Jinger Duggar has opened up on her decision to begin wearing pants, a marked contrast to the way she was brought up.
The 27-year-old grew up one of 19 in the Duggar household, and parents Jim Bob and Michelle are devout independent Christian Baptists who pride themselves on their conservative outlook.
"My mom had always dressed us girls in skirts and dresses, a standard that was taken from Deuteronomy 22:5, which says, 'A woman shall not wear a man's garment,' (ESV) and I never really questioned it," Jinger has now shared in her autobiography, The Hope We Hold.
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"Modesty was a huge topic in our house, and we believed that wearing skirts instead of pants was a central part of being modest.
"But I wanted to discover for myself what the Bible had to say."
Moving to Los Angeles with her husband Jeremy Vuolo, Jinger says she became "more aware of the different beliefs and doctrines Christians held," and that "not everyone interpreted different passages of Scripture the way I always had, and I wanted to find out why."
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Jinger and Jeremy are parents to two girls
Studying scripture, Jinger said she realised that her "convictions were changing" and that "biblical modesty is deeper and more profound than wearing skirts instead of pants."
Jeremy wrote in the book that he was "caught off-guard" when his wife questioned if she should keep wearing skirts, and he admitted that he didn't want to "tell her what to do or make the decision for her, but simply to point her back to Scripture."
Jinger then chose to follow her heart and faith how she saw fit, but acknowledged that she was worried how her parents may take her choices.
Jinger admitted she was worried she may "hurt" her parents
"I knew they deeply cared about their convictions, and I didn't want to hurt them now that I didn't share those convictions," she wrote.
"I felt emotional as I worried that my parents would think I didn't appreciate how I was raised."
Jinger is not the only Duggar to have broken away from their parents' beliefs
Jinger is not the only Duggar to have broken away from the strict beliefs the family grew up with; sisters Jill, Jessa, and Joy-Anna have all been pictured wearing trousers or shorts.
The family follow strict guidelines in their day-to-day life, including no alcohol and no bare skin on show, and men and women are not allowed to be alone together unless married.
Ten of their children are married - Joshua, John-David, Jill, Jessa, Jinger, Joseph, Josiah, Joy-Anna, Jedidiah, and Justin.
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