The Duggar girls have little chance at normal lives, but fans still have hope -- and love to see when they break Jim Bob's awful sexist rules.
Well, as part of Joy-Anna's bid to convince fans that Austin Forsyth isn't a creep, she revealed that she kind of has a job. Like, a real job.
The Duggar girls are expected to be wives and mothers, obedient to their "lord husbands" as they were to Jim Bob before they were married.
Just recently, Jill Duggar defended her role as a stay-at-home mom after fans encouraged her to have a life of her own.
No, she's not qualified to teach her kids, though she's determined to do it anyway. It'll keep her in the house, where Jim Bob groomed her to stay.
But it looks like Joy-Anna has chosen a different path for herself, and she shared as much on her Instagram Stories.
"I'm a mess," Joy-Anna admits in her Instagram Stories.
She writes: "but enjoying working with Austin today!"
Joy-Anna made it clear that she's working outside with Austin, clearing debris. This isn't maintenance work on their yard -- it's work.
She also shares a look at Austin wielding a chainsaw, captioning the photo: "Giving me lessons on chainsaws."
"On the side, Austin does dozer work and clears land and stuff," Joy-Anna explains.
"He was finishing a job," she details, "and needed extra hands to just pick up sticks and run errands and stuff."
Joy-Anna reveals that this is where she became involved, sharing: "so I got to come help him."
She was also sure to clarify that they didn't abdicate their parental duties, noting: “My family’s keeping Gideon."
Apparently, Joy-Anna was thrilled by more than just her husband's company. She enjoys the work.
"A lot of people are like ‘Why do you even enjoy that?’" she acknowledges to her followers.
Joy-Anna explains: "but I really love it."
"I love getting to work with him," she gushes about Austin.
Joy-Anna also notes that she enjoys the thrill of "riding in big trucks, helping to run equipment, whatever it is."
"I’ve always loved being outside and doing things," she expresses.
Joy-Anna's explanation concludes: "It’s kind of a highlight for me."
Those of us who do not enjoy "being outside and doing things" may be mystified by her confession, but it makes a certain kind of sense.
For Joy-Anna, being outside with her husband is symbolic -- perhaps even on a subconscious level -- of freedom.
She's not under Jim Bob's roof. She's not at home being a mom, even if it's just for a few hours.
For this short period of time, she gets to have a normal job, working alongside her husband, outside of the grand plan Jim Bob laid out for hsi progeny.
The outdoors may be a hellscape filled with mud and unregulated sunlight, but for Joy-Anna, the cool January breeze tastes like freedom.
Of course, pitching in to help out your husband isn't the same thing as true independence.
But for a Duggar daughter, this is still a huge deal. She's doing something other than being a mom or a midwife or "making herself available" to Austin.
It could be -- as fans hope, but as Jim Bob dreads -- a step in the direction of getting her own job one day.
Can you imagine if Joy-Anna started working a part-time office gig and sent Gideon to a real school? Jim Bob would blow a gasket.
