Right-wing tradwives have some advice for women – do what they say, not what they do

Updated March 18, 2026 — 7:29pm,first published 7:00pm

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Something is happening with the tradwives of America.

The stars of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives – who rose to fame by peddling the traditionalist lifestyle to a new generation via social media and are now the “it girls” of America’s Christian cultural zeitgeist – appear to be having a crisis of faith.

From the outside, the reality television stars are the embodiment of what a traditional wife should be. They married young and had kids early, they deferred to their husbands, maintained extraordinary standards of beauty, rarely raised their voices, mostly followed the teachings of their church and worked tirelessly to make it all look easy.

In many ways, they are walking, talking billboards for the kind of women conservative commentators want American girls to aspire to be.

But as the Mormon Wives’ fame continued to rise throughout the first three seasons, cracks began to show. And in season 4, released last week, those cracks have transformed into something much bigger.

All nine women on the show are now far and away the financial breadwinners of their household. They speak openly about their careers and goals for their futures. The monotony of domestic life, as well as the strain that comes with shifting power dynamics........

© The Age