. . . because they were wearing long skirts.

They just walked.

That makes me feel bad for them.

I imagine they are just as fit as the boys. But their clothing stops them from running.

My six year old wore a long skirt for her costume tonight. She nearly went mad with frustration. She couldn't run, play or climb a tree in a long skirt.

JB couldn't do the race either.

And having those boys in jeans for the race is only slightly better than skirts.

I don't agree with their clothing choices, nor their reasons for such clothing. But my goodness, even keeping with their standards, there were many other ways to dress that would have been appropriate to the situation.

I watched the show, and was thinking how could any of them run. Well sure enough none of them could. There were things they could have worn to be able to run. Also something to think about Michelle is always making the comment she cannot do anything because she is pregnant, maybe she continues to get pregnant to not have to do anything. I would have had more respect for MIchelle if she had walked, which is perfectly fine pregnant. She kept saying she was early on like 12 or 16 weeks. she looks further along than that, but regardless she could have walked

quote:

Originally posted by arnaras:
JB couldn't do the race either.

And having those boys in jeans for the race is only slightly better than skirts.

I don't agree with their clothing choices, nor their reasons for such clothing. But my goodness, even keeping with their standards, there were many other ways to dress that would have been appropriate to the situation.

Yes, JB did the race, and placed fifth.

And two of the boys placed second and third.

It is awful that fourteen year old Joseph could run a mile, get some exercise, have some fun, get a feeling of accomplishment (he placed second).

HIs fifteen year old sister, Jinger, had to walk like an old lady, because she was in a skirt (and probably had to be watching the little ones, too)

Don't feel bad, John-David didn't run either. He walked with the girls.

They could have worn athletic pants, like wind pants or something...something thats not jeans!

The girls could have worn pants too...I dont see how long skirts are more modest than pants.

I can understand not wanting to wear low cut tops and short shorts and stuff like that if they want to be conservative but come on...pants cover up as much skin as those skirts do.

Also, they have no reason for why they do it. They said its because its more pleasing to the lord. Who are they to say whats more pleasing to the lord. Just because its in the bible...not everything in the bible is true! It says in the bible that the earth is FLAT! Its because people didnt know any better then. We know now that the earth is round and its ok to wear pants. End of story.

When they showed Jana after she jumped out of the airplane (shown on the Vowel Renewal episode) wasn't she wearing pants? Wasn't that kind of risque for her to be strapped to that jumper guy? They showed Cousin Amy do it on the one show last year, but that's Cousin Amy and we all know about Cousin Amy (she kissed her boyfriend!)

quote:

Originally posted by chengdu:

quote:

Originally posted by arnaras:
JB couldn't do the race either.

And having those boys in jeans for the race is only slightly better than skirts.

I don't agree with their clothing choices, nor their reasons for such clothing. But my goodness, even keeping with their standards, there were many other ways to dress that would have been appropriate to the situation.

Yes, JB did the race, and placed fifth.

And two of the boys placed second and third.

It is awful that fourteen year old Joseph could run a mile, get some exercise, have some fun, get a feeling of accomplishment (he placed second).

HIs fifteen year old sister, Jinger, had to walk like an old lady, because she was in a skirt (and probably had to be watching the little ones, too)

I meant that JB was gasping for air part way through the race. By his own admission, he was sore for a week after.

What a snide remark. Thanks for that.

quote:

Originally posted by arnaras:

quote:

Originally posted by chengdu:

quote:

Originally posted by arnaras:
JB couldn't do the race either.

And having those boys in jeans for the race is only slightly better than skirts.

I don't agree with their clothing choices, nor their reasons for such clothing. But my goodness, even keeping with their standards, there were many other ways to dress that would have been appropriate to the situation.

Yes, JB did the race, and placed fifth.

And two of the boys placed second and third.

It is awful that fourteen year old Joseph could run a mile, get some exercise, have some fun, get a feeling of accomplishment (he placed second).

HIs fifteen year old sister, Jinger, had to walk like an old lady, because she was in a skirt (and probably had to be watching the little ones, too)

I meant that JB was gasping for air part way through the race. By his own admission, he was sore for a week after.

What a snide remark. Thanks for that.

Snide remark? I didn't mean any snide remark, sorry.

Hi all,
This is my first post but I've read the boards for a long time.

I wanted to share that I pretty much only wear skirts (like the Duggars) and so do my daughters. I grew up wearing skirts only. I can pretty much do anything I need to do in a skirt. I've never really come across a problem with it actually. You have to choose the right skirt for the activity. You cannot wear a straight skirt or a skirt that is not practical for what you are doing. It is simply part of your life and you just know what skirt you can do what in. Just like women know not to wear high heels to go walking around Disney.

Wearing skirts was not a reason for the girls not running in the race. I run every single day and I run in a skirt. You can easily run in a skirt if you have a skirt made for running, proper running sneakers, gear, etc. I live among religious Jews and I see many of them running in skirts and they look pretty darn good doing it.

