The true “trad wife” is timeless
Traditionalism is not defined by the 1950's — or any other era, for that matter
As you’ve likely often seen me lament, there are a few huge common misconception about the “trad wife” movement.
Namely, these are the claims that it is “just an esthetic,” “just a trend,” or simply nothing more than kitschy 1950’s “cosplay” embodying a misguided misconception about traditional roles.
The primary reason that I have taken up the mantle of defending trad wives is very simple, as it aligns seamlessly with my overall mission at A Homemaker’s Manifesto:
I believe these negative tropes about trad wives simply reaffirm negative stereotypes about homemakers, but rather than bash the women who delight in embodying these stereotypes, I aim to destigmatize them.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: there is absolutely nothing wrong with dresses, sourdough, and being content in the role of maintaining a home and serving your husband and children, however much it may make a modern woman’s skin crawl. The fact that it makes her skin crawl is a huge problem, as it is rooted in society’s disparaging views towards homemakers.
My manifesto is for the women who shamelessly embrace what the feminists have slandered. You should never feel ashamed for enjoying your femininity or being content in doing what they would otherwise deem brainless, and I will always be here to tell you that.
That said, the role of a true trad wife is timeless. It is not relegated merely to the 1950’s or the 1850’s or any other era, for that matter.
A trad wife is not and cannot be defined merely by staying home with your children instead of going to work at a 9-5. Both the 1950s homemaker trope and the 9-5 career woman are products of a modern age.
Real trad wives throughout history have worked, and often worked very hard — even if they were not working-class.
For example, a woman born or married into the English peerage would have had a very important role in her husband’s affairs as the mistress of her home and patroness of her community. She would have been subject to distinct social stigma if she had neglected this role, and considered wanting in the characteristics needed for the wife of a feudal lord.
We’ve all seen the period dramas portraying the role of wealthy women of a bygone age as being slaves to the social expectations put upon them. If we were to remove the pitying filter of feminism applied to these films, we see the basic reality of any human being who has a role to play in their home and life.
Rich or poor, working or middle class, women everywhere, throughout history, have all had the same basic needs and most have been a part of a family, a community, and a society.
What traditional womanhood looks like varies from age to age and person to person, and this will always be true.
But as I often seek to emphasize (in spite of the repellant nature nuance takes on social media platforms in the 2020’s) is that the “traditional” part of “trad wives” is contextualized in contrast to the postmodern values that have defined the radical social upheaval of the last 120 years.
As modern women continue to this day to find their role in “equal partnerships” with men in marriage, trad wives embrace their role as the feminine pole to their man’s masculine anchor.
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