Michael and Brandon Keilen- Part 2

[doubleT]

I watched last weeks episode of BUB last night and Kelly Jo wore her everyday outfit of blue blouse with black cardigan over it and black skirt to her mother's wedding.  Her sisters all had on a nice dress.  It wasn't a dressy affair in the least, but she didn't even attempt to change out of her every day clothes.  Anyway, I was thinking about that when I saw this discussion on Michael's wedding wear. 

[bananabread]

I'll play devil's advocate and say Michael's dress doesn't look terribly out of line...I think the plaid dress one of the other guests is wearing is also pretty casual. We all know Michael isn't super fashionable, and if that's her taste and it makes her happy, that's okay with me. I also understand why she might get frustrated with modest clothes shopping...I'm not a fundie, but I have a similar body type to Michael and I have a terrible time finding dressy clothes that aren't super tight, super short, super exposed up top, or (for some reason???) riddled with cut-outs. If Michael hates shopping, I could easily understand why. 

(Plus it all just makes the bride look better in comparison, which is basically the whole point of wedding photos )

I hate to even bring this up, but my first thought when I saw the photos was "oh, maybe Michael didn't put in much effort because she isn't feeling well." Like, morning sickness.

[infooverload]

Well, considering that Brent's the one that took over for Josh at the hate group, I'd wager he's not too mainstream: https://www.frcaction.org/about

I looked up Northwood University to see if it was accredited and was pleasantly surprised to see it was. Funny enough Brent according to what was posted on the FRC about section is more qualified than Josh was for the position.

[HumbleJillyMuffin]

On 6/5/2017 at 3:20 AM, Bethella said:

They both definitely came from large families: Brent (not Trent) is one of 10 kids and his wife Monica Nicole De Mass is the oldest of 12. The Keilens seem to be a mixed bag, some of them are very deep into IBLP but others seem to be more fundie-light and they have several unmarried children who don't live at home. Monica was studying to become a nurse when she got sick with lyme disease, so her family may be fundie-light too.

Oh my goodness. I'm friends with one of the younger brothers of Britton Felber (Photography by Britton, he's done the photos for many of the Duggar and Bates weddings), the younger brother was in a courtship with Monica DeMass for a while, around five to six years ago. When she became ill with Lyme disease he set up a fundraiser for her medical expenses. They didn't work out, and the younger Felber ended up marrying another Fundie lite woman. The Felbers are very much into IBLP but the women still wear pants and conservative shorts, and the younger Felber I'm friends with was a speedskater for a number of years, so they are definitely Fundie lite. 

[fluffernutter]

Oh gosh. I wouldn't have thought a thing about what she wore. But I loathe dressing up and have zero fashion sense. 

[Bethella]

12 hours ago, snickers34 said:

Well, considering that Brent's the one that took over for Josh at the hate group, I'd wager he's not too mainstream: https://www.frcaction.org/about

Wow, I totally missed that. Thanks for the info!

[nvmbr02]

11 hours ago, bananabread said:

I'll play devil's advocate and say Michael's dress doesn't look terribly out of line...I think the plaid dress one of the other guests is wearing is also pretty casual. 

To me, the plaid dress is dressier, mostly because it is a dressier cut and the fabric looks a bit nicer. I do think it is mostly the shirt under Michael's dress that makes it stand out. I love the flowered dress in the picture, appropriate for the event and modest. Heck, I don't even have those modesty standards and I would wear it. 

[Dutchie]

13 hours ago, fluffernutter said:

Oh gosh. I wouldn't have thought a thing about what she wore. But I loathe dressing up and have zero fashion sense. 

And that should be totally ok and not judged, I personally don't like it either. But..... I guess in fundie world it is not ok to don't care about your looks and fashion sense.

[socalrules]

Where did the wedding take place? Maybe the dress she brought with her to wear was ruined somehow. I say this because when travel I always take multiple outfits since I am scared something will ruin what I intend to wear or the weather will change. I am notorious for spilling things on myself or pulling the buttons on shirts. 

