Alyssa Bates/Webster is wearing PANTS!!

[Mama Mia]

I agree about the clothes now looking fairly modern and not being hard core fundamentalist approved. But the person didn't just say the clothes weren't up to their standards, they said they would no longer watch the show. I just wonder why one would even own a television if Bringing Up Bates is considered too defrauding. Honestly, how much is there on TV that is less objectionable than BuB? Little House on the Prairie and Holy Rosary with Mother Angelica?

I'm thinking they probably turn it on to watch the super scary Fire and Brimstone Preachers sermons.

To be charitable to them --- their standards are about a million miles away from my own, but I could kind of see how you might let your kids watch some movies that you wouldn't agree with the choices the characters make --- but would object to your kids watching an on-going show with the same sorts of choices represented if your kids wanted to emulate the characters. Maybe.

Like an "after-school special" type show where the main character used drugs but it was seen as a problem and dealt with might be okay for Tweens. But a favorite tv show where a Jr. high kid made constant drug references for laughs, and your kids loved that character, might send a bad message. I guess. That's the closest analogy I can think of.

[nelliebelle1197]

I guess I did misread that. Sorry. :embarrassed:

I agree with MamaMia that the crazy dress code lady (is that you, Teri Maxwell? Did all that time with the Duggars send you to the beast?) is for real. That was just too ... Bitter... To be fake.

[DuggarsTheEndIsNear]

Hmmm..... I may have misread- I took this

" We might be firm about certain rules with our children while they are in our home, because it is our home…but when they are out of our home, we should be just as respectful of them as they were of us."

to mean they have to follow Bates standards even when visiting.

She said in her post that she treated her married children as other guests to her home. I doubt she'd make her other guests change.

[Mitz_]

She said in her post that she treated her married children as other guests to her home. I doubt she'd make her other guests change.

Kelly makes it clear in her answer that her rules for her children are for while they are living in the home. She goes on to say that she hopes and thinks that when they visit her home they will continue to respect her rules out of love and respect. I they will do just that, just as many of us do when we go to our parents house. I know that when I'm at my father's house I watch my language, don't drink alcohol and if I go out I come in at a reasonable hour so he won't worry.

[Tdoc72]

I mean, to truly live biblically would be quite a challenge.

OT: This book is pretty funny. This Jewish guy decides to try and follow the bible exactly for a year. 2 favorite stories are the stoning of adulterers (he looks for the littlest pebbles and kind of secretly tosses them at people's feet) and a rule about not sitting in the same chair as his wife when she's has her period. She gets annoyed with him and sits in every chair in their house. So the only place he can work is sitting on their kid's twin bed. Maybe not worth full price, but amusing if you can find a used copy.

[jerkit]

OT: This book is pretty funny. This Jewish guy decides to try and follow the bible exactly for a year. 2 favorite stories are the stoning of adulterers (he looks for the littlest pebbles and kind of secretly tosses them at people's feet) and a rule about not sitting in the same chair as his wife when she's has her period. She gets annoyed with him and sits in every chair in their house. So the only place he can work is sitting on their kid's twin bed. Maybe not worth full price, but amusing if you can find a used copy.

This was a fantastic book!

[singsingsing]

'Year of Living Biblically' is awesome and most definitely worth full price. It's hilarious, informative and insightful. A.J. Jacobs is a great writer so check out his other books as well - he wrote one about reading the entire Encyclopedia Britannica (I think that was it) and one about trying to follow every bit of health advice.

[Firiel]

OT: This book is pretty funny. This Jewish guy decides to try and follow the bible exactly for a year. 2 favorite stories are the stoning of adulterers (he looks for the littlest pebbles and kind of secretly tosses them at people's feet) and a rule about not sitting in the same chair as his wife when she's has her period. She gets annoyed with him and sits in every chair in their house. So the only place he can work is sitting on their kid's twin bed. Maybe not worth full price, but amusing if you can find a used copy.

I haven't even read the book, but that's flipping hilarious. I love the idea of someone trying to surreptitiously throw little pebbles at someone's feet without them noticing.

[kburke93]

Just saw this image of Alyssa's short dress :shock:

http://allaboutthebates.blogspot.com/20 ... mment-form

[jinseng]

OMG found another pic of Alyssa in JEANS! I hope there is beer chilling in that cooler she's sitting on...

This link is long but hopefully it works for ya'll:

https://cdn3.blovcdn.com/bloglovin/a40d ... UwMC5qcGc=

[jinseng]

and another one! This one is a full-body shot.

LINK: http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sMlE6Ufss_c/V ... 6109_n.jpg

She looks SO MUCH BETTER IN PANTS!!! gahhhh.... I am so happy for her. I hope when her family sees these pics they will realise it is more than possible to look beautiful and feminine in a pair of pants. Despite all their talk that wearing skirts/dresses helps to 'identify' as a woman, I honestly think she looks so much more feminine than before.

[eh02]

Pregnancy has to be the absolute worst time to start wearing jeans. I don't even like wearing them after a big meal. Granted, I've never been pregnant... :D but I don't wear dresses or skirts often, and I think even I would trade in my collection of skinny jeans for maxi skirts ASAP. It's depressing enough trying to find pants that fit well even without a fetus adding inches.

Alyssa does look good though. Happy and confident. And that's a good a sign as any with a fundie woman! I really think Alyssa is smart - she has a sharp, curious, analytical sparkle in her eye that's definitely atypical for a Gothard woman. I can't really read anything from her husband...I don't think I've ever heard him say more than a few words. I know he's got some fans on here, but I really do not find him attractive at all. But Alyssa clearly does, and she seems very happy with him, so I hope they're a good match. Clearly he's fine with her defrauding every man in town :D so he gets a few points for that!

[bal maiden]

Pregnancy has to be the absolute worst time to start wearing jeans. I don't even like wearing them after a big meal. Granted, I've never been pregnant... :D but I don't wear dresses or skirts often, and I think even I would trade in my collection of skinny jeans for maxi skirts ASAP. It's depressing enough trying to find pants that fit well even without a fetus adding inches.

Ah but maternity jeans are the most comfortable trousers ever! That lovely big soft stretchy panel is just so nice *wistfully looks at box of maternity clothes*

[txmommyof4]

Ah but maternity jeans are the most comfortable trousers ever! That lovely big soft stretchy panel is just so nice *wistfully looks at box of maternity clothes*

A truer statement has never been said!

[indifferent]

Pregnant friend showed me a pair of maternity jeans and dayum I would love that for a binge eating night with netflix!

Love how Alyssa rocks the sleeveless tops and jeans! The Bates girls are the prettiest of all the fundies imho. Can't wait for Michaels wedding - and of course all those babies! Zach & Whitney's boy is the cutest.

[LittleOleMe]

I don't know about maternity jeans. I stopped wearing pants all together when I was pregnant enough to be uncomfortable. They all just felt restricting and tight, no matter what sizes or brands I tried. I just started buying floor length elastic skirts and putting the waist over my bump so it ended up being a "regular" length skirt :lol:

[kpmom]

and another one! This one is a full-body shot.

LINK: http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sMlE6Ufss_c/V ... 6109_n.jpg

Fundies are so right. Why I can't even tell which one of them is the man and which is the woman with both of them in pants! :roll:

I'm not that familiar with the Bates, but just wanted to add that the hubby in that pic is kinda hunky.

[Mama Mia]

She must have been really, really dying to wear jeans for a loooonggg time, if she decided to start wearing them in pregnancy! :lol: I wonder if that was number # on her screening questions for her husband ( I can not tell these guys apart ) .

#1 - are you going to shut up when I go shopping and buy jeans?

#2 - oh, yeah, do you love God?

--- yes to both? And you're kinda hot? Okay :D

[SquirrelySquirrel]

I wonder if a sister-in-law gifted her maternity hand me downs, which included jeans. That could have made it that much easier for Alyssa to cross the bridge into pants while telling herself she's being frugal.

