Jim Bob Duggar must be feeling a little less powerful these days.
After all, the only reason he had any power to begin with is that his kids never questioned his authority.
They were taught to obey God first and Jim Bob second, and it seems that until recently, none of them had any doubt about that hierarchy.
But once one of the kids started to question Jim Bob's sovereignty, it wasn't long before the others followed suit.
Those who know him best say that JB always knew this day would come, but he expected the challenge to come from one of his sons.
Instead, it's Jim Bob's daughters who are fighting for their independence, and their acts of defiance range from subtle to shocking.
Most of them prefer small, symbolic gestures, such as defying the Duggar family dress code.
But others -- primarily Jill Duggar -- have been rocking the boat in much more noticeable ways.
Jill's husband, Derick Dillard, has been feuding with Jim Bob for over a year now, primarily over the issue of money that was paid to the family by TLC.
(Derick claims JB pocketed all of it, and didn't pass a cent on to his children.)
This has led to Jill being estranged from her family and abandoning many of the rules she was raised with, such as the Duggar ban on alcohol.
It's also led to a situation in which the family has been divided into two factions -- Team Jim Bob, and Team Jill.
It's been easy for born rebels like Jinger to choose a side, but other members of the family have had a difficult time.
Take Jessa Duggar, for example.
She's replaced Jill as the top daughter in Jim Bob's eyes, and it makes sense that she's reluctant to abandon that position.
But she's also a grown woman who probably wants some freedom of her own, and who definitely wants to support her sisters in their freedom fight.
And it's likely for those reasons that Jill sent a subtle sign that she's riding with Team Jill.
Earlier this week, the ladies gathered to celebrate 15-year-old Johannah Duggar's birthday.
Even the estranged Jill was on hand for the occasion -- and it seems Jessa might have taken the opportunity to show her sister a sign of solidarity.
As many eagle-eyed fans have pointed out, it looks as though Jessa wore jeans for the occasion, which makes it one of the first times she's done so in public, and the very first time (that we know of) that she's done so in the presence of Michelle.
"Is Jessa Wearing Jeans?" one fan wrote:
"I hope so, but probably a jean skirt. Who knows! Could be a Jill hand me down!" another added.
"It looks like jeans to me and it seems like pants aren’t that big of a deal anymore," a third chimed in.
A fourth pointed out that even if Jessa is wearing jeans, that doesn't mean that she's joined the rebellion.
It remains possible that Jessa was wearing a denim skirt, but it looks to us like she's rocking some Levi's.
We can only imagine how Michelle reacted.
And you know Jim Bob blew a gasket when he saw this pic!
It may be a subtle gesture -- a very, very subtle gesture, in fact -- but we suspect Jill appreciated it greatly.
