Tradwife Explained

A tradwife (a neologism for traditional wife or traditional housewife)[1] [2] [3] is a woman who believes in and practices traditional gender roles and marriages. Some may choose to take a homemaking role within their marriage, or to leave their careers to focus instead on meeting their family's needs in the home.[4]

According to Google Trends, online searches of the term "tradwife" began to rise in popularity around mid-2018 and reached high levels during the early 2020s.[5] The traditional housewife aesthetic has since spread throughout the Internet in part through social media featuring women extolling the virtues of behaving as the ideal woman.[6] [7]

Tradwife aesthetic

The tradwife subculture is based on advocating for traditional values, and, in particular, a 'traditional' view of wives as mothers and homemakers.[8] [9]

Tradwives are diverse demographically, and may have a variety of cultural inspirations.[10] Influences on trend range from 1950s-era American culture, Christian religious values, conservative politics, choice feminism, and neopaganism.[11] Commentators have noted that "there is more class than racial diversity in tradwifery, though the content is not as white as one might assume".

Among men seeking traditional wives, East Asian and Southeast Asian women are considered the ideal.[12] There is a shared cultural notion among some White American men that Asian women make better wives, because they are perceived as being more feminine, submissive, and exotic-looking.[13]

According to an article published in Refinery29, while most tradwives are white, a growing number of Black women are embracing the concept of traditional marriage, not explicitly using the "tradwife" neologism, but instead framing their identity within a "submissive" or "Biblical" marriage. These Black women claim that "traditional marriage is the key to liberation from being overworked, economic insecurity, and the stress of trying to survive in a world hostile to our survival and existence".[14] The article criticized this perspective as lacking awareness of broader structural and social issues.

Practices

See also: Traditionalist Catholicism. Key to the tradwife identity is being a stay-at-home wife or a stay-at-home mother and the various activities involved in managing the household such as cooking, cleaning, managing laundry, and tending to vegetables. Additionally, special attention is paid to the importance of raising children.[15]

A report in America magazine, a Catholic publication, has also reported that some Catholic tradwives have adopted the practice of wearing veils at mass: a practice embraced by some Catholic women as a means of reverence and empowerment.[16]

Finances

Some women who identify as tradwives prefer a division of labor wherein their husband manages family finances more broadly while they focus on managing food and household consumables.[17] [18] A high-profile example of this is Canadian Cynthia Loewen, a former Miss Earth Canada, who abandoned plans to pursue a medical degree in order to be a full-time housewife.[19] She stated that she finds fulfillment from the arrangement of her husband as the breadwinner and her in charge of the home, and that she is "more happy as a result".

Reactions

Critics often stipulate that tradwives embody what has been described as "toxic femininity" and internalized sexism.[20] [21] [22] [23] Critics claim this is a tactic used by male alt-right adherents to recruit more women to far-right causes.

Despite the link to extreme right-wing ideologies, not all tradwives endorse extreme ideas and ideology is not an integral part of the subculture. Prominent British tradwife influencer Alena Pettitt posted on social media in 2020 that she was "dumbfounded" by the media's "smear campaign" against tradwives, arguing they were all being unfairly linked to extremism.

Charles Sturt University academic Dr. Kristy Campion, who specializes in extremism, has researched tradwives and says that people should avoid "denouncing all tradwives as far-right extremists, holding them accountable for views they may not hold and demonising what is, for many women, an extremely personal choice".

Seyward Darby discussed the tradwife aesthetic in her 2020 book, Sisters in Hate: American Women and White Extremism, and shared interviews with women who call themselves traditional.[24] She found that some women in the movement espoused tenets of the American political far right, including white supremacy, antisemitism, populism, and other ultraconservative beliefs. Other researchers have identified a wide range of political views among tradwives which, while primarily conservative, range from the moderate to the extreme.

Relationship with feminism

The tradwife culture has a complicated relationship with feminism, being at times criticized or supported by feminists.

