What do fundy girls wear in bed?

[Daenerys]

I was wondering about this in a totally non-pervy way, since they are so against trousers as being DEFRAUDING. Somehow I can't see the Duggar girls in long nightdresses, but they must wear something!

[Shirley MacLaine]

I feel like pajama pants are probably okay? I mean, I know fundies are ridic, but since pajamas are worn in the privacy of your room (or the room you share with your five hundred siblings)...

[bananacat]

Michelle mentioned somewhere, either in an interview or a book, that the older girls just sleep in normal clothes. I think they wear looser, thinner skirts instead of denim, but they still wear skirts you could wear out in public. I swear I saw Michelle in a very long nightshirt several years ago, and I think in some of the first specials they were wearing old-fashioned long nightgowns.

A lot of fundies have a fetish for the past (or at least their fictional perception of it), so I suspect a lot of them wear the long nightgowns like they had in Little House on the Prairie. They probably wear a lot of homemade nightgowns from the cheapest bargain fabric or leftover fabric. It's probably what little girls start with when they are learning to sew.

Shirley MacLaine, I doubt that pajama pants are ok, unless they are worn underneath an ankle-length nightgown. A lot of fundies believe that boys can be defrauded by their own sisters. And in any case, they wouldn't want their daughters to get used to the idea of wearing pants.

[The Larch]

As a kid it was indeed the Little-House-on-the-Prairie sort of nightgowns for everybody. There was a lot of flannel and lace and fugliness. As we got older we tended to wear either really long nightshirts or just cotton skirts and loose tops.

In the families I knew, at least, pajama pants would never be okay, though I think it was pretty common to wear leggings underneath when it was really cold--at least, we did.

[pixydust]

I was raised fundie-lite, and pants were ok. I wore Little-House type nightgowns as a young kid, then longish nioghtshirts with sweatpants as an older kid (like middle school age) (in New England for these ages), as a teen boxer shorts and t-shirts (in Virginia - it gets hot as hell here!)

[Third]

The girls in one of the first specials when they[Duggars] built the house they had on nightgowns.

I would assume most wear night gowns.

[chaotic life]

The problem with nightgowns is that either you have to sew them, or sink a small fortune into them. A lot of fundies have very little money, and most really don't have sewing skills--especially not the type for the Prairie nightgowns they desire. So, they have to find something "modest" that won't sink the budget.

In our worst fundie-lite days, we were never dresses only. However, my oldest prefers only dresses. She also prefers nightgowns. It's personal preference, trust me. She and I went through a few know-down, drag out fights before I realized I needed to respect her right to wear what she wanted and not see her as "wasting" the clothes I purchased for her.

Except for cheap see-through, yuckiness from Wally World, I've never successful found girls nightgowns that cost less than $28-40 a piece. It would have cost me a fortune to outfit her in nothing but nightgowns. So, we compromised. She wore pants sometimes and I sewed her other nightgowns.

Most fundies I've known, and I know a lot, usually either wear lightweight clothes at night or give up and use pants at night. Unless mom learns to sew, most true fundie quiverfuls are living deep in poverty and never getting their heads above water. They cannot afford to purchase the nightgowns they desire to put their daughters in and have to find something else. In houses where someone can sew though, usually becomes strictly nightgowns. Every fundie quiverful family I've ever known who went dresses only *wanted* nightgowns for sleeping, but few could accomplish it due to cost constraints.

[gardenvarietycitizen]

I can't imagine wearing a skirt or nightgown to bed, because surely it would just ride up like crazy and leave you exposed? At which point why bother?

I'm not religious of any kind but even though I'll wear skirts out, for sleeping it's always pants, be they sweatpants (winter), yoga pants (less cold) or boxers (summer).

[WonderingInWA]

It seems like nightgowns would potentially be more defrauding than baggie jamma pants since they ride up while you sleep. I guess that's a plus for the married female fundies (easier access for horizontal fellowship), but I find nightgowns so uncomfortable.

And while we're on this topic of private fundie clothing, what kind of underwear do they wear? Is it all cotton grammy panties? Anyone know? Or are they allowed to have some fun with colors and styles?

[Didi]

I would like only wear nightgowns as a kid, but now i cannot sleep without shorts or pants - my thighs rub *laugh*

[Sola]

I love little house nighties! Call me old fashioned if you want but I find them so comfy.

[Didi]

I still LOVE nightgowns - I just have to wear shorts or leggings with them :)

[ladypuglover]

I will still wear flannel night gowns during the winter months and light cotton ones in the summer but I also have pj sets with either pants or shorts. As a kid wore night gowns mostly as I hated the way pajamma pants rode up my legs but pj shorts were ok. As a teen it was just a sleep shirt and panties but I had a house coat that I would wear over it if I left my room.

Night gowns are not that hard to find on sale or clearence. Lots of mine came from higher end stores but none would be over 3-5 dollars and that would be for the complete sets. In fact I would buy my kiddos their jammies for a buck each back in the day by waiting for the end of the season clearence. Now my boys just were boxers to bed but as toddlers they had footie-jammies.

Footie-jammies for babies and toddlers are just pure heaven. I wonder if they let their babies wear them?

[mockingbird]

Ha, the skirts-riding-up thing is why I stopped wearing nightgowns/night shirts as a preteen. It was only me in my room, but my parents would come in to wake me up and I found it embarrassing. Now I will occasionally wear long shirts/sweatshirts, but put on pants if I'm walking around the apartment... mostly I do pajama pants/shorts and a shirt. A few weeks ago I found a really pretty nightgown but talked myself out of buying it because I haven't worn one since I was a kid. I don't think it would bother me as much now, but I feel like this would start another clothing collection phase and I don't need 20 nightgowns so maybe better to just not even start, lol.

