While reading “The rise of ‘trad wives’ reverses strides in women’s autonomy,” I noticed a few gaps in the author’s depiction of these women and their lifestyles that I wanted to point out for Student Life. The most noticeable disconnect, at least for me, is the paradox associated with traditional gender roles and these women’s status as content creators with large followings. The author of the piece argues that ‘trad wives’ are making themselves smaller to fit into traditional gender roles, but, in fact, it is their status as ‘trad wives’ that makes them breadwinners for their families. 

Submission to their husbands, at least financially and professionally, is often purely performative. Nara Smith, perhaps the largest creator associated with this lifestyle and one mentioned by the author of the StudLife article, constantly posts paid advertisements and other monetized content. She recently surpassed her long-famous husband, Lucky Blue Smith, by over a million followers on Instagram. Jasmine Dinis, ‘trad wife’ content creator and self-profiled “Wife, Mother, Homemaker & Believer,” sells a pack of what she calls “self-sufficiency courses” (essentially how-to courses on domestic wifehood) for $5,900. This blatant irony suggests that many ‘trad wives’ are performing these gender roles as a matter of choice, not as a result of being repressed or restrained. 

The 1950s housewife is marketed as a classic female archetype, one that many women during the 1950s were told they should portray. In actuality, this ‘traditional woman’ historically consisted of solely white, wealthy, heterosexual women who lived in subservience to their husbands. They couldn’t control their own finances and definitely weren’t bringing in any money. 

Contrary to this housewife stereotype, Nara Smith is German-Mosotho and an immigrant to the United States. A profile of her and her husband Lucky, conducted by GQ, explains the couple as very balanced. They recently hired a nanny to give both parents more time to work on their careers, which for Nara, is her content creation. During the interview, two of the couple’s children rush into the house with the nanny and interrupt the conversation. It’s Lucky that leaves the interview to help the nanny and make sure the kids are settled down. This content is not anti-feminist, as female creators utilize their agency to depict different lifestyles to their audiences of primarily young women.

While there are certainly examples of ‘trad wives’ that are anti-feminist, the “traditional” lifestyle these women are portraying does not have to represent an abuse of power by their husbands. By choosing this lifestyle on their own terms, some ‘trad wives’ serve as valuable examples of young women freely selecting a profession that aligns with their chosen way of life.