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In recent years, we’ve witnessed the rise of traditional domesticity, with Mormon housewives on TikTok and the broader Traditional Wife or Trad Wife movement gaining controversial traction.
Today at Koktail, we’re looking closer at this lifestyle label, uncovering how reclaiming traditional roles has become a bold and empowering choice for many women.
An Aesthetic? A Trend? A Lifestyle?
Viewed aesthetically, cottagecore and coquette—alongside the Trad Wife ideology—present a vision of romanticised domesticity. Rather than opposing women’s empowerment, these movements can represent personal choice and a woman’s ability to define her own life path.
Cottagecore embraces traditional homemaking through artisanal crafts and pastoral simplicity, while Coquette draws inspiration from historical romance in its daily rituals. Together, they offer a way to appreciate traditional roles, such as those of a wife or mother, through activities like herb gardening, tea ceremonies, and vintage fashion—choices that anyone, regardless of gender, can adopt as personal and empowering.
At its core, this way of living celebrates the freedom to redefine domesticity on modern terms. True feminism supports diverse, authentic choices, whether someone finds fulfilment as a homemaker, career professional, or both. Through social media, cottagecore and coquette reimagine femininity for a digital generation, showing that softness and independence can beautifully coexist.
Influencers like Nara Smith and Estee Williams, who work as lifestyle influencers, align well with the Trad Wife way of living. They create content centred around cooking, caring for their children, and embracing the role of a stay-at-home mom.
The Mormon Influence
Mormon housewives and content creators have introduced a fresh perspective on domestic life, sharing their approach to homemaking through engaging social media content. Their posts—featuring everything from meal prep to family traditions—portray home life as both achievevable and fulfilling.
While Mormon influencers have been instrumental in popularising traditional domesticity, the Trad Wife phenomenon has transcended its religious boundaries. It has resonated with a wider audience, particularly women drawn to a structured approach to family life, embracing the roles of wife and mother dedicated to nurturing their families at home.
Though rooted in a specific faith, the homemaking tips and organisational methods shared across social media have struck a universal chord, inspiring followers from diverse backgrounds to find joy in creating warm and nurturing home environments.
The New Domesticity: Choice and Empowerment
As mentioned earlier, we can view this new domesticity not as a complete rejection of feminist progress but as a celebration of choice. While the term “trad wife” embraces traditional homemaking and domestic rituals for women within the historically known family structure, it represents something deeper: women’s freedom to pick their own path without judgement.
This isn’t about retreating to outdated notions of women stepping back from being breadwinners alongside their partners. Instead, it’s about reclaiming domesticity as an empowered, deliberate selection. Whether a woman finds fulfilment in tending an herb garden, leading as a corporate powerhouse, or balancing both, the heart of feminism lies in supporting the freedom to choose and celebrating the diversity of those choices.
The true victory of women’s rights isn’t in dictating what women should do, but in ensuring they have the freedom to authentically pick their lifestyle, whether that’s as a stay-at-home parent, a career professional, or anywhere in between.
These lifestyles have existed for years, but in today’s interconnected world, social media has amplified their reach. The lives of many women remind us that embracing traditionally feminine pursuits can coexist with modern values of empowerment—especially when these choices stem from personal desire, not societal pressure.
Finding purpose in tradition
Basically, the Trad Wife ideology represents a deliberate return to family-centred living. Born out of concerns about digital burnout, economic strain, and social fragmentation, this movement has sparked important discussions about female empowerment, the value of domestic work and the role of tradition in contemporary life. Women choosing this path prioritise creating structured, nurturing homes where children thrive, traditions flourish, and families find stability—an equally valuable life to one focused on corporate leadership and not merely a rejection of progress.
Lastly, as we’ve been saying throughout, rather than representing a step backward, it demonstrates how some women are finding profound meaning in reclaiming traditional practices while navigating modern challenges. The movement suggests that empowerment lies not in following a single prescribed path but in the freedom to define one’s own sense of fulfilment.
