The distrust of the modern social order is so inherent in tradwife culture that even Alena Kate Pettitt , a former popular face of the subculture , has watched the rise of younger tradwives with concern , noting that the culture lost its way due to the politicization of its aesthetics ( Elmhirst , 2024 ).
This development illustrates the constitution of the subject within a contemporary political climate of fear and anxiety , characterized as ‘ neurotic ’. The neurotic subject seeks distraction and adaptation to the challenges posed by an era of neoliberal rationality and selfoptimization and is governed by anxiety ( Bargetz , 2021 , p . 10 ). Anxiety , perceived as “ the dominant affective structure of neoliberal capitalism ” ( ibid , p . 1 ), serves as a disempowering force for emancipatory politics . While anxiety is a prevalent feeling of the present , it is not universal ; it affects individuals differently . Those dynamics of fear mainly derive from experiences and feelings of the past that seek orientation through the simplification of the world ’ s complexities ( ibid , p . 5 ).
Examining populism through promises of agency in times of anxiety reveals how ' the people ' are summoned and pitted against the elite . This is achieved by evoking agency and “[…] embracing a political temporality that comprises a futureoriented hope for a ‘ better ’ life to come ( back )” ( Bargetz , 2023 , p . 85 ). This perspective suggests that there is still a better future to be lived , predominantly for those who can relate to the ideals of white supremacy , often neglecting ecological disasters , racism and other issues that many people face .
Looking at the rise of the tradwife subculture in this context , a different notion of these " structures of feelings " ( Williams , 1977 ) reveals itself , which diverges from Bargetz ' s idealistic notion of ‘ melancholic agency ’. Instead of seeking transformative potential , tradwives romanticize the past and its perceived order and structure , responding to contemporary insecurities by longing for a return to traditional gender roles and thus desiring the impossible which is ‘ absolute security ’ ( Bargetz , 2021 , p . 10 ).
However , the tradwives ’ proclaimed agency remains paradoxical . It provides a sense of identity and belonging amidst modern uncertainties through the coherent identity of a traditional housewife . Rather than recognizing uncertainties , like the crises of care and work as structural problems , tradwives typically point their finger at feminism ( Rottenberg & Orgad , 2020 ; Ingram & Champion , 2023 ). While liberal feminism advocated for middle-class women to join the workforce as part of an emancipatory agenda , toxic work environments , the ongoing gender-pay gap and the devaluation of care and reproductive work undermined this sense of emancipation .
This context makes it less surprising that many young women find the curated social media imaginary of the tradwife appealing . As argued in the introduction section of this chapter , they may be drawn to it as an escape from job dissatisfaction and economic insecurity or enticed by the promise of a coherent identity rooted in a simpler , idealized past . In a time when normative gender roles and conservative ideas of sexuality have
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