As a young mother and housewife, Nara Smith’s content falls (somewhat clumsily) within the ever-growing and controversial “trad wife” movement seen across social media — even though she’s never explicitly claimed to be one. “I’ve always wanted to be a young mom because growing up, my dad would always tell us that he regrets having kids later in life,” she said in a clarification video on TikTok. “So I took that advice and it’s one of the best decisions I could have made, and I know it’s not for everyone.” I have nothing against Smith or her content. Though I’d be naive to believe the life she represents is attainable or wouldn’t come with its setbacks. Being a “trad wife” content creator, with millions of followers, and access to an income outside of your partner, is not the same as being a traditional wife at home with no income, or financial protection outside of a husband. Staying home to work and clean and raise children is labor. We do housewives a disservice when we position their contributions to their households as anything but. And the biggest myth of all is that it can’t be hard.
