"Search the term "tradwife" on TikTok and you'll find thousands of carefully curated videos from creators like 26-year-old Estee Williams from Richmond, Virginia, and Hannah Neeleman, also known as Ballerina Farm , who has amassed 7 million followers sharing cooking and homemaking videos from her Utah farmhouse. The videos feature a soft life aesthetic: modern women clad in '50s housewife aprons, baking bread and arranging flowers in full makeup and perfectly styled hair."
"We eventually divorced, I became a single mom, and a bit more muddling ensued. I was always one step behind, stressed out, overworked and underemployed. When I became pregnant with my youngest - with older kids in public school - my "advanced maternal age" and medical history made the pregnancy high risk. We agreed that I should quit my job. So I did, and immediately began nesting."
TikTok's tradwife trend presents nostalgic 1950s homemaking aesthetics—polished hair, aprons, baking, and floral arrangements—paired with messaging that emphasizes partner-provided financial and household support. Creators gain large followings by showcasing a soft-life domestic ideal. A 12-year marriage involved adherence to tradwife roles, followed by divorce and the challenges of single motherhood, including stress, underemployment, and being one step behind. A high-risk pregnancy prompted quitting paid work and intensified domestic labor: nesting, homeschooling, meal planning, crafting, and sporadic freelance work that did not materially contribute to household income. Financial management was entrusted to a husband who worked as a CPA and financial adviser.
Read at HuffPost
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