While some who follow the tradwife aesthetic suggest that it is a rejection of feminism in favor of a return to simpler times and family systems, journalist Wendy Squires supports women's right to be a tradwife and describes the ability to choose as a feminist success. She rebuked critics saying:On the other hand, tradwives are underpinned by a shared right-wing belief systems to varying degrees. For many, this entails a rejection of mainstream feminist histories and theories.[25] Anti-feminist Tradwives view the first, second, and third waves of feminism as oppressive, and as a rejection of traditional femininity, womanhood, and motherhood. The so called fourth wave of feminism, which highlights empowerment, internet advocacy, and movements such as the metoo movement, is perceived by many far right leaning tradwives as a man-hating ideology. Terms such as "toxic femininity" have been reclaimed as an antifeminist statement, on the premise that feminism promotes a culture of hating men.[26]

Some Christian conservative women and tradwives, oppose forms of feminism as they believe it contradicts the Bible verse 11:3 which states that "the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God".[27]

Social media

The tradwife movement is a social media-based subculture. Multiple platforms, notably TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube, are used to commodify and spread the conservative ideologies underpinning the movement. Platforms such as Reddit and 4chan are also used to promote embracing traditionally biological relationships, namely between a man and a woman. Influencer marketing strategies, the showcasing of private lives, and contemporary social media use promote the commercialisation of traditional heteronormativity and gendered relationships.

According to algorithmic research conducted by Media Matters, the tradwife audience is likely also viewing conspiracy theory videos, as recommendations for conspiracy videos increase concordant with tradwife viewership.[28]

The rising success of contemporary tradwives is driven by clever and active use of social media and persistent positioning as online influencers. Videos such as 'a day in my life' showcasing activities such as cooking from scratch, cleaning, caring for children, packing the lunches of their working husbands advocate for gender roles wherein the man holds social and political power, and women for the most part are confined to the home as a wife and mother.[29]

These so called tradwives are leading large-scale platforms encouraging traditional forms of dating, wherein the man pays and is the dominant group in culture and society.

See also

Further reading

Notes and References

  1. News: Malvern . Jack . January 25, 2020 . 'Tradwife' is there to serve . en . The Times . June 1, 2021 . March 13, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220313143632/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/tradwife-is-there-to-serve-h6k5rzgbd . live .
  2. Web site: Rob Brown . January 17, 2020 . 'Submitting to my husband like it's 1959': Why I became a #TradWife . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20200117164457/https://www.bbc.com/news/av/stories-51113371/submitting-to-my-husband-like-it-s-1959-why-i-became-a-tradwife . January 17, 2020 . January 17, 2020 . BBC News . ... growing movement of women who promote ultra-traditional gender roles ... images of cooked dinners and freshly-baked cakes with captions ... A woman's place is in the home ... Trying to be a man is a waste of a woman ... particularly controversial because of its associations with the far right.....
  3. News: Norris . Sian . May 31, 2023 . Frilly dresses and white supremacy: welcome to the weird, frightening world of 'trad wives' . en-GB . The Guardian . May 31, 2023 . 0261-3077 . May 31, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230531132008/https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/may/31/white-supremacy-trad-wives-far-right-feminist-politics . live .
  4. Book: Leidig . Eviane . The Women of the Far Right: Social Media Influencers and Online Radicalization . 19 September 2023 . Columbia University Press . 978-0-231-55830-3 . 50 . en.
  5. Web site: Google Trends . January 16, 2023 . Google Trends . en-US . January 16, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230116233359/https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=all&geo=US&q=tradwife . dead .
  6. Web site: Annie Kelly. June 1, 2018. The New York Times. OPINION: The Housewives of White Supremacy. January 17, 2020. ...Enter the tradwives. Over the past few years, dozens of YouTube and social media accounts have sprung up showcasing soft-spoken young white women who extol the virtues of staying at home, submitting to male leadership and bearing lots of children — being "traditional wives." .... January 22, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200122154237/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/01/opinion/sunday/tradwives-women-alt-right.html. live.
  7. News: Wang . Amy X. . August 20, 2024 . Who’s Afraid of the Big, Bad Tradwife? . . subscription . live . Why women who dress up as 1950s homemakers are driving the internet insane..
  8. News: August 21, 2021 . 'A soft face for saying extreme things': The dangerous elements in the tradwife subculture . en-AU . ABC News . August 30, 2023 . August 30, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230830023936/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-08-22/tradwife-movement-personal-pleasures-or-extreme-right-ideologies/100356514 . live .
  9. News: Trend tradwife: 10 rzeczy, które warto wiedzieć . Polish . PrzyKawusi . Poland . PrzyKawusi . 2024-08-14 . 2024-08-14 .
  10. Web site: The Agoraphobic Fantasy of Tradlife . August 30, 2023 . Dissent Magazine . August 30, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230830024012/https://www.dissentmagazine.org/article/the-agoraphobic-fantasy-of-tradlife/ . live .
  11. Web site: Sykes . Sophia . July 7, 2023 . Tradwives: The Housewives Commodifying Right-Wing Ideology . August 30, 2023 . GNET . en-GB . August 20, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230820165428/https://gnet-research.org/2023/07/07/tradwives-the-housewives-commodifying-right-wing-ideology/ . live .
  12. Book: Chan . Yuk Wah . Fung . Heidi . Szymańska-Matusiewicz . Grażyna . The Age of Asian Migration: Continuity, Diversity, and Susceptibility Volume 2 . 4 September 2015 . Cambridge Scholars Publishing . 978-1-4438-8193-7 . 29 . en.
  13. Book: Braithwaite . Ann . Orr . Catherine M. . Everyday Women's and Gender Studies: Introductory Concepts . 11 August 2016 . Routledge . 978-1-317-28530-4 . 378–379 . en.
  14. Web site: Burton . Nylah . Black "Tradwives" Think Marriage Is The Key To Liberation & Economic Survival . October 11, 2023 . www.refinery29.com . en . December 20, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231220164551/https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2022/12/11161942/tiktok-black-tradwives-burnout-marriage-capitalism . live .
  15. Web site: Squires . Wendy . February 21, 2020 . Is it any wonder the 'tradwife' lifestyle is so alluring? . August 30, 2023 . The Sydney Morning Herald . en . August 30, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230830064618/https://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/life-and-relationships/is-it-any-wonder-the-tradwife-lifestyle-is-so-alluring-20200220-p542rf.html . live .
  16. Web site: The types of women who veil at Mass. Simcha Fisher. December 3, 2019. America magazine. January 17, 2020. ...Then came the tradwives, who veil with a vengeance. These young Catholic women are highly active on social media, and they gleefully tout their physical beauty as a poke in the eye of feminism. ... a woman's job to please her man with a fit body, on point makeup and lustrous hair that gleams as brightly as the lacy veil that covers it..... December 30, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20191230011013/https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2019/12/03/types-women-who-veil-mass. live.
