Since the results of the US election were announced last month – feminists across the globe have been left reeling, with many calling for action on issues of women’s rights.
But while some women pledge their commitments to fighting for a more equal society, not all of them are keen.
A growing number of women in the US and increasingly the UK, are calling themselves tradwives – rejecting the feminist plight in the hopes of championing traditional feminine roles of looking after the home and keeping out of work.
The tradwife movement, says that wives should not work, and rather spend their days cooking, cleaning, wearing modest and feminine dress, and practice traditional etiquette, being submissive to their husbands and ‘always put them first’.
The movement has been gaining momentum across in Western nations across the world, including Australia and American and more recently – the UK.
There are currently 133 million posts on TikTok under the tradwife search, with hundreds of videos of women sharing insight into their lives as they take on archaic ‘feminine’ jobs in the home.
Popular American-German TikTok star, Nara Smith continues to spark controversy on the social media app for her increasingly elaborate and time consuming cooking videos, all which are made appease the ‘cravings’ of her husband or children.
In particular, the 23-year-old was slammed for crafting ‘unnecessary’ refreshments after she showcased painstaking recipes for bubblegum, individually molded cereal and cola.
A growing number of women in the US and increasingly the UK, are calling themselves tradwives – rejecting the feminist plight in the hopes of championing traditional feminine roles of looking after the home and keeping out of work. Alena Pettitt pictured
Cheshire based housewife, Nerkesha, pictured. The trend has even seen interested in the UK, with a number of women renouncing the rights for a life of servitude
Despite online criticism from feminists, the housewife has grown into a prodigy for aspiring tradwives hoping to trade the modern way of life for a more conservative existence.
The trend has even seen interested in the UK, with a number of women renouncing the rights for a life of servitude.
One of the first to admit their interest in the way of life was Alena Kate Pettitt, 38, originally from Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. A self-proclaimed tradwife, she first tried to showcase the idea in Britain in 2020.
Four years ago, Alena appeared in a news piece for the BBC where she discussed her interest in ‘etiquette, feminine lifestyle, home making and being a traditional housewife’.
‘My role is being at home. My job is essentially housework,’ she said, explaining why she would never expect her husband to cook for her.
At the time of BBC interview, Alena’s website said it was homemakers like herself, who were willing to ‘submit to, keep to and spoil there husbands like in 1959’.
She described always feeling like ‘an outsider’ as a child and never wanting to ‘fight the boys and go out an be independent and smash glass ceilings’.
‘I just felt like I was born to be a mother and a wife. What I really related to were the old shows of the 1950s and 60s.’
Having grown up in a single-parent household, Alena was eager to escape the confines of work that her mother had been forced to balance alongside looking after the home.
‘At that point, I had probably identified that I didn’t want the same life. The rebellion really came when I met my husband and he being very traditional as well, he said: ‘I know that you want a man to look after you and make you feel secure.’
It was a ‘fairytale’ moment for Alena who was relieved she could finally be herself, having spent her 20s as a ‘career girl’.
While she spends most her time busily preparing traditional British meals and keeping the house clean, she also runs a website, The Darling Academy.
It’s there that she offers her eager followers tips on ‘five steps to being a better housewife’, ‘How to start meal planning: a housewife’s guide’ and ample recipe cards for scones, biscuits and quiches.
Through the website, Alena discovered an underground movement of women who ‘crave that sense of belonging and home’.
‘The whole point of being a tradwife is that you invest in your husband and you invest in your family and you inspire them to be the best people they can. It’s a very selfless thing to do.’
However, Alena shocked her loyal fans earlier this year when she announced she had moved to Australia, deleting her social media to ‘live a more private life.
Having grown up in the UK, Alena fled her life, ‘politicised’ by the her online and presence and due to receiving ‘unwanted attention from men’.
Speaking to the New Yorker she said: ‘It’s become an aesthetic, and then it’s become politicized. And then it’s become its own monster,’ adding the trend had lost it’s way after being overly ‘polished’ and ‘unrealistic’.
Alena was one of the earliest and best known in the movement of women who spend their days taking care of their homes and families and documenting their activities on social media.
She wrote two books, where she set out her Christian beliefs and principles of womanhood, which her husband helped her to self-publish.
