The MAHA movement + Trad Wives @@

[neverfstop]

I don't think we explicitly discussed this before the election, but I think we can see it was a powerful undercurrent & drove many crunchy moms....  (or else gave them a normal-ish sounding reason to vote for a monster)

www.washingtonpost.com/health/2024/10/18/trump-rfk-maha-health/


Nothing symbolizes the unusual alliance between the two men more than their shared Make America Healthy Again agenda, with the former Democrat partnering with Republicans’ leader on a platform that calls for overhauling federal regulations on food and pharmaceuticals, retooling farm subsidies, and cleaning house at the nation’s public health agencies.



Their still-developing plan taps into broad frustrations with America’s health-care system and problems — such as the nation’s reliance on ultra-processed food, the surge of chronic disease and declining U.S. life expectancy — that Democrats scarcely discuss and that Trump had previously ignored, too.

[neverfstop]

emilyinyourphone.substack.com/p/how-the-tradwife-fantasy-delivered
How the Tradwife Fantasy Delivered Women to Trump

They expressly connect the values they are trying to push with the political goals they are trying to achieve. On social media the #tradwife lifestyle looks beautiful and easy. (Effective for a medium that prioritizes aesthetics.) You get to give up your soul crushing office job and garden and run barefoot through a field surrounded by beautiful healthy children. It has been made to look so beautiful that the images have helped persuade women to vote against their own rights and well-being in the recent election.

Author of Momfluenced Sara Peterson said on her Substack:

“The proliferation of tradwives on social media is not a silly trend from which we can afford to look away. It’s not solely a marketing strategy to gain eyeballs and sell calico dresses. It’s an ideology steeped in internalized misogyny and repressive political goals. And the women peddling this ideology are very good at dressing subjugation and white male supremacy up in pretty bows to the millions of white women looking for a better way to live.”

Tradwife accounts are essentially commercials for conservative ideology and we would do well to call them out as such and to expose the capitalist intentions behind the majority of them. Because a lot of these women happen to be selling products as well.

[sent]

Nov 14, 2024 6:31:06 GMT -5 neverfstop said:

Their still-developing plan taps into broad frustrations with America’s health-care system and problems — such as the nation’s reliance on ultra-processed food, the surge of chronic disease and declining U.S. life expectancy — that Democrats scarcely discuss and that Trump had previously ignored, too.

I can't disagree with this part. I hate all of this as well in our society. For example, here's something that bugs me every time I go to Wawa. Wawa sells 2.75 oz bags of potato chips from Frito Lay, Herrs, Utz. We regulate that the manufacturer must print "3 servings per bag, 150 cal/serving." on the bag. We expect Americans to read the bag, understand portion sizes and portion control, and then have self control and not eat the whole bag in one sitting. We won't regulate the actual ounces sold in the bag at Wawa because "free market."  If we do try to regulate it, Wawa and Frito Lay's teams of lawyers will find a way around it. And then we wonder why we're suffering from diabetes and obesity from younger ages than one or two generations ago. 

[sent]

But I despise the whole trad wives stuff. You want to promote women being SAHMs? How about we pay fair wages so families can afford to live on one income and more women will naturally pick the trad wives route. There would even be a "trad dad" movement to go with it. Right now the trad wife lifestyle is just another way of saying "my husband makes $$$$" or "we're winning at generational wealth" or both.

[dontlook]

There are so many areas in which America needs a major overhaul. I don’t for one second believe Trump and his minions will do what needs to be done, but perhaps like the toddlers they are, they will blow it up and like the adults the Dems are, we can build it back to something better.

This Trad wife stuff is bsc and that’s coming from a SAHM.

[tacokick]

The whole crunchy, raw milk drinking so liberal they looped over to republican crowd was a “surprise” vote for Trump last time and I was surprised they weren’t really addressed Biden/Harris more directly. At all? Bluntly? And I think they were a much larger contingent now.

