Ella Josias
eSomethin staff
Estelle Williams, a popular member and spokesperson of the #TradWife movement, said in a 2022 video, “[A tradwife] is a woman who chooses to live a more traditional life, with ultra-traditional gender roles. It doesn’t mean we are trying to take away what women fought for.”
Tradwife, short for “traditional wife,” is a term referring to women who believe that a woman’s place in society is in the home.
Many influencers have brought it upon themselves to portray this lifestyle for viewers, sparking controversy in exchange for likes and views.
Popular influencers such as Nara Smith and Ballerina Farms are good examples of this, posting day-in-the-life style videos.
These viral videos include daily tasks, such as cooking dinners from scratch, caring for children, and other repetitive household chores.
Early #Tradwife content was taken as humorous, but has now become a controversial lifestyle, with many people on both sides.
The argument being that this is a push to revert to the past and is almost disrespectful to the many years and many women who pushed for change.
The other side of the argument is that #tradwife is doing quite the opposite by promoting feminism and women were meant for this lifestyle.
“I wasn’t aware that finding joy in cooking for my husband and kids would automatically mean that I just slave away in the kitchen. I don’t have a job and I have a whole production team at my house making that happen. To clarify, none of that is true. I’m a working mom juggling all kinds of hats and responsibilities,” Hannah Neelman (Ballerina Farms) said.
Her comments may provoke the supporters of feminism but also provoked viewers to assume the well-being and happiness of these women. Accusatory comments typically fall on their husbands, when their audience may see the men as controlling.
As an 18-year old female, a part of this Gen Z movement, I see the push for this #TradWife lifestyle as a positive for women’s mentality moving forward.
Speaking as a child that grew up with a traditional mother, her role had a large impact on me then and now. The memories of my mother having picnics with us, the house being cleaned up, and constant attention reminds me how lucky I am to experience that.
As a generation, modern society cannot seem to decide which side they are on. From a big push for feminism and corporate jobs, to millions of likes on In The Life (DITL) housewife posts, women feel torn on which sides we stand for.
Different age groups have different opinions on this topic. Younger generations seem more open minded, and open to change, or reverting back to past lifestyles.
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