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Stop calling everything trad.
One of these women is a tradwife, the other is not. Here’s why it matters:
One of these women is a tradwife, the other is not. Here’s why it matters:
Firstly, tradwives are both an online community and a movement.
It emerged around 2015 from the mommy blogging sphere. Then it spread to alt-right forums like Red Pill Women/Wives subreddit.
It emerged around 2015 from the mommy blogging sphere. Then it spread to alt-right forums like Red Pill Women/Wives subreddit.
During the pandemic, tradwives spiked in popularity as a category of influencers with similar practices and genres in their content creation (food blogging, beauty and skin care tips, health, wellness), although the aesthetic differs.
But to be trad is more than just posting cooking videos of food made from scratch, or having children as part of your brand.
Tradwives lace their lifestyle content with anti-feminist & pro-nationalist messaging. Some embrace conspiracy theories like the Great Replacement.
Tradwives lace their lifestyle content with anti-feminist & pro-nationalist messaging. Some embrace conspiracy theories like the Great Replacement.
Estee Williams notably defends traditional gender roles for men and women, and that women’s submission to their husbands is religiously derived.
She argues that it’s a woman’s choice to be in traditional marriages—but glorifies the 1950s when women didn’t have the choice.
She argues that it’s a woman’s choice to be in traditional marriages—but glorifies the 1950s when women didn’t have the choice.
Nara Smith is not trad.
Yet she was labeled trad by the media for making meals for her family and having children at a young age.
As far as we know, Nara is a model and mother who enjoys food and fashion blogging. She’s Mormon but doesn’t promote her faith through her content.
Yet she was labeled trad by the media for making meals for her family and having children at a young age.
As far as we know, Nara is a model and mother who enjoys food and fashion blogging. She’s Mormon but doesn’t promote her faith through her content.
Why does it matter?
Because labeling Nara as trad was quickly weaponized by the political right to claim that trad content is desirable and aesthetically pleasing.
This effectively normalizes their ultra conservative vision of society.
Because labeling Nara as trad was quickly weaponized by the political right to claim that trad content is desirable and aesthetically pleasing.
This effectively normalizes their ultra conservative vision of society.
Labeling Nara as trad also makes it easy for the political right to dismiss tradwives’ actual connections to the far-right and white supremacism.
Meanwhile, less visible far-right tradwives benefit from algorithmic recs of their content as the term goes viral.
Meanwhile, less visible far-right tradwives benefit from algorithmic recs of their content as the term goes viral.
End: naming something trad is clickbait right now.
But using the term mindlessly only helps to boost the political right in the culture war. It mainstreams the image of traditionalism as aspirational content.
But using the term mindlessly only helps to boost the political right in the culture war. It mainstreams the image of traditionalism as aspirational content.
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