The endless recalls for basic food like vegetables and meat have not helped imo. That really brought concern about food safety into the main stream in a way I hadn’t seen before.

I’ve seen comments from self described Harris voters who said things like “at least we might get safe food again” which is dubious considering who helped gut protections in the first place but I can see where they are coming from.

Food safety did not come across as a top concern for the current presidency but like gas prices, it is something that is important to the average person and you can’t avoid seeing the signs in stores and news about recalls day after day. Everyone has to eat and having recalls of so many basic foods is scary feeling for a lot of people. It sends a message that it’s not safe to buy and prepare food yourself in your own home anymore and sends people looking for answers.

[pixy0stix]

A lot of this goes back to basic literacy and the undermining of our education system. We don't trust science. We can't discern fiction from reality. We don't have a basic understanding of where our food comes from. And on and on and on.

[sonrisa]

The mistake is seeing all crunchy, back to nature, organic, gluten free, bone broth, juice shop,natural fiber clothes types as liberals.

Many aren’t.

They are all about the kind of ‘purity’ that drives eugenicist movements. Racism, xenophobia and intolerance run deep among them. They are the same people who wouldn’t swim in integrated pools.

It isn’t the left coming all the way around to the right. It’s the side of th e farright that sent Nazi wives home to bake bread and raise pure children.

[mrsslocombe]

The party that mocked Michelle Obama for planting a vegetable garden, and claims democrats are going to make you eat tofu instead of bacon.

I also find it laughable that the next administration is going to take on Big Pharma, the powerful mega food corps, the farm lobby (because corn is an essential part of a lot of “processed” foods).

I’m sure the new Surgeon General will be Dr. Meghan Heiner who spreads lies.

[sakoro]

I spent a summer nannying an 18 month old when I was in college. Just doing that for a few months convinced me that I didn’t want to be a SAHM. It wasn’t all calico dresses gardening in the meadow. I was trying to entertain a child with a short attention span, clean messes, him rejecting food and demanding TV time (which he wasn’t allowed per the mom). It might be more pleasant on a big budget for extra childcare, cleaning service and activities outside of the house. But it’s completely beyond me how anyone who has been around small children could think that the Tradwife content is connected to reality?!?

[kellady]

How is this going to work when they cut food stamps, Medicaid, school lunches?  Of course fresh food is healthier.  It is also more expensive much of the time.  Maybe the best way they could start is providing education and funds for the ones who  “don’t get it.”  

[lucybrown]

Nov 14, 2024 8:54:02 GMT -5 sonrisa said:

The mistake is seeing all crunchy, back to nature, all organic gluten free, bone broth, juice shop,natural fiber clothes types as liberals.

Many aren’t.

They are all about the kind of ‘purity’ that drives eugenicist movements. Racism, xenophobia and intolerance run deep among them. They are the same people who wouldn’t swim in integrated pools.

It isn’t the left coming all the way around to the right. It’s the side of th e farright that sent Nazi wives home to bake bread and raise pure children.

Nailed it.  I would call myself many things in the first line.  We're pretty crunchy and over the years I have joined different online groups for people of this variety.  Crunchy mamas, if you will, even though the term makes me want to barf.   I noped the fuck out of all of them because of exactly the reasons listed above.  Many are in conservative religions, entitled, and incredibly hypocritical.

My body, my choice when it comes to vaccinations, but not for abortion, contraception, etc.  

[mrsukyankee]

The 'funny' thing about the trad wife thing is that they usually already have a ton of money before they start doing this - same with homesteading. It's not possible to do without inheriting money or having earned a shiteload before they choose to do this. And it's not sustainable for most people even with that.

[pixy0stix]

Nov 14, 2024 10:04:39 GMT -5 mrsukyankee said:

The 'funny' thing about the trad wife thing is that they usually already have a ton of money before they start doing this - same with homesteading. It's not possible to do without inheriting money or having earned a shiteload before they choose to do this. And it's not sustainable for most people even with that.

