Jinger Duggar On Why She Broke Parents' 'No Pants' Rule: 'Modesty Isn't About What You Wear'

KEY POINTS

Jinger Duggar and husband Jeremy Vuolo released their new book, "The Hope We Hold: Finding Peace in the Promises of God"
She wrote she started wearing pants after failing to find a passage in the Bible that forbid women from wearing them
The "Counting On" star said she used to believe that wearing skirts instead of pants was a "central part of being modest"

"Counting On" star Jinger Duggar is getting candid about her decision to break her parents' "no pants" rule for the ladies in the Duggar family.

Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar have been very strict in their children's upbringing in terms of fashion, courtship and more. The women in the family always wore dresses or skirts, but Jinger started wearing pants after she left her family home following her wedding to husband Jeremy Vuolo.

In her and Vuolo's new book "The Hope We Hold: Finding Peace in the Promises of God," the TLC star explained why she defied the family rule she's always followed after leaving her parents' home.

"Growing up, I had a set of standards that I took as givens. Now, as I reexamined and compared them to scripture, my convictions were changing," Jinger was quoted by E! News as saying.

"Modesty isn't about what you wear. It's about the position of your heart. I wanted to follow what the Bible said, and as I searched the Scriptures for answers, I never found a passage specifically forbidding women from wearing pants," she continued in the book.

Prior to expanding her fashion choices, the "Counting On" star followed her mom's instructions to always wear skirts or dresses. This apparently stemmed from the verse Deuteronomy 22:5, which said, "A woman shall not wear a man's garment."

According to Jinger, she never questioned it growing up because she used to agree that "wearing skirts instead of pants was a central part of being modest." Jinger admitted that changing her style wasn't easy because her upbringing made it difficult for her to transition even if in her heart she felt "free."

"Still, I struggled with believing something that was different from my family. 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 explained.

Jinger was considered the "most progressive" member of the Duggar family among fans, many of whom are supportive of the changes she's made in her life and herself.

"Yes, please. Be different from the rest of your sisters," one fan commented on her post on Instagram.

Jinger and Vuolo's book, "Hope We Hold: Finding Peace in the Promises of God," hit shelves Tuesday.