Is this TikTok trend unfriendly to women?
Sometimes I scroll through Insta or TikTok and really wonder how certain accounts ended up in my algorithm. Like when I was first confronted with this TikTok trend, which I initially thought was meant to be funny.
They call themselves ’trad wives’, an abbreviation for traditional wives. These are women who, dressed in 1950s style, show what their life looks like as a full-time mother. That in itself is not so shocking. I am a big fan of 1950s movies and have always found that clothing and hairstyling fantastic. Moreover, it is important that everyone can choose whether or not they want to stay home with the children.
What makes it a bit scary is that their daily routine is eerily perfect. With extreme patience, sweet voices, and especially a constant smile, they fill their days. Baking with the children, teaching at home, and in the process, they talk about the hard-working man who needs to be pampered when he comes home. Well, that last part is perhaps what I find the hardest, because if you've been so busy with the children and the household, you deserve some relaxation at the end of the day.
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That life is not always as it is portrayed on social media is now well known. That’s why I also wonder what lies behind that fixed smile. It’s no coincidence that the horror movie ‘Smile’ was created; a smile can sometimes come across as intensely frightening. Maybe it’s just me, but this is exactly the feeling I get when I see the videos of the tradwives.
Image: Instagram Alexia Delarosa
