TradWife takeover - Digital Threat Digest

If you don’t know who Nara Smith is, I’m sorry to say you may just be living under a rock. Nara Smith has simply taken over my Instagram and TikTok feed with her ‘what I cooked for my husband today’, ‘what my toddlers ate today’ or my favourite video format, ‘my husband was craving [insert insane request] so I made it from scratch’. Think chewing gum, cinnamon toast crunch cereal – you name it. Smith has even made bloody SPF from scratch (dermatologists have since warned that homemade SPF is not the way to go, so please do not try this at home). 

Smith is doing all of this while wearing designer clothing and intricate jewellery and has sometimes been heavily pregnant. And so my main question is – how does the bread she’s kneading not get stuck in her rings?

Kidding, that’s not my main question. The main question or, rather, concern is how content like this impacts women online. Smith is the epitome of a TradWife – a woman who believes in and practices traditional gender roles in a marriage, focusing on homemaking and supporting their husband. This presents on social media as the romanticisation of traditional gender roles – cooking, looking after their children and husbands and, in certain cases, having no form of employment outside the home.

This digest is not to hate on Nara Smith – in fact, I am impressed, maybe a  little jealous even? Jealous of how easy she makes it seem to be perfect. While I can't relate to the childrearing aspects of her life, I've found myself thinking more than once about her immaculate aesthetic and her ability to cook things from scratch: ‘how does she have the time?’ and guiltily, 'I could have easily made that pesto out of a jar from scratch'.

Many have spoken up about this pressure they feel with the rise of TradWives like Smith, who make it seem too easy. Some have accused TradWives of having somehow reset efforts by activists to advance the position of women in society, only for us to turn full-circle back to women’s traditional values and roles. The difference is: women now have a choice, they are no longer expected to stay at home.

Nevertheless, the pressure that social media puts on women is very valid. The cross-over of TradWives and mumfluencers (might one call them tradmumfluencers?) has received more than 300 million views on TikTok, with tradmumfluencers sharing how they keep their kitchens pristine and lead ‘how to be beautiful’ classes, via online finishing schools dedicated to helping women ‘do it all’. Not only does this add to existing anxiety around striving for perfection, it reinforces the myth that women ‘can do it all’. It also isolates women who feel burnt out, anxious and, increasingly, those from lower-socio-economic backgrounds. Is Nara Smith really able to take care of her children and make every meal from scratch, all while dressed in Chanel in her super clean mansion? Alone? It's likely that her and other content creators have production teams, a cleaning crew, and a stylist to support.

Many have also pointed out the increasing connection between TradWives and Mormonism, suggesting that the Mormon Church has allowed members to showcase their lives and their ideals on social media, in an attempt to normalise the religion. All you need to do is Google “Stanley Cup Mormon” to see a range of articles connecting the seemingly most-wanted accessory on TikTok (the Stanley Cup) and the feeds of Mormon TradWives / mumfluencers who are shipping it as a way to avoid hot beverages and keep drinks cold. And so there’s a subtle nudge towards the traditional values of women in Mormonism that these TradWives are tapping into.

Nara Smith has received a lot of hate and, despite her connection to the Mormon Church, she's not actually said anything about her faith. She might just be a content creator hoping to make money from her feed. However, the rise of TradWives is something to keep an eye on, as the image the movement projects is being consumed by young women who might strive for this and by mothers or mothers-to-be that already feel the pressures of the world and like they’re not enough.

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Our Digital Investigations Analysts combine modern exploitative technology with deep human analytical expertise that covers the social media platforms themselves and the behaviours and the intents of those who use them. Our experienced analyst team have a deep understanding of how various threat groups use social media and follow a three-pronged approach focused on content, behaviour and infrastructure to assess and substantiate threat landscapes.

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