Model Nara Smith Now Says She Isn’t A Tradwife—But TikTok Isn’t Buy It
If you’ve spent any time on TikTok in recent years, you’ve most likely seen the growth of tradwife content on the platform. The videos usually glamorize the life of a mother who tends the home, cooks, and cleans while her husband provides for the family. However, influencer Nara Smith—known on the platform as one of the pioneers of this content and with over 12 million followers—is now rejecting this label and is confused about why people gave it to her in the first place. Let’s talk about it.
In a recent interview with host Alex Cooper on the “Call Her Daddy” podcast, Smith got real about what she thinks of the term and why people are not using it correctly when referring to her.
“They (social media) kind of used me as the poster child for the tradwife movement, which was very bizarre to me,” she said. “You know what, let’s Google what the definition of a Tradwife is: A Tradwife is a woman who embraces or promotes a traditional model of marriage and family life where she typically prioritizes being a homemaker and a primary caregiver for kids.”
After listing off more qualities of a traditional wife — such as cooking, cleaning, managing the house, and supporting her husband as the primary breadwinner — Smith went on to explain why she does not fit the title.
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“I don’t prioritize being a homemaker. I’m a working mom. I am out in LA. I travel a lot. Sure, do I love cooking because it’s my passion and kind of have to do it given my autoimmune (disease)? Absolutely. But that’s a passion of mine and a hobby; it’s not something I need to be doing,” she said.
She also pointed out that she is not the primary caregiver for her kids; it is a role she splits “50/50” with her husband, Lucky Blue Smith. She added that Lucky Blue handles house cleaning because he is particular and prefers things a certain way.
However, while Smith is up in arms over being called a “tradwife” on social media, TikTok users point out that the influencer has portrayed herself as a homemaker online to build her platform. Content creator @Culturework added that Smith used to post YouTube vlogs that modeled the tradwife lifestyle, in which she often promoted her religious lifestyle by reading the Book of Mormon.
“This version of you, this authentic side, this secretly fast-talking side, modern feminist version that’s been hiding inside of you, is not something you have built your content on,” @Culturework said. “A big reason for the tradwife title is because she married into one of the most prominent Mormon families.”
In case you didn’t know, Lucky Blue Smith comes from a Mormon family in Utah and, based on his social media, still appears to be a practicing Christian.
Continuing, @Culturework added that Nara Smith’s religious lifestyle has influenced her content: “She would open her vlogs reading passages from Mormon scripture. She was a 19-year-old who married very young, popping out child after child. Foundationally speaking, fundamentally speaking, your content was modeling the tenets of a religious practice. Your love of cooking and your time spent in the kitchen was modeling traditional gender roles and expectations of women.”
On a similar note, content creator @Katwiia said Smith is trying to rewrite her history on the platform and reject the label now that it is no longer trending on TikTok.
“Your entire online brand revolved around making elaborate homemade meals from scratch and feeding them to your kids and husband, and you were constantly collaborating with influencers who built their audiences around that same traditional wife aesthetic, like Ballerina Farm,” said the TikToker. Ballerina Farm is another famous content creator who has gained over 10 million followers from tradwife videos.
@Katwiia then added: “Nobody looked at you and randomly came up with the Tradwife label. You leaned into it because it made you famous. Now that the label isn’t trendy anymore, suddenly it’s ‘Actually, you all misunderstood me.’ No, people understood exactly what you were trying to sell.”
However, some folks came to Smith’s defense. In response to the “Call Her Daddy “podcast clip, fans of the influencer laughed at critics who were unable to pick up on the idea that her videos contain elements of satire.
“People just straight up not understanding sarcasm is showing. I always thought she was rage-baiting. She’s good at it. The sexy outfits while she cooked weren’t, like idk, unrealistic enough for you guys? Come on,” wrote one user.
“Lol I knew all along she was a business/working mother. Just because she wears expensive dresses and cooks meals from scratch doesn’t mean she’s a trad wife,” added another.
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