By Hannah You

On any given morning, my TikTok feed might show a woman in a linen dress grinding wheat by hand, feeding her seventh child, and smiling while her husband heads to work. She calls herself a “tradwife”- a traditional wife- and invites her followers into a world of old-fashioned homemaking, gender roles, and artisan everything. But a quick search reveals what the videos don’t: this woman lives on a multi-million-dollar estate, married into generational wealth, and sells her lifestyle to millions of viewers online.

Why are rich influencers cosplaying as farmers? The resurgence of the tradwife aesthetic isn’t just about sourdough starters and frilly egg aprons. It’s about nostalgia, a curated longing for a romanticized 1950s domestic life that many of these influencers never actually lived. And it’s more than a lifestyle choice; it reflects a growing cultural shift toward conservatism, especially among younger women on social media.

For example, take Hannah Neeleman of Ballerina Farm (pictured above). She’s a former pageant queen, a Juilliard trained ballerina, and now a TikTok star who shares dreamy videos of her Utah farm life with her husband and seven kids. But this is no humble homestead story. In fact, her family’s wealth traces back to her father-in-law, who founded JetBlue. Her brand now sells everything from aprons and pork boxes to sourdough kits, turning the image of her domestic, simple farm life into a full-scale luxury business. Similarly, Nara Smith, another tradwife influencer, crafts elaborate home cooked meals in clean designer kitchens, her soft-spoken voice romanticizing a life where a woman’s value is rooted in service. Her content is calming and undeniably beautiful, but it’s not representative of most women’s realities. These influencers have household help, disposable income, and ample time; the very things that made traditional domesticity bearable in the 1950s, thanks to robust middle-class support.

The issue here is that these women are not returning to tradition, rather, they are monetizing it. And here’s where the tradwife movement becomes something more than a harmless lifestyle. Many of these influencers argue that embracing traditional gender roles is “empowering,” as long as it’s a choice. But choice requires options, and most working-class women don’t have the luxury to leave the workforce, bake cakes from scratch daily, or homeschool their children on acres upon acres of land.

What makes this trend more than just a pretty picture is the way it’s tied to a broader political and cultural shift. The tradwife movement taps into growing frustration with the demands of modern life, especially for women. Some feel exhausted by the pressure to “do it all”: build a career, raise children, stay in shape, and somehow remain serene through it all. Tradwife content offers an alternative: a life with clearly defined roles, a peaceful home, and a return to old-fashioned values. However, it is essential to realize that it’s largely part of a conservative revival that’s pushing back against decades of progress on gender equality.

To be clear, there’s nothing wrong with being a stay-at-home mom or finding joy in homemaking. For many women, those roles bring real joy and purpose, and choosing them can be empowering. But the trouble begins when that lifestyle is romanticized as something everyone can achieve, without any recognition of the immense privilege that makes it possible. The truth is, behind those calm kitchen vlogs and perfectly folded laundry is a level of financial comfort that most families simply don’t have. We’re talking about generational wealth, partners with high-paying or flexible jobs, and often behind the scenes help like nannies or cleaners. Choosing to stay home with children or bake fresh bread every morning feels very different when you’re not also worried about rent, groceries, or medical bills. When this version of domestic life is presented as the ideal for all women, it overlooks the economic and social realities that most people live with. And when that aesthetic is used to push a return to traditional gender roles, it quietly suggests that going backward is the answer to modern problems. But for the vast majority of women, that kind of choice has never really been on the table.

If the tradwife movement stayed personal, it might not usually draw this kind of criticism. But it has become a brand, a political identity, and a business model, one that suggests the solution to modern discontent is to rewind social progress. It’s a social media fantasy, selling a version of the past that never quite existed, except perhaps for the very wealthy few. So when we ask why rich influencers are cosplaying as farmers, we should also ask ourselves: What are we being sold and what are we being distracted from?

