Watch out, ladies. If you’re walking the streets of Arkansas and hear someone whisper “Nike,” you’re probably dressed too immodestly.
The oldest Duggar sisters from TLC’s “19 Kids and Counting” released their first book in the beginning of March filled with some of the women’s “dark” secrets and their experiences growing up with 19 siblings.
The sisters talk about having a code word for when a provocatively dressed woman is near them. It’s “Nike” (referencing the shoe brand or the Greek goddess?). They say it’s so the men in the family will avert their eyes to avoid thinking forbidden thoughts. God forbid (sorry) if one of them sees a bare shoulder or a knee.
When I think of someone being dressed provocatively, I think of a person walking around almost nude. But for the Duggars # who believe in dressing modestly to the point of covering shoulders and avoiding tops that show any part of their chest # a woman wearing a tank top on a hot day could be seen as too much for the Duggar men to handle.
But why isn’t there a code word for the women? Either the Duggars believe no men dress immodestly (because men can wear what they want and women can’t?) or they believe only men are fueled by their desires. Maybe women actually having desires is still a new concept to them.
Whether the accused woman thinks so or not, giving a code word to someone so others avoid looking at her is judgmental and rude. It also shows that the Duggar women don’t trust the men in the family to avoid thinking “immoral” thoughts, and that just gazing at a bare-shouldered woman could get their sex drives going.
The sisters do talk about their own natural desire for men as a gift from God # because, you know, desiring another woman is just not natural, nor a gift from God. They talk about how they maintain self-control and reign in their desires by remaining virgins until marriage (fair enough), avoiding kissing until their first kiss with their husbands (why?) and even restraining from hand holding until being engaged (oh, come on).
But how do they even have desires if they don’t read secular magazines, listen to music containing any sexual references or watch anything containing immoral material? How do they even know that kissing and sex are supposed to be enjoyable things when everything they have learned has been from their parents? I don’t think I want to know.
I don’t completely disagree with the Duggars’ lifestyle. Dressing modestly is understandable. I can see the point in remaining virgins until marriage and agree that loving someone isn’t just about hooking up with them, or how good of a kisser they are. I think it’s courageous of them to go against so many cultural norms and live solely according to their religious beliefs.
But where is the line drawn between living a modest, godly life and suppressing the natural human qualities you were born with?
Chelsea Tatham is a senior majoring in mass communications and the managing editor. She can be reached at chelsea11@mail.usf.edu or on Twitter @chelsea91t.
