Abstract
Trending digital content promotes traditional gender roles and family structures to women, under the guise of preserving an outdated and restrictive feminine ideal. Through discussion of the Tradwife movement, family vlogging, and popular fashion and beauty trends, such as Cottagecore and the clean girl aesthetic, the pivotal role of social media platforms in not only indicating but facilitating social change will be argued. The Tradwife movement promotes a staunchly traditional family structure, endorsing gender essentialist ideology that asserts a woman is most valuable in the home. Popular family vlogging channels, often underpinned by religious values, similarly emphasise traditional family dynamics and gender norms. Even seemingly innocuous aesthetic trends such as Cottagecore and clean girl makeup have the potential to be co-opted as tools for socio-political messaging. This paper asserts that the growing influence of these trends signals a broader shift towards social conservatism, one that may undermine the progress made by modern feminism. However, this analysis is primarily limited to Western contexts, and further research is needed to explore the intersection of these trends with a wider array of global perspectives. Ultimately, digital media’s propensity to foster regressive ideologies that confine women to traditional gender roles and hinder their personal freedoms will be argued.
“Protectiveness has often muffled the sound of doors closing against women” (Friedan, 1971, p. 72).
This paper investigates how popular digital content trends promote traditional gender roles and family structures to women by presenting them as a means of preserving and upholding femininity. The rise of the Tradwife movement and the growing presence of radical conservatism amongst family vlogging channels will be explored, to argue the pivotal role of social media platforms in indicating and encouraging social change. The influence of fashion and beauty movements will be explored to provide further insight into popular culture’s gravitation to conservatism, with reference to the Cottagecore aesthetic and clean girl makeup trend. In this context, conservatism will refer to the underpinning social ideology behind the political movement that is generally associated with upholding traditional family structures and adhering to conventional gender expectations. Popularised social media content is encouraging a return to conventional values by promoting gender essentialist ideology and emphasising heteronormativity, threatening to dismantle the affordances of modern feminism by confining women to restrictive gender roles.
#Tradwives and the Promotion of Patriarchal Gender Roles
The role of online communities in facilitating social change will first be examined through the lens of the Tradwife movement. The term ‘Tradwife’ refers to a woman who chosen to embrace a conventionally feminine lifestyle by prioritising motherhood and domestic tasks (Stotzer & Nelson, 2025, para. 3). Popular motifs of the online Tradwife persona include an emphasis on fresh, homemade meals and a gaggle of well-groomed children to nurture. Tradwives have gained increasing momentum in the years since the COVID-19 pandemic, indicative of a “growing influence and the online and offline presence of right-wing ideologies” in contemporary culture (Sykes & Hopner, 2024, para. 21). Digital media platforms are integral to the Tradwife movement as they offer immense scalability and the ability to generate political action through connecting with the public (Porta & Pavan, 2018). These platforms are used to broadcast curated and aspirational homemaking content, commodifying a wholesome domestic image that can in turn be used to exert influence on the exhausted modern woman (Sykes & Hopner, 2024). Two prominent figures in the online Tradwife community are Estee Williams and Hannah Neeleman, with a combined following of approximately 10 million users (Sherman, 2024). Pro-Trump, ultra-conservative Williams represents a caricature of the subservient housewife archetype, having co-opted Tradwife characteristics such as floral sundresses and freshly baked bread to spread her ideology (Sherman, 2024). Neeleman’s brand of traditional femininity is far more subtle: she simply gets on with work around the farm, accompanied by an “all-American husband, square-jawed and denim-clad” who provides for their family of ten whilst she manages the home (Agnew, 2024). This less direct approach appeals to a wider, more diverse audience, evidenced from her far higher following count – although it is no less capable of inciting change. Tradwives are often associated (though not always expressly linked) with extremist ideologies surrounding gender, religion and race (Proctor, 2023). It can be argued, based on choice feminism, that participation in the Tradwife movement is not inherently harmful. Autonomy is cited as the defining difference between modern Tradwives and neglected housewives of yesteryear (Proctor, 2023). But more radically conservative content is only a hashtag or two away, lurking in the recesses of the algorithms behind these digital platforms. Tradwives are romanticising patriarchal gender roles in a manner reminiscent of the strategic luring of women back into the home in post-suffrage America explored by Friedan (1971) in her novel The Feminine Mystique. In fact, the Tradwife movement bears a striking resemblance to the re-positioning of young girls to believe “fulfillment as a woman had only one definition —the housewife-mother” that occurred across America in the 1950s (Friedan, 1971, p. 72). Media has always had the power to encourage cultural change, having been utilised throughout history as a tool for socio-political messaging, and the content being promoted on contemporary digital platforms is no exception (Freelon et al., 2020). Trending online content has the power to diminish the freedoms and opportunities of young women, as it promotes ideology that confines them to the traditionally feminine roles of homemaker and mother.
