MICHELLE and Jim Bob Duggar profess to have a rock-solid marriage with enough passion to produce 19 children.
But a body language expert says it's clear that the reality TV patriarch shows not warmth but "ownership" toward his wife — and she returns that with a "little girl happiness."
Patti Wood analyzed several photos of Duggar dad Jim Bob, 57, and Michelle, 56, and said some things are clear across the board.
Michelle — who has spoken about her belief that she must submit to her Jim Bob — is "amenable" and "passive" around her husband of 38 years.
She sees him as "in charge" and seeks his "protection" — and is happy with their "power dynamic."
What Ola and James Jordan really ate and did to shed 7st
He, in turn, treats Michelle as "his" and is concerned with projecting the image he thinks he is supposed to.
"It's clear that, when photographed, they want to make sure they look like a loving, affectionate, happy couple," Wood told the U.S. Sun.
But the way they attempt to show that comes off not as genuine warmth between them, but rather Jim Bob showing ownership of Michelle.
In one photo, Wood said Jim Bob held Michelle with "containment," not passion — he certainly wasn't showing that he was "crazy about her."
"This is not sexual," she explained. "It's not warmth, it's not tenderness. It's: 'She's mine.'
"In his mind, he thinks: 'This is what I need to do. This is what I need to do to show calmness ... When I get photos taken, this is what I'm supposed to do.'"
While some Duggar-watchers have wondered if Michelle really wears the pants — and if she only pretends to follow Jim Bob's lead — Wood says her submission is genuine.
"She's very amenable," she said. "She's very passive."
She noted that Michelle tends to talk in a soft, high-pitched "little girl voice."
"What I've seen in the photos is that same smile and a sort of little girl happiness," she said.
I'm a 'time traveler' - the 'worst case scenario that could kill us all'
"Yes, she might have been acting her whole life ... There's a little bit of artifice to the voice."
But "she's very happy in that.
"We're seeing a genuine smile," she went on, noting that in one photo, Michelle placed herself in the crook of Jim Bob's arm.
"It's a kind of placement of, 'I need his protection. He is the one in charge.'"
To that end, at least, Michelle seems to practice what she preaches.
In a 2018 blog post, she wrote that there are seven "basic needs of husbands and wives that we have worked to apply to our marriage over the years."
They include that a man needs a wife who "is loyal and supportive," "honors his leadership," "will make appeals, not demands," and is "grateful."
She added that a wife needs to know "know she is meeting her husband’s vital needs" and have a husband who "protects" and "cherishes" her.
Previously, Wood revealed which Duggar sister has the most "passionate" husband who thinks he’s "so lucky" to be with her.
