have not broken the law.

The way I see it is until Alyssa starts posting the crap the rest of the Gothardites do, I'm going to give her benefit of the doubt. Whether her in-laws are lax on the dresscode or not. Alyssa has been raised to never show knees or shoulders and as soon as she was on her honeymoon she changed up her dresscode... don't say 'Oh, John is her headship and she will do whatever he tells her to' - she's spoken out against the way of being bought up, how women are at fault for men's sexual thoughts. ALL WITHIN ONE YEAR OF LEAVING THE NEST. She is not advertising the ATI lifestyle.

Do you naysayers expect her to cut her family off, start posting pro-choice, pictures of her with a bottle of wine right away? Give her a break!

I suppose I'm a naysayer, but as a naysayer I don't expect her to do any any of those things. I haven't yet seen enough evidence that would make me believe she has left fundamentalism. John's authority over her allows all the behaviours we have seen so far.

She's a still a girl really, clearly into fashion and clearly enjoying her new life. I'm glad for her. But I can't get over her fundie behaviours: married at 19, mother at 20. Like all good fundies, a mother by her 1st wedding anniversary.

I hope all you guys are right and that it's us naysayers who are wrong.

[MissBitters]

To be fair, fundies aren't the only ones who marry at 19 and have a child within the first year. I do think Alyssa took advantage of her family's system to escape to a less strict lifestyle. It would've been nice if she had gone to college and had time to act more her age with parties, spring break trips, etc. before marriage, but that just wasn't in the cards for a Bates daughter. She may or may not have a ton of kids or fully leave the ATI life, but it looks like she did decide early on she wanted something different from her parents. She took charge of her life the best way she could. That deserves some praise.