I'm going to push back on this because the people I know that truly homestead are brutally poor. They're doing it to survive.

The social media homesteaders are a different beast.

[notreal]

Nov 14, 2024 8:22:34 GMT -5 tacokick said:

The whole crunchy, raw milk drinking so liberal they looped over to republican crowd was a “surprise” vote for Trump last time and I was surprised they weren’t really addressed Biden/Harris more directly. At all? Bluntly? And I think they were a much larger contingent now.

The endless recalls for basic food like vegetables and meat have not helped imo. That really brought concern about food safety into the main stream in a way I hadn’t seen before.

I’ve seen comments from self described Harris voters who said things like “at least we might get safe food again” which is dubious considering who helped gut protections in the first place but I can see where they are coming from.

Food safety did not come across as a top concern for the current presidency but like gas prices, it is something that is important to the average person and you can’t avoid seeing the signs in stores and news about recalls day after day. Everyone has to eat and having recalls of so many basic foods is scary feeling for a lot of people. It sends a message that it’s not safe to buy and prepare food yourself in your own home anymore and sends people looking for answers.

I never understand how people can see recalls as proof all of our food is unsafe. The unsafe food has been discovered and is being removed from the food supply, that's proof the system works.

[rubytue]

Nov 14, 2024 8:22:34 GMT -5 tacokick said:

The whole crunchy, raw milk drinking so liberal they looped over to republican crowd was a “surprise” vote for Trump last time and I was surprised they weren’t really addressed Biden/Harris more directly. At all? Bluntly? And I think they were a much larger contingent now.

I’m here. The calico dresses frolicking in fields motif is something I’ve always associated with the hippy movement, and liberals. But I guess, the hippies all grew up to be MAGA boomers so really, it shouldn’t surprise me as much as it does. 

[mrsukyankee]

Nov 14, 2024 10:09:43 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

Nov 14, 2024 10:04:39 GMT -5 mrsukyankee said:

The 'funny' thing about the trad wife thing is that they usually already have a ton of money before they start doing this - same with homesteading. It's not possible to do without inheriting money or having earned a shiteload before they choose to do this. And it's not sustainable for most people even with that.

I'm going to push back on this because the people I know that truly homestead are brutally poor. They're doing it to survive.

The social media homesteaders are a different beast.

Sorry - should have qualified this - I was talking about the social media ones, which is why I said it's not sustainable for most people. But the people who are glorifying the whole thing and making it sound amazing are driving this movement.

[pixy0stix]

Nov 14, 2024 10:11:30 GMT -5 notreal said:

Nov 14, 2024 8:22:34 GMT -5 tacokick said:

The whole crunchy, raw milk drinking so liberal they looped over to republican crowd was a “surprise” vote for Trump last time and I was surprised they weren’t really addressed Biden/Harris more directly. At all? Bluntly? And I think they were a much larger contingent now.

The endless recalls for basic food like vegetables and meat have not helped imo. That really brought concern about food safety into the main stream in a way I hadn’t seen before.

I’ve seen comments from self described Harris voters who said things like “at least we might get safe food again” which is dubious considering who helped gut protections in the first place but I can see where they are coming from.

Food safety did not come across as a top concern for the current presidency but like gas prices, it is something that is important to the average person and you can’t avoid seeing the signs in stores and news about recalls day after day. Everyone has to eat and having recalls of so many basic foods is scary feeling for a lot of people. It sends a message that it’s not safe to buy and prepare food yourself in your own home anymore and sends people looking for answers.

I never understand how people can see recalls as proof all of our food is unsafe. The unsafe food has been discovered and is being removed from the food supply, that's proof the system works.

Because they don't understand how the system works. This is across the board, liberal, conservative and independent. We're so far removed from anything having to do with food that it encompasses our food safety to not understanding portion sizes.