[fluffernutter]

28 minutes ago, socalrules said:

Where did the wedding take place? Maybe the dress she brought with her to wear was ruined somehow. I say this because when travel I always take multiple outfits since I am scared something will ruin what I intend to wear or the weather will change. I am notorious for spilling things on myself or pulling the buttons on shirts. 

OMG I spill things on my shirt all. the. time. Getting out my tide pen and dabbing my chest happens in every restaurant lol. 

[JillyO]

15 hours ago, infooverload said:

I looked up Northwood University to see if it was accredited and was pleasantly surprised to see it was. Funny enough Brent according to what was posted on the FRC about section is more qualified than Josh was for the position.

His bio says "He attended Northwood University." "Attended xyz" is usually a sure way to tell that someone didn't actually graduate.

[infooverload]

His bio says "He attended Northwood University." "Attended xyz" is usually a sure way to tell that someone didn't actually graduate.

Ah true I didn't even consider he didn't graduate, but still he at least attended an accredited university. Attending an accredited university is more than can be said of Josh.

[Coconut Flan]

Attending any college or university is more than can be said of Josh, isn't it?

[snickers34]

8 hours ago, infooverload said:

but still he at least attended an accredited university.

Perhaps this should land elsewhere so as not to drift too far on this thread from B/M, but last I checked Clown College is now accredited. Or are there different accreditations and some are real and others aren't?

Northwood is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, and Clown by the Transvaginalnational Assoc of Christian Colleges and School. Are these real things? Is there one higher accreditation authority and are either fake? How does Clown college like being associated with an association that has 'trans' in its title? So many questions.... 

[Carm_88]

Michael really likes that maxi dress. 

[Pretzel]

28 minutes ago, Carm_88 said:

Michael really likes that maxi dress. 

Yes, she does. However, back in the day when the Bateses weren't wearing prairie dresses anymore but the wardrobe was still frumpy, there was one red, plaid maxi skirt she wore all the time. I think she just has favorites and likes to wear whatever she feels confident and comfy in. It's actually more frugal to have few clothes and wear them all the time than to have a big wardrobe with 80% waiting on being worn at least once. 

[ColeJo]

On 6/7/2017 at 7:48 PM, snickers34 said:

Perhaps this should land elsewhere so as not to drift too far on this thread from B/M, but last I checked Clown College is now accredited. Or are there different accreditations and some are real and others aren't?

Northwood is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, and Clown by the Transvaginalnational Assoc of Christian Colleges and School. Are these real things? Is there one higher accreditation authority and are either fake? How does Clown college like being associated with an association that has 'trans' in its title? So many questions.... 

TRACS Accreditation is a joke as it is not recognized by regionally accredited institutions (not a huge deal for fundies). I read a blog post about a girl who tried to enter grad school after graduating from PCC but other institutions would not accept the credits and had to go to Liberty University because that was one of the only institutions accepting the degree and the credits.

[NachosFlandersStyle]

The cheap white T under a spaghetti-strap dress thing is so weird and dated, it always surprises me that it's seen as some kind of go-to modesty move. You could just as easily wear a sweater or jacket OVER the dress, or you could wear the shirt with a skirt, and both of those would look fine. Or if you really must combine shirt and dress you could pick a fancier shirt, perhaps something collared, and it might even look chic.

[candygirl200413]

15 hours ago, NachosFlandersStyle said:

The cheap white T under a spaghetti-strap dress thing is so weird and dated, it always surprises me that it's seen as some kind of go-to modesty move. You could just as easily wear a sweater or jacket OVER the dress, or you could wear the shirt with a skirt, and both of those would look fine. Or if you really must combine shirt and dress you could pick a fancier shirt, perhaps something collared, and it might even look chic.

