Influencer Nara Smith addresses being labelled as ‘trad wife’ but her response is sparking backlash

Nara Smith is often considered one of the faces of the ‘trad wife’ movement and she’s now explaining how she feels about it.

The fascination around this social media craze has also led to a lot of critique and controversy. ‘Tradwife’, short for ‘traditional wife’, has become a subculture where modern women embrace 1950s gender roles, portraying themselves on our timelines as traditional homemakers while their husbands work as sole providers.

Supporters of the movement view it as a woman’s personal choice and as a way to escape from the stress of modern workplace stress. Other critics say it romanticises financial dependency on the spouse while also rolling back gender equality.

Smith, 24, has built a following for her elaborate home cooking videos and calm voiceovers, with many viewers and critics linking her to the movement. However, she has now rejected this connection and defended herself and her content.

The influencer is often considered the 'poster child' of the tradwife movement (TikTok/@naraazizasmith)

While speaking on the Call Her Daddy podcast, she argued: “They used me as the poster child for the tradwife movement, which was very bizarre to me.”

She then Googled the definition and used it to further separate herself from being a tradwife. “I don’t prioritise being a homemaker. I’m a working mum. I’m out in L.A. I travel a lot.”

Smith said her husband, model Lucky Blue Smith, also does the dishes and helps her raise their children. Her mother and hired help also lend a helping hand. The only similarity between herself and the tradwife movement was the fact she loves to prepare food, according to the influencer. “Yeah, I like to cook, sue me. I like to cook. My husband burns everything.”

Later in the interview, Smith posed a question about the tradwife movement and the critiques it receives. “Why can’t we do it all? Why can’t we be a working mom that enjoys cooking, that enjoys being at home taking care of our kids, but also is on the next plane out to L.A. to take business meetings with big executives?”

She added: “I don’t think a tradwife would be cooking in Schiaparelli or a Moschino straight off the runway,”

However, Smith’s firm response to those who link her to the movement has also raised eyebrows. A theory among her followers is that she is partly portraying a character and is not trying to portray a particular movement. “She should just admit she was playing a character,” one viewer on X wrote.

Nara Smith defended herself and her content (TikTok/@naraazizasmith)

Another comment, directed at Smith’s followers, shared: “Deeply concerned about the number of people who don’t realize that Nara Smith is doing a bit in her videos.”

While a third response said: “Anyone with a brain knows she’s not a stay at home mum, but the vast majority of young women that follow her aspire to the image of staying home & “being in their feminine” & not seemingly working, which she chooses to display AKA trad wife content.”

A fourth person on Reddit opined: “Influencers always have contempt for the people whose attention makes their career possible. How quickly they forget that there are always more talented, smarter and more interesting people we can watch and engage with any time we choose.”