Debates and Ambiguities Surrounding 'Trad Wives' on Commentary YouTube

• In Event: 40820 - Section on Sociology of Sex and Gender Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 minute): Table 12: Femininities and Masculinities

Abstract

“Tradwife” content creators—women social media influencers promoting “traditional,” heteropatriarchal marital and family arrangements—adopt aesthetics evoking an idealized, nostalgic version of the past. This content, and the lifestyles it promotes, have sparked debate across digital platforms similar to longstanding debates among feminists about women’s individual choices, women’s continued subordination within patriarchy, and the denigration of femininity. In this study, we ask: how do commentary YouTubers frame “tradwife” influencers? How do these creators engage their audiences? Finally, how do audience members engage with commentary YouTubers, and each other, in these videos? Analyzing 75 commentary YouTube videos and their top-commented discussions, we have preliminarily identified three creator strategies: (1) attempts to unify and convert audiences through empathetic critique, (2) direct combativeness toward tradwife messaging, and (3) humor oscillating between empathy and mockery. Audience responses largely aligned with creator perspectives, though their tone could diverge significantly from the tones struck by creators. This project will further our understanding of debates regarding personal preference versus the perpetuation of structural inequality, and this content’s potential as a gateway to far-right radicalization.

Authors

• Savannah Burke, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill

• Katherine Furl, University of North Dakota

• Anna Sinclair, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill