Unit 2
Activity 2
Inside the tradwife trend
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angt-unit2-activity2.mp3
In a TikTok video with more than 1.6 million views, tradwife influencer Estee Williams explains what the buzzy term means. "We believe our place… our purpose is to be homemakers," she says. "It doesn't mean that we are trying to take away what women fought for."
But then Williams calls upon a popular bit of tradwife rhetoric that upholds the exact framework women fought to dismantle. "Tradwives also believe that they should submit to their husbands and serve their husbands and family," she says.
Williams is not the only woman to embrace the tradwife aesthetic with its patriarchal undertones and flowing dresses. Tradwives – at least in their TikTokified image – bake homemade bread with perfect manicures and keep spotless homes. It takes a lot of work to run a household in this way, but tradwives suggest that their lives are characterized by feminine leisure and dependence on their husbands.
If it sounds performative, it's because… well, it is. [...]
To some, this type of message seems purely retrograde. "The language that they're using about submission to their husbands reminded me a lot of the legal frameworks that I studied in the late 18th century, which has serious implications," says Jacqueline Beatty, PhD, a historian of early-American women and gender. She goes on to list what happened to women after marriage two centuries ago: "[They would] give up or lose their independent legal identity. They didn't really have the power to earn money on their own, and anything that they did manage to earn would become their husband's." In short, they had extremely limited economic and legal power. "The most troubling component is women not just accepting this but advertising it as a viable or preferable way of life," adds Beatty.
But then Williams calls upon a popular bit of tradwife rhetoric that upholds the exact framework women fought to dismantle. "Tradwives also believe that they should submit to their husbands and serve their husbands and family," she says.
Williams is not the only woman to embrace the tradwife aesthetic with its patriarchal undertones and flowing dresses. Tradwives – at least in their TikTokified image – bake homemade bread with perfect manicures and keep spotless homes. It takes a lot of work to run a household in this way, but tradwives suggest that their lives are characterized by feminine leisure and dependence on their husbands.
If it sounds performative, it's because… well, it is. [...]
To some, this type of message seems purely retrograde. "The language that they're using about submission to their husbands reminded me a lot of the legal frameworks that I studied in the late 18th century, which has serious implications," says Jacqueline Beatty, PhD, a historian of early-American women and gender. She goes on to list what happened to women after marriage two centuries ago: "[They would] give up or lose their independent legal identity. They didn't really have the power to earn money on their own, and anything that they did manage to earn would become their husband's." In short, they had extremely limited economic and legal power. "The most troubling component is women not just accepting this but advertising it as a viable or preferable way of life," adds Beatty.
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Tradwife influencer Estee Williams.
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PATH A
B1
1-A
Who is Estee Williams? How does she
describe the role of tradwives?
2-A
What activities or daily routines do
tradwives focus on? What ideas do
they promote?
3-A
Why do some people criticize
the tradwife movement?
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PATH B
B2
1-B
How does social media contribute to the popularity
of the tradwife movement, and why is it controversial?
2-B
What contradictions can you identify in the tradwife
movement?
3-B
How does the article suggest that the tradwife
movement connects to wider social and political issues?
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Let's talk this out!
4
Share your findings. What is the appeal of the tradwife movement, and why is it criticized?
5
How does the tradwife movement reflect societal debates about women's rights in the United States today?
6
Is it empowering, limiting, or something in between? Explain your opinion with examples from the article.
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#Tradwifetalk
You are a social media activist raising awareness about women's choices and autonomy. Your goal is to inform your audience about the tradwife movement, explain why it can be controversial, and share your own perspective.
You are a social media activist raising awareness about women's choices and autonomy. Your goal is to inform your audience about the tradwife movement, explain why it can be controversial, and share your own perspective.
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