Amy Duggar King can't understand why she has been labelled as the "rebel Duggar," but she suspects that it's because she is far more outgoing than her cousins Jill Dillard and Jessa Seewald from the cancelled TLC reality show "19 Kids and Counting."
"That isn't necessarily what I want to be known as. What makes me a rebel? I love the Lord and I love my family. I'm just not born to live exactly the way they do," Amy told PEOPLE.
"For me, growing up was all about shorts, tank tops, country songs and boyfriends," she said. "I think kissing before marriage should happen."
These are things that her uncle and aunt Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar prohibit their own girls from indulging in, so Amy said her reportedly rebellious streak must have stemmed from there.
"I became known as the rebellious one without even really being rebellious," she said, pointing out that "I was a church leader and went to Christian school all my life."
However, she admitted that she still "never really felt up to the Duggar standard."
Despite the differences she shares with her cousin, Amy said Jill and Jessa are very understanding of her lifestyle. "They're very, very accepting," she said. "They're beautiful girls. They try to help as many people as they can and they're really loving and believe what they're doing is right," she added.
Other girls might have probably felt insecure and inadequate not living up to the standards of the Duggar family, but Amy is happy that she has been able to stay true to the things she loves and believes in.
"It's so nice to know I was true to myself. I found my own path and it's the lifestyle that I think is okay to live. I've found a healthy balance," she said.
