Jinger Duggar: Jeremy Vuolo Taught Me How to Stop Going Along With Everything Men Tell Me …

In media coverage of the Duggar family, a lot of ink is spilled in discussions about the family’s obsession with fertility and procreation, or the bizarre dress code that Jim Bob imposes upon his daughters.

But sometimes, this coverage glosses over the fact that all of these beliefs and fixations are rooted in misogyny.

The Duggars are a profoundly patriarchal family, and girls are taught from a young age that their role is to be seen and not heard.

So perhaps it’s not surprising that it was a woman who eventually stood up and spoke out against this oppressive system.

As you’ve likely heard by now, Jinger Duggar’s long-awaited memoir hit bookstores earlier this week.

Though the book wasn’t as critical of her parents as some fans had hoped, Jinger reveals that she was raised in a cult-like atmosphere that required her to break free in order to find happiness.

It’s the latest act of courage in a life that’s been defined by bold acts of rebellion.

And Jinger says she couldn’t have done it without the help of her loving and supportive husband, Jeremy Vuolo.

“Jeremy has been so kind throughout this entire process,” she told E! News in a recent interview.

“He’s been so patient with me because I know it must be so hard for him to see these wrestlings,” Jinger explained.

“There are long days where it’s just emotionally taxing and hard and he has only been there to support me, to help me, to cheer me on.”

Jinger says that in the early days of her marriage she had to unlearn much of the programming she’d internalized as a child and figure out to speak for herself.

“I wouldn’t really think for myself,” she recalled.

“I would just think, ‘What’s the right answer?’ or ‘What do I think I should say to him right now?’

“Jeremy just encouraged me to not be someone I’m not, but just to be myself and feel comfortable and share my own opinions and have opinions on life,” Jinger continued.

“I thought I had to be this agreeable wife. That way I would be safe.”

These days, Jinger says, she and Jeremy enjoy a relationship based on openness and equality.

And they’ve found a community of like-minded evangelicals in their new home in Los Angeles.

“We have an awesome community around us, really good, solid friends that we love to hang out with,” she explained.

“I think it’s crazy how many amazing schools there are here. We haven’t decided yet what we’re going to do for Felicity. I don’t think I want to homeschool her though.”

Yes, after spending her own youth being indoctrinated and isolated from the outside world, Jinger is understandably wary of homeschooling.

And she says she plans to allow her children to decide what sort of upbringing they’ll have.

“We felt really strongly about giving our kids privacy and allowing them to choose if they wanted to be in the public eye or not,” she shared.

“We’ll see what they choose. For now, we’re just protecting their privacy until they can choose what they want to do.”

Whatever the case, we’re sure they’ll grow up in a much more stable and loving environment than the one Jinger knew.

Jinger Duggar: Jeremy Vuolo Taught Me How to Stop Going Along With Everything Men Tell Me … was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip .