'Tradwife' Lifestyles Are A Fantasy – I Know. I Cleaned Their Houses |
Person cleaning
When it comes to work, mums are damned if they do and damned if they don’t.
Those who work in the home (and yes, childcare and housework are very much “real” labour) often feel judged for being “spoiled,” while mums who work for a company can face professional prejudice alongside exhausting hours.
Whether they work in the home or outside of it, mothers are far more likely than fathers to shoulder the bulk of the emotional and cognitive load.
But the term “tradwife” is often used to refer to a woman who “embraces traditional gender roles” as a part of an online, “ultraconservative” performance, Merriam-Webster explains; not a regular stay-at-home mother.
A “tradwife” will often create content or speak about her role as a homemaker online, sharing the joys of not working while pocketing thousands in brand deals.
An example is Ballerina Farm, the full-scale production team behind which is overseen by Hannah Neeleman, wife of a billionaire’s son.
The cosy, “cottagecore” aesthetic of her supposedly “rustic” life is more reminiscent of Marie Antoinette’s pirouetting around her toy hamlet than it is of real-life stay-at-home-mother chaos – I know. I have cleaned for........