At the end of the day, the tradwife trend is about selling an unobtainable lifestyle, one that looks easy and beautiful, but only works if you have money, time, and a lot of help. For everyone else, it’s just another impossible standard to live up and another performative social media trend. So the next time you see a rich influencer churning butter in a prairie dress, remember: this isn’t a return to tradition. It’s a carefully crafted performance, tailor made for clicks, and quietly nudging us toward a vision of womanhood that doesn’t leave much room for choice at all.

By Hank Bartholomew

Before we begin, I should profess that I am undoubtably an ameteur in the field of politics. Any real political strategists could likely tear anything I say apart in a matter of seconds. The closest thing I’ve done to studying political debate in strategy is watching Stephan A. Smith berating his colleagues (although maybe that might actually count as relevant experience in a few years). All this is to say that I am a political novice. But I do have one significant qualification: I am an American who has witnessed the struggles of the Democratic party over the last few years. I can’t offer refined philosophical thought or complex political and legal terminology. But I can give the insight I have gathered from observing politics over the last few years–and my own beliefs on what the roadmap of the Democratic party should look like in the coming years.

To begin, American liberals need to find a common identity–that is, a unifying thread, most likely ideological. As of now, Democrats are fractured, split into several different groups. There are Bernie Sanders diehards, environmentalists, the younger wave following Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and even some individuals who just want anyone but Trump. These people all want the same general thing–the return of Democrats to political prominence–but once that goal has been achieved, they can not agree on what the next order of business should be, leading to in-fighting and squabbles between democrats. In this case, it appears that Democrats are putting the cart before the horse; they are worrying about policy without any actual political power to do anything. Don’t get me wrong, clear public policies are important to a degree, but liberals should not be focusing all of their energy and the policies they would enact if they were in office–they should get in office first. And to get into office, differences must be put aside. A common front must be presented. Conservatives won in 2024 because they united entirely behind Donald Trump. Sure, this is not an example of throwing everyone’s weight behind an ideology (although in a way, perhaps it is), but it is still an example of a political party putting their power behind a singular entity. Democrats need to do the same. A house divided can not stand; political parties are no different. 

Assuming the left is capable of presenting a united front, the question then emerges of what the ground game should look like–or, more concisely, how to attack Trump. The current president and the GOP are essentially one organism, meaning that however the public perception of Trump changes–be it negatively or positively–the public perception of the conservative party will also change. In a way, this can be helpful for Democrats; they can direct all of their effort towards combating Trump, and smaller races will take care of themselves. 

With the midterms gradually creeping toward us, Democrats need to step up their criticism of Trump and his policies–and do so in the center of the public eye. In my opinion, the most successful tactic would be to focus on the economy. Trump’s tariffs and government layoffs have contributed to a shaky economy and an unsteady stock market. This is the issue that can bring Americans to the ballot box. Indeed, in 2024 it was the economy that undoubtedly landed Trump in the oval office; Americans, seeking greener pastures, wanted a change from the mild and gradual economic growth of the Biden administration. The economy is the issue that is–and will always be–at the forefront of the American mind. Yes, there are several ways to go after Trump, but to the average American citizen, foreign policy, legal issues, and potential threats to democracy pale in comparison to the promise of money in their pockets. If Democrats recognize this fact, they will win big in 2026–but they need to start soon.

The other big question is who the left should put on the ticket for 2028. In my opinion, these concerns are pretty irrelevant at this point, but I’ll throw in my two cents anyway. In my eyes, it doesn’t really matter who is put forward, provided they are a good public speaker and relatively well-known. Trump showed us–twice–that you don’t need a flawless (or even good) record to become a successful politician. Again, personal scandals aren’t what people care about. If the Democrats can find someone who’s somewhat charismatic and knows their way around the economy–or at least can pretend that they do–they’ll be fine.

The Democratic party isn’t crumbling, and its demise is not imminent. Yes, there have been a few missteps and mistakes, but with a few adjustments there’s no reason the balance of power in Washington couldn’t again shift. We’ll find out soon enough if it will.