Entertainment

Fans Are Criticizing Joy-Anna Duggar’s Latest Bump Photo, & It's Really Not OK

by Gillian Walters

Ever since Joy-Anna Duggar announced her first pregnancy in August, she has shared fewer photos and updates on social media. Although some people suspect Joy-Anna's step back from the public is an attempt to hide the fact that she supposedly had premarital sex with her now-husband, Austin Forsyth, the more likely scenario is that Joy-Anna doesn't want to be maligned by overly curious fans every time she posts a pregnancy update. It's a theory that makes a lot of sense, especially when you consider how poorly people are reacting to Joy-Anna Duggar's latest bump photo. And if you've ever been pregnant yourself, you'll likely find many of the negative comments toward Joy-Anna incredibly irritating.

When a Duggar announces a pregnancy, the reactions are generally positive. In the case of Joy-Anna, however, she received a lot of hate from the get-go. A lot of people thought Joy-Anna looked too far along in her pregnancy announcement video, which quickly prompted conspiracy theories that Joy-Anna and Forsyth conceived before their May wedding.

Of course, it goes without saying that there's no right way for a pregnant person to look at any stage of pregnancy. Not to mention, a first-time parent's bump typically starts to show within the first 12 to 16 weeks of pregnancy, according to Baby Center, so it's not suspicious that Joy-Anna was showing in August.

Still, a lot of fans are on the "Joy-Anna had sex before marriage" train, and it doesn't look like the conspiracy theorists are about to take a break anytime soon.

Shortly after Joy-Anna posted a cute photo of herself and Austin to Instagram on Tuesday, many people took to comments section to criticize her bump and entire pregnancy. Although Joy-Anna had clearly intended the pic to be fun and festive (she captioned it: Christmas date night!), it didn't receive a lot of positive reactions.

One person wrote: "You know, it’s ok to admit that you guys got pregnant before getting married..." Another chimed in: "She’s so big almost ready to pop for sure!"

Unfortunately, other commenters decided to critique Joy-Anna's appearance. A fan said: "She looks like pregnancy is taking a toll on her." Someone else added: "They look miserable."

For starters, if Joy-Anna and Forsyth did conceive before marriage, that's really no one's business. Secondly, it's never OK to critique how someone looks while pregnant, and it's definitely not appropriate to speculate when they conceived. If a person wants to divulge personal details about their pregnancy, that's great, but if not, people should respect their privacy.

The good news is a lot of people are defending Joy-Anna against the internet sleuths.

One fan argued: "Every woman carries differently and every pregnancy is different. Who are you to say her bump looks to [sic] big? Are you her OB?" Another person said: "Every women’s pregnancy are different... I had four none were alike! It’s her life if she got pregnant on or before why do people care!"

And one has to wonder why so many people "care" about when Joy-Anna conceived. Most likely, it has to do with the Duggar family's ultra-conservative values and views about premarital sex. A Duggar conceiving before marriage would be scandalous, to say the least, so perhaps that's what is motivating all of the bump detectives out there.

It's important to remember, however, that Joy-Anna is just another person who happens to be pregnant. All pregnant people deserve the chance to enjoy and celebrate their pregnancy, whether they're on reality television or not.

Consider fellow reality TV star, Kylie Jenner, for instance. A lot of people argue that Jenner owes the public a picture of her supposed bump, which is ludicrous on many levels. Just like Jenner doesn't have to confirm her rumored pregnancy, Joy-Anna doesn't have to address any rumors that she conceived before marriage.

Going forward, hopefully fans will dial it back on the Joy-Anna pregnancy theories. It's really no one's business when Joy-Anna got pregnant, and she deserves to enjoy this exciting time in peace.

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