Fundie lifestyle or worn out genes?

[beepy13]

The girls (Jill and Jessa especially) need to chop off about 9 inches of that tired, stringy hair. Maybe when Jill has the post-partum hair loss she'll be motivated to get a shearing. Michelle hasn't been pregnant in over three years so she has had time for the hair to bounce back.

Agreed. All of the girls are beautiful--not that that's the most important quality in the real world--but Jill and Jessa would look so much more "fresh" with shorter hair.

[Eatingintheprayercloset]

Agreed. All of the girls are beautiful--not that that's the most important quality in the real world--but Jill and Jessa would look so much more "fresh" with shorter hair.

Jill could rock a medium length bob I think :D

[isarhenne]

I agree, I think Michelle looks her age BUT if she would stop tanning, she would look younger. I also noticed that and aged considerably over the last 4 years. I think all the pregnancy hormones kept her looking young, and now that she is reaching menopause, it's all catching up with her. She looked great in the people mag photo shoot, too bad she won't continue the look. My mother in law Michelle's age but she still looks like she is in her late 30s or early 40s and I truly believe it's because she doesn't tan, because of that, I won't ever tan again and I will use sunscreen. It sucks being pasty white but it will pay off in the coming years. I'm 30 and already have age spots!

yes, I agree. Tanning makes you look older once you hit 30. Paler skin makes you look younger when you're already in the aging process. With fake tan it might be ok because you can just stop putting it on. But when you're sunbathing and your skin get's permanently tanned and it can never go back to pale, not even in the winter, then you start to look older than you are (and wrinklier because of the sun exposure). That's because I will never intentionally sunbath again (I stopped at 23, I hope that was not too late).

As for the Duggar genes:

I guess most girls have hit the jackpot. Aging-wise I would think that Jill and Joy will not age as well as Jana and Jessa. Jill already has crowfeed and I can see Joy heading in that direction too, but I'm not sure. Jinger, I don't know, she is wearing to much selftan and make-up to see what her skin really looks like.

The boys are another story. I agree with most that it's a combination of bad diet, genes (hairline), and selfhate because of different reasons: Josh because he is working for a hate group, JD because he is not getting a wife, Josiah...I don't know, well....

[alba]

The girls (Jill and Jessa especially) need to chop off about 9 inches of that tired, stringy hair. Maybe when Jill has the post-partum hair loss she'll be motivated to get a shearing. Michelle hasn't been pregnant in over three years so she has had time for the hair to bounce back.

A lot of those kids have a tendency for shadowy undereyes (the blonder of the boy twins, a few of the youngest boys, Joy) and it makes them look really tired. That's probably inherited.

Josh has gone seriously downhill in the past several years. He looks like his Aunt Evelyn.

Comments like this really rub me the wrong way. I'm not trying to single you out, Julifornia; I've seen this sentiment several other times in the past around here.

These comments always use words like gross, dead or, in your case, "stringy". I don't see any of that with the Duggars' hair (okay, Jill's is kind of stringy, but I think she's just not worked out how to handle her natural wave yet, and if her hair's anything like mine it would be worse if she cut it as there'd be less weight to weigh the curls down). In fact, their hair looks remarkably healthy considering the amount of heat-styling they do.

I'm going to guess, then, that you (and others) just don't particularly like long hair, or haven't seen much of it that's not enhanced with extensions. That's fine. But saying they need to cut their hair, to me, implies that you think there's something *inherently* wrong with long hair, rather than subjectively, and that they must not like it either.

The problem with the fact that all five have long hair has nothing to do with the actual state of the hair on their heads. It's that they have no choice in the matter. GotHard says "Wear your hair long", so they do. If they all left fundamentalism, I wouldn't be surprised if Jill and Jessa kept their long hair. It's longer than average for their community, and they're the two who seem to most enjoy actually *having* long hair; they're the only ones we see with things like braids and updos with any regularity. Joy I could see either cutting it short or keeping it "mainstream" long (but shorter than it is now), whichever would get in the way less for her. I have no idea what Jana and Jinger would do, but I don't get the impression either particularly loves their hair as it is.

I'm sorry if this comes across as hand-slappy; I'm trying really hard not to but this is one of those things that bugs me (probably because I have long hair! ;) ).