Family Vlogging and the Idealisation of Traditional Family Models
Traditional dynamics are further imposed upon social media users through the proliferation of conservative family vloggers on platforms such as YouTube. Family vlogging as a practice has steadily increased in popularity since the early 2010s, bringing with it a host of creators who document and share their everyday lives online (Kennedy, 2024). This paper will discuss how conservative religious groups utilise social media and the popularity of family creators to promote traditional values with reference to the Labrant family. It is critical to understand the “common thread that runs between many family vlogging channels” – that is, a deep enmeshment with religious faith (Smith, 2023). At its core, this observed connection can be seen to uphold traditional nuclear family models and place emphasis on adherence to patriarchal gender expectations (Smith, 2023). The underlying presence of religion in family-centred content can be traced back to the initial days of Web 2.0, where many early members of the ‘mommy blogger’ scene were Mormon (Edwards, 2024). By taking place in the home, digital labour “aligned with religious expectations for Mormon women” as it did not threaten patriarchal gender expectations (Edwards, 2024, para. 6). This thread has continued to permeate contemporary family content, and internet users have noticed the trend: “if we wanted to get drunk really quickly, we could play a game where we take a shot every time someone thinks of a family vlogger, and they’re Mormon.” (Latifi, 2024). Despite the humorous context, this internet-user has effectively described a core tenet of Mormon faith, which urges members to spread the gospel through digital means such as “blogs, social networks and other internet technologies to amplify their voice in promoting faith” (Lloyd, 2018). This focus on digital platforms as a tool for spreading traditional family values can be seen in the example of evangelical Christian vloggers Cole and Savannah Labrant. The Labrant’s have amassed 12.8 million subscribers on their YouTube channel, with their child-friendly content gaining them immense popularity. Over the years, the Labrant’s wholesome, family-centred image has taken on a more aggressively political stance. In 2022, they uploaded a self-produced documentary on abortion that compared rates of terminated pregnancies in the U.S to global holocausts (C. Labrant & S. Labrant, 2022). Encouraging the women and girls of their audience to prioritise family and motherhood above their personal desires is particularly dangerous as a major component of YouTube’s audience is made up of very young, impressionable children (Moyer, 2022). Research has also been conducted to suggest that female audiences enjoy watching vlogs more than male ones, further exposing how young women are increasingly at risk of falling down the alt-right pipeline via this content (Ceci, 2025). The rise of family channels promoting traditional values has considerable potential to influence young female audiences and increase rates of conservatism.