This. There are possibilities to look dressier and I get where some people are coming from in terms of it being fine for her to rock this look at a wedding but since it didn't look in the pictures that it was a backyard wedding I'm a little annoyed she couldn't do some slightly comfy for her but a little more classier/chic.

[OoooohSideHugMe]

is the v shaped neckline not an eye trap though? it seems counter productive to me for her to have a v neck drawing attention to the bust and then have a top underneath covering you up to your collar bones. I mean I'm all about people wearing what they want to wear but i get the feeling this doesn't meet the modesty standards they set for themselves. Then again times are a changing-i've noticed Carlin wears this top with a lace up front aspect-she has some sort of tank top underneath to cover the part closer to her cleavage but you can see skin beneath the lace up and i would have thought that was risque for a fundie? mind you the Bateseseseseses seem a little more relaxed with clothing standards these days-all part of their plan to blend in and convince the world that they are super nice and normal i imagine. I love that Michael seems comfy in what she is wearing but honestly i think if it is a family wedding and your partner is dressed formally then you should probably aim to look a little more formal as well! 

[nausicaa]

1 hour ago, OoooohSideHugMe said:

is the v shaped neckline not an eye trap though?

I've noticed this too. Michael actually tends to wear dresses that really advertise the goods.  I imagine she just picks dresses that are comfortable and fit her --she doesn't seem very into fashion, which is fine and dandy, but I'm surprised she doesn't go with a different neckline.

I'm not trying to slut shame here-- she can wear whatever the hell she wants; it's just odd to me that while she seems the most modest and shy of her sisters, her figure often ends up the most accentuated. 

[Carm_88]

Does Michael think if she just covers up the area, people won't be drawn to it? Because that's not the way that it's working. The white tshirt definitely stands out and then you can see the vee of the maxi dress. Nothing wrong with her wearing whatever she is comfortable in. It's just odd. 

[VineHeart137]

Yeah I think Michael's rationale is just "less skin = more modest" but that's not necessarily the case. I've also noticed that some of the dresses she wears seem to show off her figure more than she probably intends. Like everyone else, I don't see anything wrong with that, I'm just curious about whether or not she's aware.

My guess is Michael is probably the only one of the married siblings who still primarily shops thrifty. She probably just grabs whatever dress she can find that's an appropriate length, and just figures she can throw a t shirt under it and call it a day. She doesn't seem to care about fashion as much as her sisters/sister-in-law.

[TShirtsLongSkirts]

Michael could easily sew on some dark fabric to the top of that dress to get the coverage without the white t-shirt. Or even sew a black t-shirt into it, so the difference isn't as glaring. I think that would be quite cute, actually.

She obviously has the skills to, so I feel like this is a classic case of "Hey everyone, Look how modest I'm being!".

[NachosFlandersStyle]

Oh yeah, of course I don't mean "shame on her for not looking stylish!" or anything like that. It's just like... a lot of these self-consciously modest girls, even the ones who are on TV and have thousands of Instagram followers and a platform to talk about this very thing, go about it in such an awkward way. And you don't have to! As we speak I'm wearing a dress with a high neckline, sleeves, and a slightly-past-the-knee skirt, and I didn't think twice about that until I started writing this comment, because there are loads of garments out there that meet those requirements while still looking "normal." There are lots of conservative Muslim, Jewish, and Mormon communities where women wear high-coverage clothing but still tend to look stylish. The "no shoulders, nothing above the knee" rule is also pretty standard in professional settings, and yet plenty of women still look fly at work. But if you look at fundamentalist Christian modesty advocates, you'll generally see only the clumsiest attempts.

I wonder if part of the struggle for Michael is that she seems to have a very curvy/hourglass figure. She may feel like she looks too 'womanly' even in typically 'modest' clothing unless she piles on the layers. In which case, shame on the culture that raised her for putting women with certain body types in a no-win situations, and shame on them for making a kind, unassuming young woman feel like she has to wear sackcloth lest she be viewed as a piece of meat.