[Freefundies]

I had really long hair too when I was in my early 20's and as I was a blonde my hair wasn't thick and was always babyfine and/or stringy looking which I was tired of and began to cut it shorter about 6 inches at a time. Most of the time when I look at the girls I think that there hair looks well kept up. Jinger and Jill sometimes have a bit of overly processed hair (somewhat dried out) probably from hot irons and curlers (I remember some of these days). If they choose to keep long hair than more power to them as it is a lot of work but beautiful when done right and cared after. However, some of those girls have the facial features for shorter hair as well and would look just as pretty. JMO.

But I agree with another poster above who stated that the boys do need some different cuts/styling.

[morri]

I dont know your orientation but I dont think they all look the same, like jed and jer look different to jackson and josiah for example . I think the boys are easier to distinguish than the girls who really look a lot alike.

[halcionne]

Comments like this really rub me the wrong way. I'm not trying to single you out, Julifornia; I've seen this sentiment several other times in the past around here.

These comments always use words like gross, dead or, in your case, "stringy". I don't see any of that with the Duggars' hair (okay, Jill's is kind of stringy, but I think she's just not worked out how to handle her natural wave yet, and if her hair's anything like mine it would be worse if she cut it as there'd be less weight to weigh the curls down). In fact, their hair looks remarkably healthy considering the amount of heat-styling they do.

I'm going to guess, then, that you (and others) just don't particularly like long hair, or haven't seen much of it that's not enhanced with extensions. That's fine. But saying they need to cut their hair, to me, implies that you think there's something *inherently* wrong with long hair, rather than subjectively, and that they must not like it either.

The problem with the fact that all five have long hair has nothing to do with the actual state of the hair on their heads. It's that they have no choice in the matter. GotHard says "Wear your hair long", so they do. If they all left fundamentalism, I wouldn't be surprised if Jill and Jessa kept their long hair. It's longer than average for their community, and they're the two who seem to most enjoy actually *having* long hair; they're the only ones we see with things like braids and updos with any regularity. Joy I could see either cutting it short or keeping it "mainstream" long (but shorter than it is now), whichever would get in the way less for her. I have no idea what Jana and Jinger would do, but I don't get the impression either particularly loves their hair as it is.

I'm sorry if this comes across as hand-slappy; I'm trying really hard not to but this is one of those things that bugs me (probably because I have long hair! ;) ).

I have long hair, too, and I'm wondering if people are saying the same thing about my hair. :? I doubt it, because I'm not a Duggar. :lol: Unfortunately it has started thinning somewhat, since I turned 40, so it's not as nice as it was before. I don't see the back my own hair very often, and I do wonder if it looks straggly. Oh well, I will chalk it up to Duggar dislike, since I get compliments when I wear my hair down, which isn't very often.

[Freefundies]

Halcionne, I found as I got older that is really when my hair thinned out and the ends would split so easily. I find that people who have babyfine hair like me don't look great when it thins out. The darker and thicker hair always looked so much better than what I was toting around naturally. I look at those ladies and think that Jordyn and Josie will be the ones that will really have to work on their locks when they are older and it will never look as thick as Jessa or Jills.

[roddma]

I dont think anyone here means long hair is wrong.It doesnt rub me the wrong way and i keep my hair shoulder length. I have worn long and short hair as well.Long hair requires more maintenance to keep it tangle free etc. As talked about in another thread, Duggar hair looks unkempt sometimes. Furthermore, the 4 older Duggar daughters wear their hair the same way. I see no individual style. Joy Anna is starting to look like her sisters. I also dont think i petty to talk about their appearance. As said above, they are paid entertainers and Im sure they savor the attention just like any other public figure.

[Julifornia]

If you look at pictures, I'm pretty sure that Jessa hasn't had a trim since before she got engaged, and when nst was going on her picture-posting blitzkreig, you could see how its condition has deteriorated. Many pictures with visible breakage and split ends, not to mention how fried it is from heat treatment. I'm sure that she's been a little rough on it since November, too.

(And by pictures, I mean candids and instagram shots, not anything published for their website or TLC or People)

My hair is currently 15 inches from crown to tips, and has been Duggar-length in the past, and it requires considerable maintenance to keep it looking healthy. When I went to college I decided to skip my two-monthly trims for awhile, and between that and the windy winter weather I had to get rid of about 5 inches when it was next cut because it had been neglected and destroyed. Lesson learned. I grew it out again (with regular trims) until a few months after I had my first baby and it started falling out everywhere.

