You’re not gonna find many people who had an especially great year in 2021.
But you also won’t find many folks whose latest trip around the sun has been worse than Jim Bob Duggar’s.
Fortunately, the fundie patriarch deserves every ounce of suffering that comes his way so there’s no need to feel bad for him.
As you’ve probably heard by now, Josh Duggar was arrested on child pornography charges back in April.
And while he’ll be the only one to go before the judge in November, his parents have been on trial in the court of public opinion for months.
So far, the consensus seems to be that they’re guilty as hell.
Prior to this latest sex scandal, fans were shocked to learn that Josh had molested five young girls — four of whom were his sisters — while he was still in his teens.
His parents went to great pains to ensure that he suffered zero consequences for his earliest sex crimes (that we know of).
If they had allowed him to actually suffer as he’d made others suffer, perhaps he wouldn’t have gone on to live a life of predatory behavior.
So what does all of this have to do with Jill Duggar, you might be asking yourself.
Well, Jill cut ties with her parents back in 2019, before the world even learned about Josh’s latest depravity.
While we’re sure she’s no great fan of Josh — she was, in fact, one of his victims — it seems it was a growing feud with Jim Bob and Michelle that prompted her to set out on her own.
And it looks as though she never regrets that decision.
These days, Jill is making the most of her newfound freedom.
In open violation of the rules with which she was raised, Jill drinks alcohol, speaks openly about some of the problems within her family, and even hangs out with people like her cousin Amy, who was long ago banned from all Duggar functions.
But the rule violation that draws the most attention to Jill’s Instagram page is her courageous disregard for the Duggar dress code.
Yes, Jill was raised to dress in “modest attire” at all times, but as she became an adult she realized that floor-length denim skirts are not always convenient.
Thankfully, Jill managed to leave that nonsense behind her, and these days, she wears shorts, models swimsuits — and even bares the occasional shoulder.
Earlier this week, Jill went for a jog with son Sam on his bike.
She posted the selfie above during this activity, and as some commenters pointed out, Jill’s sports bra is visible.
That might not seem like a very revealing selfie, but by Duggar standards, it’s downright scandalous.
“I’m not a runner. I never have been. But I married a runner, so the inspiration is always there!” Jill captioned the pic.
“Sam wanted to ride his bike this morning so I slowly jogged along beside him while he rode…& you know what? We made it back alive!” she continued.
“I’m continuing set small goals for myself and excited to see some improvement.”
Jill concluded with a shout-out to her fitness inspiration:
“Babe, @derickdillard thanks for being encouraging & patient with me, even when I tell you I don’t want any coaching!!”
Jill didn’t make any mention of the risqué nature of the pic — yes, a bare shoulder is enough to infuriate her father — but you can be sure it was on her mind.
And in this case a simple selfie doubles as a bold declaration of freedom.