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Glamorous moms are celebrating conventional gender roles on TikTok. Are they also serving far-right political aims?

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Glammed  08302024

Deutsche Welle

<div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Nara Smith sports a sequined red evening dress as she carefully prepares a kimchi dinner for her three children and husband. The 23-year-old&#x27;s hair is perfectly styled, her makeup flawless — just as it always is in her social media videos on TikTok or Instagram.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Similarly glamorous outfits are worn when Smith is crafting homemade versions of everything from Coca-Cola to granola and Nutella.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">An American blogger of South African and German descent, Smith is part of the growing &quot;tradwife&quot; trend — short for traditional wife — on TikTok where traditional gender roles are promoted, with a lot of cooking and childcare content. She already has more than 9 million followers on the platform who watch her daily.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><br/></div><div><iframe class="instagram-media instagram-media-rendered" id="instagram-embed-1" src="https://www.instagram.com/reel/C-As8YFuC8H/embed/captioned/?cr=1&amp;v=14&amp;wp=698&amp;rd=https%3A%2F%2Fnews-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com&amp;rp=%2F#%7B%22ci%22%3A1%2C%22os%22%3A369355.89999997616%2C%22ls%22%3A325445.39999997616%2C%22le%22%3A325948.7000000477%7D" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" frameBorder="0" height="945" data-instgrm-payload-id="instagram-media-payload-1" scrolling="no" style="background:white;max-width:540px;width:calc(100% - 2px);border-radius:3px;border:1px solid rgb(219, 219, 219);box-shadow:none;display:block;margin:0px 0px 12px;min-width:326px;padding:0px"></iframe></div><script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script><div><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">But the tradwife trend isn&#x27;t just about glamor, as it includes a range of lifestyles.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Hannah Neilman, 34, is a TikTok influencer known under the social media name &quot;Ballerina Farm&quot; who showcases her farm life in Utah where she keeps house, milks cows, grows vegetables and raises eight children with her husband. With nearly 10 million followers, the former ballerina, model and blogger embodies a new online movement promoting 1950s-style domestic bliss.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><strong>Tradwife: Historically rooted or imagined ideal?</strong></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">The &quot;traditional wife&quot; movement began gaining popularity on social media about six years ago. Some say it has ties to an anti-feminist, misogynistic forum on social media site Reddit called &quot;Red Pill.&quot; In the film &quot;The Matrix,&quot; taking the red pill means being awakened to the truth — in this case, a metaphor embraced by men who feel their manhood has been repressed and who yearn for conventional gender roles.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">But the notion of the tradwife goes right back to the 1950s ideal of the nuclear family. Today this idea is a nostalgic, class-based fantasy, says Lisa Wade, associate professor of sociology and faculty member in the gender and sexuality studies program at New Orleans&#x27; Tulane University.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">In earlier US history, most families operated as small businesses in which the husband and wife both contributed to the household&#x27;s economic viability, Wade explained.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">&quot;The ideal of a breadwinner husband and homemaker wife emerged in the 1950s but quickly fell apart,&quot; she told DW. &quot;By the 1970s, the dual-earner family model became dominant due to economic necessity, as it was increasingly difficult to sustain a family on a single income.&quot;</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">The researcher believes that the tradwife trend &quot;cherry picks history by focusing on a brief period when middle class and wealthy white men could afford to have stay-at-home wives.&quot; But this ignores the economic realities of most families today, says Wade.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><br/></div><div><iframe class="instagram-media instagram-media-rendered" id="instagram-embed-3" src="https://www.instagram.com/reel/C-rZFv9OQxY/embed/captioned/?cr=1&amp;v=14&amp;wp=698&amp;rd=https%3A%2F%2Fnews-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com&amp;rp=%2F#%7B%22ci%22%3A3%2C%22os%22%3A425893.8000000715%2C%22ls%22%3A325445.39999997616%2C%22le%22%3A325948.7000000477%7D" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" frameBorder="0" height="969" data-instgrm-payload-id="instagram-media-payload-3" scrolling="no" style="background:white;max-width:540px;width:calc(100% - 2px);border-radius:3px;border:1px solid rgb(219, 219, 219);box-shadow:none;display:block;margin:0px 0px 12px;min-width:326px;padding:0px"></iframe></div><script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script><div><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">The retrograde tradwife trend draws as many fans as it does haters. Some admire these bloggers&#x27; femininity and their choice to focus on their families. Others argue that these women portray outdated gender roles and are effectively making themselves prisoners in their own homes.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Other critics say that the lifestyle depicted is unrealistic and unattainable for most. Being a tradwife influencer on social media is itself a full-time job for those who are successful enough to monetize their output.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Where well-dressed wives and far-right politics meet</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Some also question whether the promotion of this kind of domestic idyll is part of a culture war that serves certain political ends.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">According to sociologist Viktoria Rösch, tradwives are part of a broader discussion about gender roles and how we want to live as a society. Even if they don&#x27;t see themselves as political, their portrayal of a specific gender order makes them a useful tool for far-right groups, Rösch adds. Tradwives tend to blame modern feminism for the struggles women face today, such as balancing career and family. This reinforces far-right ideas about the family and gender roles, Rösch tells DW.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Germany&#x27;s far-right party, the Alternative for Germany (AfD), typically known for its conservative stance on family and gender issues, has seen a rise in support among women. The anti-immigrant, Euroskeptic party, labeled &quot;suspected far-right extremist&quot; in Germany, currently leads opinion polls in several states in the country&#x27;s east.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Support for the AfD is driven primarily by men. Nevertheless 15% of women in Germany in the 30 to 44 age group support the AfD, a 2024 poll by the German broadcasting company RTL found.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">The AfD has used imagery in their campaigns that reflects ideas also promoted — even if unconsciously — by tradwives. For instance, an AfD Instagram post compares &quot;modern feminists&quot; to &quot;traditional women&quot; through the use of negative stereotypes such as attractiveness, career choices and values.</span></div><div><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><strong>Kamala Harris: Another version of womanhood</strong></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"></span><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">As the US presidential election approaches, this tradwife trend stands in sharp contrast to the candidacy of Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Harris, who is the US&#x27; first female Vice President, represents another vision of womanhood that is career oriented. Harris has no children of her own but has helped raise her two stepchildren.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/world/2024/8/30/kamala-harris-rejects-flip-flop-claims-in-first-campaign-interview-831">Kamala Harris rejects &#x27;flip-flop&#x27; claims in first campaign interview</a><br/><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/world/2024/8/28/harris-rides-convention-buzz-on-return-to-trail-1832">Harris rides convention buzz on return to trail</a></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">JD Vance, the Republican vice presidential nominee, has made controversial comments suggesting that women should prioritize raising children over pursuing careers. Harris&#x27; candidacy challenges precisely these traditional expectations, Wade points out.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/world/2024/8/25/harris-campaign-says-it-raised-540-mn-in-just-over-a-month-1710">Harris campaign says it raised $540-M in just over a month</a></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">This contrast makes the election a key moment in determining what the next generation of women really want — including the freedom to choose the life they want to lead.</span></div><div><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><em>Edited by: Stuart Braun; Cristina Burack</em></span></div><div><br/></div><div><br/></div>

<p>Glamorous moms are celebrating conventional gender roles on TikTok. Are they also serving far-right political aims?</p>

Glammed up in the kitchen: Influencers drive 'tradwife' nostalgia

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Glammed up in the kitchen: Influencers drive 'tradwife' nostalgia

Deutsche Welle

Published Aug 30, 2024 10:25 AM PHT

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