Cottagecore Fashion and the Co-opting of Online Aesthetics
Fashion is a form of self-expression that can be utilised as a “medium of political communication” to indicate cultural ideals and values (Oh, 2018). The role of popular online fashion trends in encouraging the preservation of traditional womanhood will be asserted through exploration of the Cottagecore aesthetic, exemplifying how alt-right movements have co-opted certain online movements to encourage socio-political change. Cottagecore is a fashion and lifestyle subculture known for idyllic portrayals of nature, homesteading and countryside living (Sierpień & Tucki, 2024). The aesthetic movement gained massive popularity in the wake of the pandemic, evidenced when “searches for ‘cottagecore fashion’ increased by 80% between June 2019 and June 2020” (Sierpień & Tucki, 2024, p. 172). Hallmarks of Cottagecore fashion can be gleaned from a quick Google image search: milkmaid necklines, cosy floral cardigans and flowing ankle-length dresses – perfect attire for frolicking on acres of farmland without a care in the world. Yet the whimsical, girlish image constructed is anything but innocent. Historically, gender stereotypes in fashion and clothing norms have created an “image of women as apolitical”, better suited to gentle, nurturing roles than engaging with traditionally masculine spheres such as politics (Oh, 2018, para. 6). Cottagecore fashion bears a strong stylistic similarity to this traditional hyper-feminine ideal, with favoured silhouettes being modest, sweet and soft. While most online aesthetics do not expressly align themselves with political movements, the “domino affect” associated with the algorithms of social media sites is cause for concern (Owen, 2024). Due to Cottagecore’s aesthetic similarities with more overtly conservative movements (such as #Tradwives) casual enjoyers of the fashion trend can quickly find themselves being “manipulated into political recruitment” (Owen, 2024). This is not to suggest that users should avoid participating in online fashion subcultures entirely. After all, fashion can be an individualistic form of self-expression that celebrates diversity rather than dampening it. Could floral patterns and flowing frocks really be a façade for something more sinister? The potential for seemingly innocent aesthetic movements to manipulate everyday users’ algorithms is exemplified in a social media comment from @baixueagain; “something I’ve come to learn from trawling cottagecore-related tags is that you can’t go two steps without tripping over a tradwife or a white supremacist”. It is necessary to acknowledge the underlying association popular feminine aesthetics such as Cottagecore can have with right-wing ideologies, in order to understand why some women may be increasingly gravitating towards conservatism.
Clean Girl Makeup and the Rise of Purity Culture
Feminine beauty ideals have fluctuated throughout history, informed by a variety of social influences and cultural values (Sugg, 2018). The use of online makeup and beauty content as a tool for political messaging will be examined with reference to the ‘clean girl’ aesthetic that has dominated social media in recent years. Followers of this trend can be seen using minimal, lightweight makeup products to create a polished and effortless appearance. Bare faced beauty is in, with soft pigments, taming gels and luminous formulas making up some of the hottest products on the market right now (Stern, 2024). Various other copy-cat trends have emerged such as ‘vanilla girl’ and ‘cold girl’ makeup that similarly feature minimalistic looks focused on highlighting women’s natural features in an understated manner. As consumers have moved away from the bold and colourful makeup looks popularised on social media in the late 2010s, this shift can be proposed as a natural pendulum swing effect. This effect compares societal change to the “swinging back and forth” of a pendulum, wherein values and cultural ideals shift from one extreme to the other across a broad range of areas – even the beauty industry (Fuller, 2017). However, retaliation to heavy glam makeup and rebellious individualism cannot wholly explain the cultural shift to favouring natural makeup. The very name of this trend is indicative of conservative values surrounding purity culture – what exactly makes a girl ‘clean’, anyway? The women championing this makeup look promote rigorous hygiene and self-care: smooth, straightened hair, clear skin and an overwhelming sense of whiteness. The racially charged undertones of this trend have been called out online, with users noting that the “same gelled edges and glossy lips that were once dismissed as “ghetto” are now the epitome of effortless elegance on white women”, demonstrating the trend’s evident lack of diversity (Duong, 2025). Descriptors such as ‘unclean’ and ‘dirty have been used throughout history against people of colour to uphold racist ideals of white purity (Thomas, 2022). The underlying racist connotations and concerning emphasis on purity culture promoted by the ultra-popular clean girl makeup expose the drawbacks of social conservatism, highlighting the potentially harmful consequences a total return to traditional values may lead to.
The content promoted to users on popular social media platforms is reflective of a growing presence of social conservatism in both online and offline spaces. The lifestyle and aesthetic trends of Tradwives, family vlogging, Cottagecore and clean girl makeup do not only indicate a rightward swing, but they also actively contribute to women adopting traditionalist views that may hinder their personal freedoms. This paper is limited by a narrow geographical focus, with the discussed phenomena having mainly gained significance in the Western World. Furthermore, the emphasis these trends place on whiteness and colonialism excludes women of colour (WOC) and women outside of western countries. Further research into the experience of WOC and their engagement with these trends is required to make an assessment on the changing socio-political values of women globally. It can nonetheless be argued that the use of digital media to preserve ‘traditional’ patriarchal feminine ideals is indicative of increasing rates of conservatism, facilitating social and political change.
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Hi Shannon Kate, You’re right to ask; it is incredibly difficult to police these issues today. Predatory behaviour isn’t exclusive…