[formergothardite]

I didn't catch a hostile tone either, but those were some long replies!

Kelly wrote

That's great to hear that she will respect her children's choices (I would really like to hear how Jim Bob and Michelle would honestly answer that question), but it's telling that she just says married girls. In their culture for girls to be considered real adults they have to be married. I wonder how she would feel if a single daughter started making her own choices like that.

I bet they would start praying a hedge of thorns around any daughter who decided to be slightly independent without a husband. And yes, a hedge of thorns is really a thing in ATI. If one of your adult children starts living in a way that you don't approve you pray that horrible things happen to them until they start living the life you want them to live.

Gil and Kelly give an IBLP lecture about the dangers of sensual women. I bet they are annoyed that they now have a daughter who isn't just wearing pants(because that isn't that huge of a deal) but is wearing really tight pants with sleeveless shirts. I think they expected pants, just not that tight of pants. In the one maternity picture with black pants those look almost like leggings.

[nokidsmom]

Kelly and Gil are probably more annoyed than they let on. I don't think that controlling fundie parents are going to be immediately OK with any choices their married kids make that they disagree with, never mind all the talk of headship, being out of their home, yadda, yadda. They just learn to cope like any other parent seeing adult children making different choices. They may have expected any of their girls to decide on wearing pants at one point but Alyssa has clearly wasted no time taking it further to defrauding skinny jeans and sleeveless shirts. And she's absolutely lovin' it. There's no going back for her.

All of of the married Bates kids look to be enjoying their married lives but Alyssa looks positively ecstatic.

[jerkit]

Alyssa was wearing a sleeveless dress at her Southern Baptist (read: not IFB) church this morning.

[calimojo]

Kelly and Gil are probably more annoyed than they let on. I don't think that controlling fundie parents are going to be immediately OK with any choices their married kids make that they disagree with, never mind all the talk of headship, being out of their home, yadda, yadda. They just learn to cope like any other parent seeing adult children making different choices. They may have expected any of their girls to decide on wearing pants at one point but Alyssa has clearly wasted no time taking it further to defrauding skinny jeans and sleeveless shirts. And she's absolutely lovin' it. There's no going back for her.

All of of the married Bates kids look to be enjoying their married lives but Alyssa looks positively ecstatic.

They might be slightly annoyed, but I don't think it is a big deal to them because Alyssa, pants or not, is still doing the thing she was expected to do, have babies. So she is building up that ultra conservative child army. She is not working outside of the home, unless she is helping hubby with the office cleaning job. So I don't think she has stepped to far away from the lifestyle yet.

I think if they had a kid who openly rejected the no birth control and embraced family planning that would be more upsetting to them. If they had a daughter or DIL who worked outside the home and put the kids in daycare or public school, that would bother them far more than wearing jeans or sleeveless shirts.

[Rachel333]

I bet they would start praying a hedge of thorns around any daughter who decided to be slightly independent without a husband. And yes, a hedge of thorns is really a thing in ATI. If one of your adult children starts living in a way that you don't approve you pray that horrible things happen to them until they start living the life you want them to live.

Oh, ick. I hear "hedge of protection" all the time but I don't think I've heard a prayer for a hedge of thorns around someone before. Googling shows this is definitely a thing, though. :shock:

[DuggarsTheEndIsNear]

They might be slightly annoyed, but I don't think it is a big deal to them because Alyssa, pants or not, is still doing the thing she was expected to do, have babies. So she is building up that ultra conservative child army. She is not working outside of the home, unless she is helping hubby with the office cleaning job. So I don't think she has stepped to far away from the lifestyle yet.

I think if they had a kid who openly rejected the no birth control and embraced family planning that would be more upsetting to them. If they had a daughter or DIL who worked outside the home and put the kids in daycare or public school, that would bother them far more than wearing jeans or sleeveless shirts.

I'm going to agree with this. Especially since they posted a picture on Instagram a little while ago with all their kids (boys and girls alike) in shorts. Wardrobe issues are far from their biggest concern.