The Duggars first made their television debut in the 2004 special 14 Kids and Pregnant Again, and their style caught the attention of viewers.
From long skirts and even longer hair to plaid dresses and clunky collars, fans were just as fascinated by their looks as they were their big brood.
Back in 2013, Duggar family matriarch Michelle Duggar — who shares 19 kids with husband Jim Bob Duggar — explained the reasoning behind the famous family’s modest dress code.
“After I was born again and became a Christian, I really began to cover up,” the former cheerleader said during a TLC Q&A at the time. “I felt like the Lord was saying to me, ‘You know what, you probably shouldn’t be wearing that. It’s a little bit low cut, or a little bit too high, you know?’ I just really felt like I needed to obey what God was saying to me first and understand later. And then I saw in the scriptures a lot of things that helped me understand why I was feeling uncomfortable with my previous clothing choices.”
Soon after, the reality TV mama said she cleaned out her closet and started fresh, picking up skirts and dresses from local thrift shops. And her daughters did the same.
In the book Growing Up Duggar, Jessa, Jill, Jinger and Jana described their clothing, noting that they “do not dress modestly” because they are “ashamed” but rather the “contrary.”
“We realize that our body is a special gift from God and that He intends for it to be shared only with our future husband … ” they wrote. “We avoid low-cut, cleavage-showing, gaping or bare-shouldered tops; and when needed, we wear an undershirt. We try to make it a habit to always cover the top of our shirt with our hands when we bend over. We don’t want to play the peekaboo game with our neckline.”
Over the years, however, several members of the family seemed to have forgotten the “rules.” *Cough, cough Jinger and Jill.*
Scroll through the gallery below to see photos of the Duggars’ initial television appearance to Counting On!