  17. Web site: AMY HUNT. January 24, 2020. Woman and Home magazine. What is a 'tradwife' – and why is the idea proving so controversial? You may have heard of the terms housewife, stay-at-home mum, or the like. But why are 'tradwives' getting everyone talking?. February 13, 2022. ...A 'tradwife' (short for traditional wife) is a 21st century woman who has decided to embrace super traditional, conventional gender roles, by 'submitting' to their husband and not working, staying at home to do the typical household chores, and care for the children.... considering it actually has origins in far-right circles, predominantly in the US..... February 14, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220214013300/https://www.womanandhome.com/life/tradwife-definition-alena-petitt-346861/. live.
  18. Web site: January 22, 2020. Heart 96-107. 'Tradwife' woman claims wives should submit to their husband and spend days cooking and cleaning: A mum has revealed that she left her high flying job to join the 'Tradwife' movement.. February 13, 2022. ...She added that she felt alienated growing up in the 90s, where attitudes to male and female roles were becoming more liberal, saying: "The culture at the time was anything but what I enjoyed and it definitely made me feel like an outsider. "It was all kind of, let's fight the boys and go out and be independent and break glass ceilings. But I just felt like I was born to be a mother and a wife. "What I really related to where the old shows of the 1950s and 60s.".... February 14, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220214015827/https://www.heart.co.uk/lifestyle/tradwife-movement/. live.
  19. Web site: Cliff . Martha . June 9, 2021 . Canadian woman quits medical career to become a 'Tradwife': This Canadian woman spends all day at home cleaning and lets her husband 'lead' – insisting she is more happy as a result. . February 13, 2022 . news.com.au . ....A woman who trained to be a doctor has revealed why she chucked it all in to become a homemaker. Former Miss Canada, Cynthia Loewen, had been set for a high-flying career in medicine but just a few years ago she decided to leave it all behind.... . February 14, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220214235049/https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/relationships/marriage/canadian-woman-quits-medical-career-to-become-a-tradwife/news-story/647f3aa58656298f79840a7495134c2d . live .
  20. Web site: Freeman . Hadley . January 20, 2020 . 'Tradwives': the new trend for submissive women has a dark heart and history: A certain kind of housewife has found social media and is airing the details of their fight with feminism. But maybe they should tone it down a notch . February 13, 2022 . The Guardian . ...But this isn't actually about fighting the system: this is about women fighting against their own insecurities about their lives. ... it is very much part of the "alt-right" movement. . February 14, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220214012429/https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2020/jan/27/tradwives-new-trend-submissive-women-dark-heart-history . live .
  21. Web site: Rottenberg . Catherine . Orgad . Shani . Tradwives: the women looking for a simpler past but grounded in the neoliberal present . June 2, 2021 . The Conversation . February 7, 2020 . The Conversation Trust (UK) Ltd . June 2, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210602213837/https://theconversation.com/tradwives-the-women-looking-for-a-simpler-past-but-grounded-in-the-neoliberal-present-130968 . live .
  22. ABC News, Bridget Judd, February 23, 2020, Tradwives have been labelled 'subservient', but these women reject suggestions they're oppressed, retrieved October 2, 2020, "...Others have likened it to an extension of white nationalism, propagating the belief that women should focus on their "natural" duties of childbearing and housekeeping..."
  23. Jones, Sarah, October 28, 2020, New York Magazine, Trump's Base Isn't Housewives, It's Tradwives, Retrieved January 2, 2022, "...The tradwife is going to stick with Trump and the Republican Party. ..."
  24. Book: Darby, Seyward . Sisters in hate : American women and white extremism . . 2020 . 978-0-316-48778-8 . First . New York . 1238089281 . January 16, 2023 . May 29, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240529000833/https://search.worldcat.org/title/1238089281 . live .
  25. Sykes . Sophia . Hopner . Veronica . 2024-04-18 . Tradwives: Right-Wing Social Media Influencers . Journal of Contemporary Ethnography . 53 . 4 . 453–487 . en . 10.1177/08912416241246273 . 0891-2416. free .
  26. McCann . Hannah . 2022-01-02 . Is there anything "toxic" about femininity? The rigid femininities that keep us locked in . Psychology & Sexuality . en . 13 . 1 . 9–22 . 10.1080/19419899.2020.1785534 . 1941-9899. 11343/254288 . free .
  27. Coste . Françoise . 2010-09-01 . Conservative Women and Feminism in the United States: Between Hatred and Appropriation . Anglophonia Caliban/Sigma. French Journal of English Studies . en . 27 . 167–176 . 10.4000/caliban.2111 . 1278-3331.
  28. Web site: Grose . Jessica . 'Tradwife' Content Isn't Really for Women. It's for Men Who Want Submissive Wives. . The New York Times . 15 May 2024.
  29. Proctor . Devin . 2022 . The #tradwife persona and the rise of radicalized white domesticity . Persona Studies . 8 . 2 . 7–26 . 10.21153/psj2022vol8no2art1645 . informit. free .

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