A woman who posts viral TikTok videos about her “traditional wife” (tradwife) lifestyle has sparked debate online about gender roles, feminism and equality.
Estee Williams, 26, began posting videos in March 2022 to her account, which has amassed millions of views and nearly 170,000 followers on TikTok. She also publishes many clips on YouTube discussing the benefits of being a tradwife.
Tradwives, a newly coined term for traditional wives, is a subculture of housewives who believe in clear gender roles, the importance of homemaking and a patriarchal marriage, according to many women who self-identify as tradwives.
Tradwives are women who honor femininity, care for their husbands, children and family, and value the state of their home more than they do a salary, yet are not subservient, according to the Darling Academy, a British website.
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Estee Williams, 26, a proud tradwife from Richmond, Virginia, traded in her love of weight-focused bodybuilding and form-fitting active wear for lower-impact workouts and flowy dresses leading up to and after her January 2023 wedding. (Estee Williams/TikTok/screenshot)
In one video that has amassed 1.2 million views, Williams offered tips on how to become a traditional wife, telling her followers to implement “ultra-traditional gender roles.”
“God designed two genders for different purposes,” she said in the clip. “This is the only box I believe you have to fit into when becoming a traditional wife.”
“I serve my husband,” she said in another clip.
She also said women looking to embrace the lifestyle must marry a healthy, protective, masculine and faith-centered man who appreciates the divide in genders. Unfortunately, she said, marrying the wrong man can lead to an “abuse” of this blessing.
Williams urged women to date seriously and only consider people whom they would like to marry. Otherwise, they are wasting their time and embracing a “woke mentality.”
In another video called “Why is tradwife content blowing up suddenly?” Williams said the trend is gaining popularity because modern culture is slowly trying to “blur” the distinction between men and women. She added that having two financial providers in the home is becoming more common and a whole generation of women are getting “burnt out” in their careers.
She also said that processed food is leading women to look for “made from scratch” recipes, and basic homemaking skills being taught to young girls have skipped a generation. Therefore, women are “hungry” to learn these skills.
Her videos have been met with both praise and condemnation from people on social media.
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Estee Williams is one of many women who have embraced the tradwife lifestyle on and off social media. (Estee Williams/TikTok/screenshot)
“I would love to not have to go out to work and just be able to focus on my home and take care of my family. Sadly modern economy doesn’t let us,” one user wrote.
Another account said they fully supported people choosing the traditional lifestyle if they wanted to, as long as they were not allowing their partner to take advantage of them.
“It seems that both she & her husband are happy with this type of relationship, so — good for them,” Gov. Ron DeSantis’s aide Christina Pushaw wrote in response to one of Williams’ videos.
“I guess I just don’t consider it ‘traditional’ in any way to be an influencer and post videos discussing your relationship online for the world to see. Not saying its bad, just not traditional,” she added.
Some suggested that the woman was promoting a “fetish” and was creating a fantasy to turn a profit and push her content. Others said household work should be shared between a couple.
“My husband and I equally share the roles of providing and taking care of the home. We make decisions together; we share responsibilities. I would never rely,” one user said in response to one of Williams’ videos.
“I got inspired mainly by the way I grew up and wanting the opposite of what I grew up with,” Williams told Fox News Digital in 2023. She described her childhood and upbringing as “hectic” due to frequent family moves.
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Estee Williams (left) and Hannahlee Yoder (middle) are two tradwives who make TikTok video content in their spare time. Madison Dastrup (right) formerly identified herself as a tradwife content creator, but now she has distanced herself from the term. (Estee Williams / Hannahlee Yoder / Madison Dastrup)
Williams said being a stay-at-home was likely an early aspiration that developed after she saw her mother struggle to balance jobs and childcare after divorce.
“The little time that we saw my mother, I really took it to heart,” Williams recalled. “I just remember thinking that I never want this life.”
Before getting engaged to her husband, Conner Williams, she dropped out of college and took up nannying. She found that they both admired a traditional lifestyle.
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The couple now lives in a 3-bedroom, 3-bathroom house in the suburbs. She makes videos about her life and day-to-day routine, typically cooking and baking meals from scratch, cleaning and gardening.
When not at home handling chores, Williams exercises, figure skates and works on makeup application. Her videos often invoke a retro theme that is reminiscent of the 1950s.
“Honestly, I love this lifestyle. And I feel like I always wanted it,” she said.
Williams didn’t immediately respond for comment.
Cortney D. Moore contributed to this report.
