The Rise of the “Trad-Wife” Movement

It’s been 50 years since women gained the financial freedom to open their own bank accounts; in 1974, the Equal Credit Opportunity Act passed, granting women the right to have bank accounts without their husbands’ signatures. It’s been over 60 years since the Equal Pay Act made gender-based pay inequality illegal.

Yet, despite this progress that made it possible for women to work and support themselves financially, a recent social media trend has sparked backlash to this progress: the “trad-wife” movement.

Cécile Simmons, a researcher at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, defines the tradwife movement as “an international movement of women who advocate a return to traditional gender norms through submitting to their husbands and promoting domesticity.” Participants in the tradwife trend build their personal brands around the notion that women should prioritize domesticity over seeking careers and education. From Instagram reels of women baking pies in vintage dresses to viral TikToks of women proudly declaring their devotion to domestic life, the narrative this content constructs is that a patriarchal home structure is normal.

While some women may prefer this “traditional” lifestyle to a corporate career, the romanticization of dominant-submissive marriages in digital spaces where youth consume the content serves as anti-feminist propaganda to younger audiences. Young girls who consume such content might begin to internalize the message that their value lies in being nurturing and submissive – traits that are often attached to an outdated and harmful perspective of femininity. By presenting a seemingly perfect life of domesticity, these influencers create an unrealistic standard for young girls to aspire to, portraying traditional gender roles as the only path to happiness or fulfillment.

It’s often difficult for young girls to come across counter-narratives that challenge traditional gender roles. TikTok’s algorithm, for example, often pushes viral content featuring domestic “day-in-the-life” vlogs, such as those produced by Nara Smith, a model and homemaker boasting a following of over 10 million TikTok followers. Smith crafts content that includes cooking and baking food from scratch, but importantly, she uses an overly obedient and poised tone that differentiates her videos from typical recipe-based content. Smith begins many of her videos with the phrase, “My husband was craving,” followed by a long-winded recipe. This pattern establishes a power dynamic where Smith’s life appears to revolve around serving her husband’s cravings. Although she has denied “trad wife” allegations, this content, paired with her slightly modernized house dresses, seems to intentionally embody a traditional housewife’s wardrobe and demeanor.

In some parts of the world, where women still fight for basic rights like access to education, the “trad-wife” character pushes a dangerous narrative. Women are encouraged to return to restrictive roles that limit their opportunities, perpetuating cycles of poverty and inequality.

Real empowerment comes from allowing young girls to make their own choices, whether that means embracing a traditional homemaker role, pursuing a career, or both. What matters is that these choices come from a place of autonomy, not from a pressure to conform to outdated ideals.