Femininity, feminism and labour: A discourse analysis of tradwife influencers in the United States and Germany

Amid the ongoing mainstreaming of far-right and conservative ideologies in the West, this article examines discourses around feminism in ‘tradwife’ content creators’ accounts on TikTok and Instagram social media platforms. Drawing on feminist literature and scholarly critiques of the normalisation of far-right discourses, the article analyses attitudes towards feminism within tradwife accounts in the United States and Germany. By juxtaposing tradwife discourses on feminism with the history of feminist thought and the tenets of conservative ideologies, the article demonstrates how the issue of labour becomes a key point of differentiation between ‘tradlife’ and feminism. Addressing tradwife attitudes towards domestic labour, waged labour and care work, the article explores the work that happiness performs in advancing tradwife politics.