The trend of traditional housewives and its deep ties to the extreme right-wing

Hannah Neeleman, a renowned influencer and entrepreneur, caught the eye of the media when she participated in a beauty contest just twelve days post-delivery of her eighth child, earlier this year. Recently, the 34-year-old garnered attention as the ‘Tradwives queen,’ as portrayed in a feature by The Sunday Times last month, which continues to spark discussions.

An idyllic lifestyle is led by Neeleman, where she enjoys her roles as a homemaker and a farmer. Earlier, she was a professional ballerina, but she put that career on hold to leave the bustling New York City for the tranquil life in Utah, where she started her family life, expanding it over the next 13 years. Alongside her husband, she operates a farm, while conforming to a conventional Mormon lifestyle. This involves refraining from using birth control methods, elective abortions, pain relief during childbirth, homeschooling, and not employing nannies.

The ‘tradwife’ movement, which honours strict and conventional gender roles rooted in conservative ideology, has accepted and celebrated her lifestyle. Debbie Ging, a Professor of Gender and Digital Culture at DCU, provides an insight into the ‘tradwife’ trend which witnessed a surge on TikTok and entered mainstream popularity in 2024.

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