In 2016, she published what turned out to be something between a guidebook to traditional womanhood and a memoir of self-transformation through faith. Pettitt called the book Ladies Like Us. Her next book, English Etiquette, followed in 2019.
And there are other Brits following in the same footsteps. In 2015, Polly Phillips revealed she had quit her job to become a housewife and take care of her young daughter and her husband
The tradwife movement, which blew up in the UK in 2020, says that wives should not work, and rather spend their days cooking, cleaning, wearing modest and feminine dress, and practice traditional etiquette, being submissive to their husbands and ‘always put them first’
And there are other Brits following in the same footsteps. In 2015, Polly Phillips revealed she had quit her job to become a housewife and take care of her young daughter and her husband.
Polly, a proud mother and wife, championed the home as after ditching her career to focus on serving her family and child – though she did have some demands.
The former political risks insurance broker made headlines when she claimed she was demanding a ‘wife bonus’ from her husband, in a move that many tradwives would disagree with.
Polly and her husband, a wealthy petroleum engineer called Al, met in 2006 in the UK. Since then they have lived in various destinations across the world including now living in Australia.
The housewife was hotly debated during the 2010s when she insisted her husband gives her a ‘wife bonus’, having always want the two to share their cash equally.
Al was supportive of the idea and they decided that when he received a company bonus – a figure she has not disclosed – they would each take 20 per cent and the rest would be put in the bank.
Meanwhile, Polly promised to commit to taking care of the home, her husband and their young child.
Five years later, the word ‘tradwife’ started trending. Having long ascribed to a traditional homemaker role, in 2020 Polly featured in an article for The Telegraph where she insisted that she did not regret giving up her career for home and had found it it ‘fulfilling’.
‘I took pride in the job that I was doing raising our daughter and running our home. I was lucky that my husband appreciated the role I played and acknowledged that my taking the lion’s share of responsibility at home facilitated his ability to do his job well,’ she said.
However, since her daughter has gotten older, Polly has made the move to work, having committed to writing as novel as well as a part time teaching role.
Though the mother said she doesn’t seen this as a rejection of tradition. She told the publication ‘I don’t see that as abandoning the tradwife values of investing in your family and prioritising your home life.’
One of the first to admit their interest in the way of life was Alena Kate Pettitt, 38, originally from Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. A self-proclaimed tradwife, she first tried to showcase the idea in Britain in 2020
Four years ago, Alena (pictured) appeared in a news piece for the BBC where she discussed her interest in ‘etiquette, feminine lifestyle, home making and being a traditional housewife
One younger woman who has committed herself to the the role of homemaker, is Millie Wang, a tradwife from a rural town in the north-west England.
She was just a teenager when she met her husband online and decided to fly to China to meet him. As young people do, the pair instantly fell in love and decided they wanted to commit to each other seriously.
Conveniently, the two align perfectly in their views on life, with Millie a keen homemaker and her husband a grateful breadwinner.
Now 23, Millie has a YouTube channel where she documents her life as a ‘tradwife and homemaker’, sharing ‘day in the life’ videos on taking care of the home.
‘I flew from Manchester to Shanghai all on my own to visit my then boyfriend, now husband,’ she recalled in one video. But it was only after the Covid19 pandemic that Millie could return to China and shortly after, applied for a visa so she could start a life there with her new husband.
Since then, the pair have lived in several countries and now reside in Ireland, where Millie lives to serve her husband and her home.
In one YouTube video, she describes herself as a ‘traditional woman’ and says she finds ‘joy in doing things that are traditionally thought of as a job for women’.
‘Such as cooking, gardening, embroidery. To me, family is the most important job and my ultimate goa in life is having children and being able to take care of my family.
‘I also believe in a balance of masculinity and femininity. For me to fully be able to express myself as a woman, having a good man beside me has been the best thing for my life.’
In another video, the homemaker insisted to that she had a ‘good’ husband, who she described as a good ‘leader’ who would ‘be able to take care of his family’.
She said: ‘Number one, he is a good leader and I trust him to take care of our future. We met when we were only 16 and 17, now we’re both in out 20s.
‘In that time, I left he UK and moved to Australia. He went from America to Australia, we moved in together, got married nd have built a life together.
‘That entire time, he has been able to take charge and make big decisions so I don’t have to worry about it.
Five years later, the word ‘tradwife’ started trending. Having long ascribed to a traditional homemaker role, in 2020 Polly (pictured) featured in an article for The Telegraph where she insisted that she did not regret giving up her career for home and had found it it ‘fulfilling’
Though Polly said she doesn’t seen this as a rejection of tradition. She told the publication ‘I don’t see that as abandoning the tradwife values of investing in your family and prioritising your home life’
The housewife was hotly debated during the 2010s when she insisted her husband gives her a ‘wife bonus’, having always want the two to share their cash equally
‘Small things like the meals for the week and where we’ll go on dates are my area of expertise. He decides what insurance we have and when the bills need to be paid.
‘In my opinion, I have all the proof I need to know that he is a man who will be able to take care of our family.’
She also said: ‘He is gentle and protects my heart,’ which helps her to cope when she receives comments that criticise her for ‘having not ambition’.
A criticism she insisted insisted true because she wants to ‘write a cookbook’ and ‘have two or three children’.
‘My husband supports me no matter what. He knows my dreams may not align with what society expects of young women,’ she added.
Her husband, who’s identity is not revealed in any of her videos, works, studies and uses ‘brain power’ while Millie cares for their home and cats.
‘He never has to do chores or cooking or look after our cats,’ she explained. ‘I take all the mental planning out o that part of his life and allow him to use his brain power in other ways.’
She continued: ‘People might question why I don’t expect or ask my husband to do anything life that and it’s simply because, I don’t think he has to. He is a student and he cooks and I don’t want him to have to come home hungry and then waiting around waiting for me to cook.’
Though, she said her husband was always ‘appreciative’ of her efforts and will allow her to take a back seat is she is unwell. Millie shares several videos of cooking and cleaning with several titled ‘day in the life of a homemaker’.
Another woman to have opted out of work in favour of a more traditional life, is house wife, Nerkesha, from Cheshire in the north-west (pictured)
Nerkesha regularly documents her life working at home, which she views as a job in itself, sharing aesthetically curated clips bottling various preserves, homemade tinctures, as welk as folding laundry and baking cakes
Another woman to have opted out of work in favour of a more traditional life, is house wife, Nerkesha, from Cheshire in the north-west.
Nerkesha regularly documents her life working at home, which she views as a job in itself, sharing aesthetically curated clips bottling various preserves, homemade tinctures, as welk as folding laundry and baking cakes.
In one video, she described quitting her career as ‘controversial’ but revealed she relished in taking care of her family.
‘I have on of the most controversial professions,’ she said in one clip. ‘I’m talking about being a professional housewife.’
She went on to refer to herself as a ‘professional homemaker’ who is ‘competent’ and ‘skilled’ in the chosen pursuit.
‘To some, we play an important part in family life and keeping the home running and there are other’s who believe we are just stuck in the past,’ she said.
Amongst a sprawling collection of videos revealing her cooking, painting and baking, Nerkesha is never without a conservative frock and offers her followers dozens of quaint recipes for cakes, skin care and deodorant.
Similarly to Alena, Nerkesha, also takes a strong view on ‘etiquette’ and has several suggestions offering advice on ‘good manners’.
Though for Nerkesha, she believes her skills should be valued the same as ‘any other profession’.
‘It’s not always an easy decision deciding to become a housewife. It may be a lifestyle choice but it can often involve making some difficult sacrifices so that you get to spend more time with your children.’
‘Being a professional housewife isn’t for everyone. No one should be judged for having or wanting to have a career and nor should those or have to or want to stay home to look after their families.
‘Housewives can be skilled, highly educated and versatile individuals who also work from home and have to juggle all the responsibilities that come with being a housewife,’ she said.
Nerkesha’s page is filled with aesthetic videos of her twirling around in homely neck high dresses with quaint floral patterns. One video of her baking in her sparklingly clean kitchen was captioned: ‘POV: You come alive in the kitchen’.
In another clip, she listed what she views at ‘housewife priorities,’ which she said include: ‘Be proud of what you do, do your best for your family, ask when you need help, greet your partner when they come home, creative a positive environment, do things for yourself, dress up at home, have an evening schedule, cook nutritious meals, schedule couple time, wake up early, and have a night time routine.’