If Jill gets pregnant again quickly enough, will she keep the post-partum shed from happening?

[alba]

If you look at pictures, I'm pretty sure that Jessa hasn't had a trim since before she got engaged, and when nst was going on her picture-posting blitzkreig, you could see how its condition has deteriorated. Many pictures with visible breakage and split ends, not to mention how fried it is from heat treatment. I'm sure that she's been a little rough on it since November, too.

(And by pictures, I mean candids and instagram shots, not anything published for their website or TLC or People)

My hair is currently 15 inches from crown to tips, and has been Duggar-length in the past, and it requires considerable maintenance to keep it looking healthy. When I went to college I decided to skip my two-monthly trims for awhile, and between that and the windy winter weather I had to get rid of about 5 inches when it was next cut because it had been neglected and destroyed. Lesson learned. I grew it out again (with regular trims) until a few months after I had my first baby and it started falling out everywhere.

If Jill gets pregnant again quickly enough, will she keep the post-partum shed from happening?

Are you talking about pictures like this?

instagram.com/p/1Y_i45jfpe/

I can see how that might look damaged, but to me it just looks like natural waves that have been brushed out or lost a battle with humidity. I can understand how you might view it differently, though.

I admit I probably overreacted in my previous post; a lot of people I know will look at a picture like this one, where, IMO, her hair looks amazing, and say it looks gross and stringy:

instagram.com/p/0fqTl_jfmu/

[Julifornia]

The engagement picture is a great example of how much better it would look if it were 4-6 inches shorter.

[halcionne]

In the first picture her hair has been brushed out, and in the second she used a curling iron. Both cause damage, but her hair doesn't look particularly damaged to me.

My hair is longer (fact), healthier (probable), and prettier (opinion). :nenner: :lol:

I don't actually care about their hair. I think I have been taking the hair critiques around here a little bit too personally, though, and I think my hair is awesome, which is what really matters.

[apandaaries]

What I find intriguing about all this is the importance placed on women's looks in Gothardism. So many hard-core fundamentalist religions wind up with the women looking OLD, haggard, and worn out way before their time (pregnancy after pregnancy with childrearing and housekeeping will do that to a woman -- although actually, Zsu is winding up in that category, too). So many other fundamentalists warn against "Jezebels" or painted women, too.

But there seems to be this odd difference with the Duggars, where they "allow" (they should really have more control over their lives, obviously) the girls extra time to be sure they are as pretty as possible. With Gothard's edicts on hair and whatnot, it seems there's a special focus on women's appearance. I remember an old page online where J'Chelle talked about showing respect and submission for her headship by keeping her hair styled the way he liked it.

I think this is all linked to female subjugation. Males have all the power within their own household. Women's appearance becomes another thing for men to assess and control. Since men already have so much power, they are freed from the tyranny of appearance. Thus we have scenes of J'Chelle (enforcing the rules imposed by her headship) hauling Jana (whose weight was fine) off to Weight Watchers, while the guys scarf down tater tot casserole.

[DuggarsTheEndIsNear]

I have noticed a few interesting things lately about the Duggars physical appearance:

- Michelle is looking extremely healthy, fit, and vital. She really is looking younger and has lost a lot of weight, and barely has any wrinkles!

- Josh and John-David are fatter than ever, and both seem so pale, lethargic, and unmotivated.

- Derrick has huge bags under his eyes, has let his hair grow out and is looking a bit feral.

- Jills fashion sense has taken a huge dip since moving away from Jessa/Jinger. She is back to wearing dorkier clothes, and is letting her hair dry naturally.

- Jinger is wearing WAY too much eye makeup. She's also trying to express herself by wearing much tighter tops, very dangly earrings, headbands and hats.

- Jessa's skirt in the honeymoon episode was significantly above the knee. She clearly wasted no time experimenting with shorter skirt length.

While it's true that I almost never watch the show, I think Michelle is looking a lot older. True her fashion has improved now that she's not only wearing maternity clothes, and she's getting in shape now that she's not popping out babies every 18 months, but her face is really showing her age when she's not having her pictures enhances for publications. I watched the episode where Josie had her seizure and she really looks like she's verging on 50.