Social media has brought new life to the 1950s trend
Photo via people.com.
If I knew a video of me baking bread from scratch would get over 42 million views on TikTok, I would’ve picked up an apron long ago. For influencer Nara Smith, this is a simple day-in-the-life, and just one example of the newly resurgent “tradwives” on social media platforms such as TikTok and Instagram. With Smith and other creators like her boasting millions of followers on TikTok, it’s clear that people are enjoying this brand of content.
A quick visit to her profile reveals that Smith bakes everything — and I mean everything — from scratch. I can’t help but wonder, how in the world does she have the time to be actually making cereal for breakfast?
What is a tradwife?
Tradwives are largely composed of Christian, conservative, American women who have foregone a career in favour of being a stay-at-home mom and housewife. The modern tradwife trend takes its core values from 1950s housewife culture, rebranding it with a new twist to modernize it and increase its appeal to young women.
Stay-at-home mom content creators come as a spectrum. Nara Smith herself is on the lighter end, providing a well-curated highlight reel of her stay-at-home mom lifestyle with minimal political commentary. As you search deeper into this content, you’ll find smaller, more traditional stay-at-home mom accounts that focus less on aesthetics and instead push traditional gender roles as a part of being a tradwife. Creators like Estee Williams use their platforms to promote the 1950s aesthetic with a side of ultra-traditional gender roles.
It’s easy to get distracted by the freshly baked bread and soothing voice-overs, but it’s important to read between the lines to see what these women are really promoting. While not all tradwives and/or stay-at-home moms promote ultra-traditional values, many creators are using the traction of this trend to push anti-feminist beliefs onto their audiences.
How has this trend gained so much traction?
Today, the aesthetic plays a large role in the appeal of being a tradwife. Smith’s profile leans largely into the aesthetics of being a stay-at-home mom, along with other large creators such as BallerinaFarm on TikTok.
Creators such as Smith downplay the realities of being a stay-at-home mom by selectively showcasing the “fun” aspects of their lives, such as baking, relaxing, or playing with their children. Furthermore, these creators tend to be extremely wealthy (Smith is famously married to model Lucky Blue Smith) which is an important part of being able to live this lifestyle.
By picking and choosing what aspects of parenthood to post, these creators are misleading young women into thinking that being a stay-at-home mom is leisurely. In reality, many invisible tasks, such as cleaning, laundry, and grocery shopping, are expected every day with no acknowledgment. There’s a reason none of these women film themselves cleaning a toilet: it’s simply not an appealing job. But at the end of the day, someone has to do it.
What’s the controversy?
“The feminist movement is a government scam so they can get the other half of the population working, so they can double their tax intake and raise your children by their standards.”
This is just one example of a post under #tradwife on Instagram. While my initial reaction was to laugh at this, at second glance, it makes me worried. Do these women genuinely believe feminism is government propaganda?
As I see it, the short answer is yes. The tradwife movement is actively trying to turn women against feminism. While some creators tend to stay away from the political side, hardcore tradwives such as Williams believe that women should adhere to traditional family values, which means tending to their husband’s every need.
I have no problem with the idea of a traditional home. If a woman wants to be a stay-at-home mom, then by all means, she should be a stay-at-home mom. I understand that spending time with your kids when they’re young is an invaluable experience for both the parent and child and can foster many happy memories. However, in this economy, many families rely on being a dual-income household to make ends meet. It’s unrealistic to expect the husband to be the sole provider, and it’s disrespectful to look down on working moms trying their hardest to juggle a work life and a home life.
Furthermore, women should not be seen as inferior to men. Due to traditional gender roles, many tradwives are submissive to their husbands. In a relationship, both parties should see each other as equals. I worry for young women who submit to their spouses because they are putting themselves in a vulnerable position where their voices may not be heard.
This further becomes a problem when tradwives tell women it’s okay to entirely depend financially on their spouse. On TikTok, creator Jennie (@lifetaketwo) details her financial struggles after being completely dependent on the husband she married at age 19. Jennie explains her predicament of having no financial freedom and no work history, since she dropped out of college to be a stay-at-home mom. Jennie’s story should serve as a warning to other young women of the potential dangers of relying financially on someone else.
While there’s nothing wrong with bringing back old-fashioned trends, I think there is something inherently wrong with tradwives who promote an anti-feminist agenda. On social media, it’s easy to get sucked into trends, especially ones that seem harmless on the surface. At the same time, it’s important to be critical of the tradwife/stay-at-home mom media you’re consuming and make sure you analyze the underlying message. Is this a normal life, privilege, or propaganda?
