There’s Nothing Traditional About Tradwives

Tradwife Influencers Portray Domestic Life on Social Media Platforms

A new novel by Caro Claire Burke, *Yesteryear*, follows a modern Idaho mother of six who time-travels to the mid-19th century and experiences farm life without contemporary conveniences. The book has reached bestseller status, and actress Anne Hathaway has acquired film rights. The story centers on Natalie Heller, a content creator with millions of followers who documents her household routines online before the switch occurs.

The protagonist shares similarities with Hannah Neeleman, operator of the Ballerina Farm account. Neeleman, based in Utah, has nine children and maintains accounts on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube with a combined following of approximately 23 million. Her posts show children, livestock, and food preparation, alongside sales of kitchen items such as cutting boards priced at $259. Comparable products are available at Walmart for around $17. Neeleman previously sold raw milk; sales stopped after health officials detected E. coli in one batch. Her husband Daniel appears in videos but receives limited spoken roles. Neeleman’s father-in-law founded JetBlue Airways. In a 2024 interview with The Times of London, Neeleman stated that for one birth her husband was not present and she received an epidural, describing the experience as “kinda great.”

Linguist Amanda Montell has traced the term “tradwife” to online communities that promote early marriage and spousal submission. The concept gained wider visibility once women began creating related content. Current examples include Nara Smith, a 24-year-old South African-born model and mother of five married to Lucky Blue Smith. Smith’s videos show preparation of items such as bubble gum using kitchen equipment, delivered in a soft tone. Another account, Gwen the Milkmaid, previously operated an OnlyFans page and has described shifting views on gender roles; the account has since removed public videos.

Ultra-Orthodox Jewish communities in Brooklyn maintain private domestic practices and do not post household routines publicly. Online accounts that present domestic work often omit staff assistance and physical demands, according to observers of the format. Neeleman’s operation includes two nannies and farm workers not shown in posts.

Survey data from government sources indicate that women aged 18–29 continue to complete college degrees at higher rates than men, participate in the labor force, and report lower affiliation with organized religion compared with prior decades. Fertility rates remain below replacement level in the United States. Federal policy changes since 2025 have included reductions in certain sex-education grants and contraception access programs, alongside state-level abortion restrictions. These measures coincide with public statements from administration officials emphasizing higher birth rates.

Net-worth estimates for several prominent accounts place Nara Smith at approximately $6 million and her husband at $1 million. Neeleman family resources derive in part from the JetBlue founding stake. Accounts that reach multimillion follower counts typically generate revenue through brand partnerships and product sales rather than solely through unpaid household labor.

The novel *Yesteryear* depicts the fictional Natalie as having left Harvard, married quickly, and received financial support from her father-in-law to establish a farm property styled after 19th-century aesthetics while concealing modern appliances. A video producer character introduces narrative complications. The book does not claim direct biography of any living person.

Public statements from both Smith and Neeleman in 2025 and 2026 describe their choices as individual decisions rather than adherence to a labeled movement. Follower counts on major tradwife-tagged accounts have shown mixed growth patterns after 2024, with some accounts reducing posting frequency.