The term "trad wife" is popping up all over social media, but what exactly does it mean?
As we dive into this article, it's important to note that everyone has differing expectations in relationships and what works for some might not work for others.
With that being said, in recent weeks, social media feeds have been buzzing with discussions about Ballerina Farm, the Instagram persona of 34-year-old Hannah Neeleman.
The mother of eight lives on a dairy farm in Utah with her husband, Daniel, 35, and is part of a growing trend of women promoting the "traditional wife" lifestyle on TikTok and Instagram.
Following a recent interview with The Times, Neelemans' demanding schedule as a homemaker has stirred controversy, with many expressing concern over her welfare and the message being sent to young women.
"We are traditional in the sense that it's a man and a woman, we have children, but I do feel like we're paving a lot of paths that haven’t been paved before," Neeleman told The Times.
"So for me to have the label of a traditional woman... I'm kinda like, I don’t know if I identify with that."
Since the backlash, Neeleman described the article as an "attack on her family," saying it portrayed her as oppressed by her husband, which she claimed "couldn't be further from the truth."
But what exactly is a trad wife?
According to Sky News, trad wives embrace traditional gender roles, focusing on homemaking, childcare, and supporting their husbands.
They often draw inspiration from early 20th-century American housewives, maintain devout Christian beliefs, and hold politically conservative views.
With the rise of social media, trad wives document their lives through Instagram and TikTok, often appearing in full hair and makeup while managing household tasks.
Not all trad wives, or "traditional wives," are alike, according to trad wife content creator Estee Williams, who spoke with USA TODAY.
She defines trad wives as homemakers whose priority is cooking, cleaning, and being subservient to men, but she emphasizes that such submission is a personal choice and not "degrading."
Williams stated: "I'm not coming online shaming anybody for who they love or how they choose to live their life. I just simply showcase mine. I don't want to threaten anybody's lifestyle, but I also am not going to diminish my own light because that might threaten somebody else's lifestyle."
Cyberpsychologist Professor Linda Kaye from Edge Hill University notes: "People who have these views have always existed - we're just more aware of it now."
Journalist and author Jo Piazza told USA TODAY that she has concerns that some aspects of being a trad wife could be harmful to women.
"I do like the idea that we are elevating the kinds of work that women do in the home to something that we do want to see, to something that is aspirational," Piazza said.
"The dangers in that are when you say: 'This is the only thing a woman should be doing. This is the only role that a woman should be playing.'"
Regarding the Times article, Eleven days after the outlet published its feature on the Neelemans, Hannah Neeleman expressed her disappointment with the story in a 1½-minute video.
"A couple of weeks ago, we had a reporter come into our home to learn more about our family and business," she said in a get-ready-with-me video.
"We were taken back, however, when we saw the printed article which shocked us and shocked the world by being an attack on our family and my marriage, portraying me as oppressed with my husband being the culprit."
"This couldn't be further from the truth. Nothing we said in the interview implied this conclusion, which leads me to believe the angle taken was predetermined," she continued.
"The greatest day of my life was when Daniel and I were married 13 years ago. Together we have built a business from scratch, we've brought eight children into this world and have prioritized our marriage all along the way.
"We are co-parents, co-CEOs, co-diaper changers, kitchen cleaners and decision-makers. We are one, and I love him more today than I did 13 years ago."
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