I have gone through periods of my life where I have worn pants regularly and actually, running in a skirt is more comfortable. For me, anyway.

I belong to a Yahoo group for women who only wear skirts and some women wear headcoverings also. There are many of us who wear skirts while exercising and have no problems.

If the Duggar girls did not run, it was for other reasons, like they didn't have sneakers and are always wearing those flip flops or they just didn't want to run or weren't allowed for other reasons.

Those girls are very accustomed to wearing skirts and if they wanted to, they could've run in a skirt that you can exercise in. I doubt they had the right clothing and sneakers.

That is the sad part...you can still follow your beliefs and exercise if you put some effort into it. Wearing a skirt does not mean you can't exercise.

I'll look for some links to share if you'd like to see running skirts etc.

http://miraclothes.com/imagegallery.aspx

I hope I posted this link correctly.

I run in something like this but I made it up rather than buy it.

If the Duggars want their girls to run, there is no reason in the world that they can't because of a skirt.

Maybe if you were not used to wearing skirts, it would be uncomfortable but the Duggars do not fall into that category.

Blueberry, I have seen this company linked on another forum in which I participate. It actually looks really comfortable!

Like I said, I love to run in a skirt. In the summer, it is cool and in the winter, the skirt keeps you warm, assuming you have some type of leggings under it.

When I saw that episode, I thought "Oh, no! Everyone is going to think that if you wear a skirt for religious reasons, you can't exercise!" I have found that to be wrong.

My daughter jogs with me and she wears a skirt. My boys maintain similiar modesty standards as the Duggar boys and they have regular pants that you buy in Target or something...they are light weight and still modest.

I really can't explain what happened to the Duggars in that episode. They looked silly running in jeans. And really, the girls should not be walking in flip flops either. Wearing flip flops on a walk-a-thon is a bad idea.

I think the Duggars made their own choices how to dress and their relgion had nothing to do with it. I tend to think that they didn't want to spend the money on proper clothing or they are just unaware of how silly that whole thing looked to others. If you want to do something, you do it. Having modest clothes should not stop you from anything.

If I was at the race, wearing that skirt I linked for you, running sneakers and and appropriate (modest) shirt for exercising, you would not even look twice at me.

The Duggars made themselves stand out by their own choices and it was embarassing for them actually.

When that professional athlete said "hey, you are in long skirts, how are you going to run???" I woulda loved to have stepped out (like superman out of a phone booth) and said "like this!".

Take care...

I did not see that the children were forced to or not to run in that race. I got the understanding that they chose. I know of many girls who do not want to sweat in front of people, or maybe it was just getting sweaty altogether.

Well blueberry, I have to admit, I would look at anyone showing up for a race in a skirt funny. I've been an athlete all my life, doing gymnastics and then Tae Kwon Do and running (as well as swimming and skiing), and I cannot fathom doing my activities in a skirt, spandex or not. But, it's certainly you're right to do so, and I'm certainly in favor of things that lets women do what they want to do in life.

Blueberry,
Thanks for sharing. Sometimes when all we see is one side of things we don't have a clear picture. Since I'm not a dresses only kind of gal, I made assumptions about it's limitations. Glad to know I was wrong!


And for the record, I couldn't have run the race either - with or without a dress. I'm just not very athletic!

I was reading an article last night...there were Orthodox Jews running the NYC Marathon in long skirts. There weren't any pitures or I would've posted them.

I think about 95% of the sports, you can do in modest clothes. My sons Tae Kwon Do. For boys, it is no problem, of course. There are Muslim girls in there class and the top is a bit longer so it's almost a skirt anyway. They look very modest to me. My daughter wants to take Tae Kwon Do and I'm sure she would be fine in the outfit.

My girls and I swim in long loose board shorts and a rash guard shirt. I have friends who have a bathing suit like the Duggars but I personally think that the skirt floating around would annoy me. But if they are happy with their bathing suit and feel good about what they are wearing, more power to them. Considering how buying bathing suits is so stressfull for women, anytime you feel good in a suit...that is a good thing. I have worn regular bathing suits and I always felt either fat or uncomfortable about this or that part of my body. I feel wonderful in my long board shorts and long rash guard shirt. I can stop focusing on how I look and enjoy my time with the kids and just relax about my appearance.

I've never been skiing so I have no idea about that one. You are so bundled up in the snow, I can't figure how it would matter anyway.

I don't know anything about gymnastics; that would probably present more of a problem, however, modest dressers who are interested in gymnastics have probably figured that one out.

My oldest daughter does ballet. That one was trickier but we found a ballet studio that caters to "modest costumes" for the modest dressing community. Her leotard has sleeves on it and the skirt is longer and looser than what you would normally see.

Yes, we are a religious family and yes, my kids do wear "modest" clothes. However, I want them to enjoy their life and not feel that their clothing is a burden to them. To me, modest clothing is a freedom.

I really enjoyed reading your point of view Blueberry! Thank you for sharing!