“Rebellious” might not be the first word that comes to mind when you think of an evangelical suburban mother of three like Jill Duggar.
But it’s a title that Jill has certainly earned in recent years.
Even before she spoke out about her cult-like upbringing in the recent Amazon Prime documentary Shiny Happy People, Jill earned a lot of fans — and made a few powerful enemies — with her candid descriptions of growing up in an ultra-conservative fundamentalist family.
These days, Jill is living her best life, free from Jim Bob Duggar’s bizarre belief system and the insane rules that restricted her behavior as a child.
Jill’s Instagram page often features subtle celebrations of her newfound freedom.
Followers who are unfamiliar with her upbringing might miss some of the more low-key indications that she’s making the most of her independence.
Take the photo above, for example.
It’s a screen shot from an Instagram Live in which Jill promoted her upcoming memoir and encouraged fans to pre-order the book.
But commenters who know what she’s been through were more focused on Jill’s bare shoulders — a look that’s strictly forbidden by the infamous Duggar dress code.
“I am trying to keep the kids alive here as I am working on some things for the book,” Jill joked in her live session.
It’s not the first time that she’s exercised her right to bare arms on Instagram.
Earlier this week, in fact, the 32-year-old posted the photo above, which also offered fans a rare glimpse of her youngest son, Frederick.
“I’ve been so busy with the book, some travel and other life happenings that I haven’t been able to get out into the garden as much as I have wanted to!” she captioned the pic.
“This morning though…I strapped the babe to my back, set myself a timer (because it’s helpful for me to have a goal & not to just stay out there forever when I want to but have other things to get done) & with a podcast going from my phone in my pocket, I was able to harvest some okra & tomatoes before the thunderstorm came.”
Jill doesn’t show her kids’ faces on social media these days — which is probably a smart idea — but on Wednesday, she post some sponsored content involving her eldest two sons.
And fans were quick to notice that one of the boys appeared to be sporting a temporary tattoo in the pics.
Jill posted the photos to advertise the boys’ “comfy matching [pajama] sets,” but in the comments, fans were fixated on how strongly Jim Bob would disapprove of the kids’ pseudo-ink.
Fortunately, Jill no longer has to concern herself with what Jim Bob thinks!
And her freedom is that much sweeter because she earned it with her courage.
She’s an inspiration, and we’re sure her book will fly off the shelves!