Film-maker Poppy Jay meets British women who embrace the Tradwife lifestyle to ask why they are rejecting feminism, obeying their husbands and returning to the kitchen.
Tradwives are trending. This year the term was added to the Cambridge English dictionary, as the hashtag has over 300 million views on TikTok – and counting. Tradwives promote the pleasures of domesticity and teach others how to embrace homemaking. But for some this phenomenon is more than just pretty aesthetics: it’s a return to patriarchal gender roles and traditional values.
BAFTA and Grierson-Award nominated documentarian Poppy Jay asks: what is the allure of the ‘simple life’ attracting scores of young women and how does it square with feminism? Or is it a new manifestation of misogyny? How do fundamental Christian ideals fit in?
In her immersive documentary, Poppy will conduct her own ‘wife swap’ experiment. Using her trademark wit and journalistic flair, she’ll ask difficult questions inside the tradwives’ homes as she immerses with the women and their husbands who are embracing this lifestyle. She’ll explore a growing rejection of hustle culture amongst Gen Z women, and look at where traditional values may be stepping in.