In a world racing towards modernity, a surprising counter-movement is quietly gaining momentum: the tradwife lifestyle. Women across the country are turning back the clock to embrace vintage fashion and traditional gender roles.
A tradwife, or traditional wife, is a woman who practices traditional gender roles and devotes her life to homemaking. TikTok star Nara Smith has pioneered this regression, using her visually appealing baking and cooking videos to engage a large audience of young people.
This trend hasn’t stopped with her, though. This term has evolved into a popular aesthetic, characterized by soft colors and flowy dresses, making the tradwife trend much more than a simple fashion statement.
The vintage aesthetic has always been admired, with a heavy focus on pin-up styles and femininity. The tradwife aesthetic takes this admiration a step further, incorporating an entire lifestyle into the trend.
It's not uncommon to integrate aspects of a particular lifestyle into fashion. For example, enthusiasts of the vintage look often refurbish authentic clothing, furniture and even homes from that era.
The tradwife aesthetic, however, goes beyond this. It is taking individuals back nearly 50 years in terms of gender roles and responsibilities, these self-proclaimed tradwives attempting to live as though the past century's progress did not occur.
Social media influencers play a significant role in this trend. Aside from Nara Smith, popular figures like Hannah Neeleman (Ballerina Farm) and Estee Williams use the revival of the tradwife lifestyle to promote a romanticization of the past.
These influencers offer viewers a glimpse into their daily lives, which consist of childcare, food preparation and other household duties.
Regarding fashion, the tradwife aesthetic predominantly features dresses and skirts. The women in these videos often don the milkmaid dress, paired with vintage accessories to complete the look.
Another favored style is the maxi skirt, which flows and is not too tight on the skin. The overarching theme of the tradwife aesthetic is modesty, aiming to avoid drawing negative or attention-seeking reactions.
So what’s so bad about this trend? The answer is more complex than it appears. While these influencers can curate their content to show an idealized version of life, it's crucial to remember that being a homemaker is far more challenging than what can be depicted in a 30-second video clip.
Stay-at-home parents often face relentless demands from their children, leading to significant stress and burnout. What viewers cannot see in a TikTok video or an Instagram post would likely deter them from adopting this lifestyle.
Moreover, the tradwife aesthetic represents a significant regression in modern femininity, promoting the notion that women belong at home with the children.
While it is entirely respectable for a woman to choose to be a stay-at-home mom, it is vital that this choice is made freely and not imposed upon her.
It's also important to note the religious aspect often associated with the tradwife trend, those who subscribe to Mormonism knowing it better than most. The religion embraces traditional gender roles and a similar dress code to people like Nara Smith; now, those on and off social media are being reached by this trend.
Fashion is cyclical; everything will come back eventually. The tradwife style draws from femininity of old and plays with nostalgia — something that nearly everyone can relate to.
With this fashion trend’s nostalgia and charm, however, stay wary — it's essential to approach the tradwife lifestyle with a critical eye.