And my first thought with fundy girls was nightgowns, lol... I specifically thought of American Girl because they make *historical* ones and we all know how much fundies love history.

[Elle]

The problem with nightgowns is that either you have to sew them, or sink a small fortune into them. A lot of fundies have very little money, and most really don't have sewing skills--especially not the type for the Prairie nightgowns they desire. So, they have to find something "modest" that won't sink the budget.

On etsy there are sellers (almost always located somewhere like Alabama) who sell these types of nightgowns for barely over the fabric costs, and that makes me sad. I've been tempted to buy one for winter since high necks and flannel are nice and warm when it's 20 outside, but I'd feel like I was exploiting them. If something takes 4-5 yards of flannel at $4 a yard without counting the lace and buttons (going by the price of Hancock's last time I was out there since I looked for some to make my cousin some jammies), and they're selling the finished item for $30, MAYBE $45 if it includes a matching little girl's nightie, that's pretty much free labor.

[constantgardener]

I'm sure I remember one of the Duggar girls (it might have been Joy) wearing an actual nightcap in one the earlier episodes. I like nightgowns but sleeping in a hat must be really uncomfortable, not to mention sweaty!

[ladypuglover]

I'm sure I remember one of the Duggar girls (it might have been Joy) wearing an actual nightcap in one the earlier episodes. I like nightgowns but sleeping in a hat must be really uncomfortable, not to mention sweaty!

It depends. We tell our scouts to always bring a winter knit cap to sleep in because it will and does get very cold at night in the mountains. It can help you stay alive when the night temps plung down below freezing. It doesn't matter if it is July and the day time temps are in the upper 90's or higher, at night will be the other extreme. Winter camping goes without saying. Also wearing heavy winter socks helps too.

So if your house is cold because you can't afford to heat it, then wearing a night cap is a smart idea. And that is why people did wear night caps back in the old days.

[FJismyheadship]

There was a pic of joy wearing a night gown on amys facebook. I recall someone said something along the lines of "she looks so JOYful in her night gown. Why does everyone want them to wear pants?"

[constantgardener]

It depends. We tell our scouts to always bring a winter knit cap to sleep in because it will and does get very cold at night in the mountains. It can help you stay alive when the night temps plung down below freezing. It doesn't matter if it is July and the day time temps are in the upper 90's or higher, at night will be the other extreme. Winter camping goes without saying. Also wearing heavy winter socks helps too.

So if your house is cold because you can't afford to heat it, then wearing a night cap is a smart idea. And that is why people did wear night caps back in the old days.

I can absolutely see wearing a hat for camping - I used to wear millions of layers camping out at music festivals then wake up being boiled alive in the morning! - but I never heat my house at night even in the winter, I can't bear it, and have never felt the need for a nightcap. I do have very thick hair though!

[ZTwist]

Hah, I wonder what it says about me that I can't stand pajamas, I only ever wear nightgowns. And I've sewn many of my nightgowns myself, especially my lovely warm winter ones.

And I'm so not fundie.

[Elle]

It depends. We tell our scouts to always bring a winter knit cap to sleep in because it will and does get very cold at night in the mountains. It can help you stay alive when the night temps plung down below freezing. It doesn't matter if it is July and the day time temps are in the upper 90's or higher, at night will be the other extreme. Winter camping goes without saying. Also wearing heavy winter socks helps too.

Having been to Burning Man, yes. 100+ during the day, incredibly cold at night. It's been freezing at night here, and we don't heat at night. I wear a hoodie sometimes to warm my head. Nightcaps have a practical purpose, and it's got nothing to do with being fun die or modest.

[Lady]

My guesses:

Girls: Nightgowns, skirts, anything to train them for later in life when their husband wants easy access.

Boys: Whatever they want.

[PBrooke]

It wasn't a "keep warm" kind of nightcap. It was a "Wee Willie Winky" kind of thing. What you're remembering is from one of the first specials (the first one, if memory serves). First, there's a shot of all the kids at night (if it's real, it might be staged) about 3 minutes in: http://youtu.be/1IK_20_9830

I think there's also a scene where Jana is sewing old-fashioned nightgowns in another special, but it's not in that one.

[QAF_Rocks]

Footie-jammies for babies and toddlers are just pure heaven. I wonder if they let their babies wear them?

I'm sure we've seen the baby and toddler Duggar girls in one-piece footie pajamas.

[AnnieC 305]

On etsy there are sellers (almost always located somewhere like Alabama) who sell these types of nightgowns for barely over the fabric costs, and that makes me sad. I've been tempted to buy one for winter since high necks and flannel are nice and warm when it's 20 outside, but I'd feel like I was exploiting them. If something takes 4-5 yards of flannel at $4 a yard without counting the lace and buttons (going by the price of Hancock's last time I was out there since I looked for some to make my cousin some jammies), and they're selling the finished item for $30, MAYBE $45 if it includes a matching little girl's nightie, that's pretty much free labor.

Not necessarily. If I knew I was going to make a ton to sell I would wait until I could get a 40-50% off coupon for Joann's and then buy a bolt of white muslin. Their Roc-Lon bleached muslin is $3/yard, which would take it down to $1.50, and it's very good quality. I admit to liking nightdresses and that's what I use. It takes me 4.5 yards to make a nightgown, and I'm well and deeply into the plus sizes, so it's entirely possible they're making those nightgowns in girls sizes for $5, not counting buttons and laces. Assume they get the buttons and whatnot either from a thrift store or are leftovers from other projects or also with coupons (sometimes Joann's sends out up to 10 coupons/flyer) you could be talking $10 for materials and then $20-35 for labor.