Tracing Tradwives: An Emerging Alternative Influence Network

This collaborative research project was carried out in 2022 and traced the emergence of the first tradwife influencer network on YouTube.

Authors: Amie Galbraith, Rachel Solis, Stephanie Yuzhi Wang

Summary

In January 2020, there was an increase in news reports describing an emerging online network of radical-conservative women, including ‘tradwives,’ who encourage women to live more traditional, gender-conforming lifestyles. Whereas previous research into radical-conservative networks has typically been focused on men, this paper identifies and explores an emerging network of 15 conservative women. Using a variety of digital methods and qualitative analysis, we reveal how a follower network, discourse themes and reactive strategies work together to push ideas of womanhood that depend on anti-feminist rhetoric and exclusionary politics into the mainstream discourse. We make the case that these public figures should be taken seriously as influencers who have the agency to shape public opinion. Impressionable audiences can innocently arrive at their content for modest dress tips but quickly be exposed to the kinds of concerning, alt-right ideologies we have seen coming out of similar networks in the past.

View the project poster here.

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