[claudiajean]

I saw so many tiktoks last week that were basically "If we're going to lose our rights, I volunteer to give up my right to work.... hahahaha." Like, no. It's not a laughing matter. Most of the women who do the tradwife aesthetic have immense privilege to be able to do so. I give up my "right to work" and I also give up my right to shelter and food.

[janegold]

Nov 14, 2024 10:03:00 GMT -5 lucybrown said:

Nov 14, 2024 8:54:02 GMT -5 sonrisa said:

The mistake is seeing all crunchy, back to nature, all organic gluten free, bone broth, juice shop,natural fiber clothes types as liberals.

Many aren’t.

They are all about the kind of ‘purity’ that drives eugenicist movements. Racism, xenophobia and intolerance run deep among them. They are the same people who wouldn’t swim in integrated pools.

It isn’t the left coming all the way around to the right. It’s the side of th e farright that sent Nazi wives home to bake bread and raise pure children.

Nailed it.  I would call myself many things in the first line.  We're pretty crunchy and over the years I have joined different online groups for people of this variety.  Crunchy mamas, if you will, even though the term makes me want to barf.   I noped the fuck out of all of them because of exactly the reasons listed above.  Many are in conservative religions, entitled, and incredibly hypocritical.

My body, my choice when it comes to vaccinations, but not for abortion, contraception, etc.  

The hypocrisy is unbelievable.

[nospaekae]

Nov 14, 2024 9:49:36 GMT -5 kellady said:

How is this going to work when they cut food stamps, Medicaid, school lunches?  Of course fresh food is healthier.  It is also more expensive much of the time.  Maybe the best way they could start is providing education and funds for the ones who  “don’t get it.”  

It isn't going it to work for the poors, MAHA isn't about them. They can keep eating processed crap or starve, no one cares.

/s

(I'm being sarcastic with my wording, but this 100% is how this admin sees it. MAHA is for wealthy, trad, conservative, white citizens)

[tacokick]

Nov 14, 2024 10:11:30 GMT -5 notreal said:

Nov 14, 2024 8:22:34 GMT -5 tacokick said:

The whole crunchy, raw milk drinking so liberal they looped over to republican crowd was a “surprise” vote for Trump last time and I was surprised they weren’t really addressed Biden/Harris more directly. At all? Bluntly? And I think they were a much larger contingent now.

The endless recalls for basic food like vegetables and meat have not helped imo. That really brought concern about food safety into the main stream in a way I hadn’t seen before.

I’ve seen comments from self described Harris voters who said things like “at least we might get safe food again” which is dubious considering who helped gut protections in the first place but I can see where they are coming from.

Food safety did not come across as a top concern for the current presidency but like gas prices, it is something that is important to the average person and you can’t avoid seeing the signs in stores and news about recalls day after day. Everyone has to eat and having recalls of so many basic foods is scary feeling for a lot of people. It sends a message that it’s not safe to buy and prepare food yourself in your own home anymore and sends people looking for answers.

I never understand how people can see recalls as proof all of our food is unsafe. The unsafe food has been discovered and is being removed from the food supply, that's proof the system works.

But I think the concern for a lot of people and what they focus on is why is it contaminated in the first place? How did it make to the store and often make people sick or kill them before there was a recall?

Outside of the butter labeling recall of the last few days I think people expect and understand the importance of these recalls and understand that part of chain is working at a basic level. But the why are they happening at all is the sticking point.

[missva]

Nov 14, 2024 10:11:30 GMT -5 notreal said:

Nov 14, 2024 8:22:34 GMT -5 tacokick said:

The whole crunchy, raw milk drinking so liberal they looped over to republican crowd was a “surprise” vote for Trump last time and I was surprised they weren’t really addressed Biden/Harris more directly. At all? Bluntly? And I think they were a much larger contingent now.

The endless recalls for basic food like vegetables and meat have not helped imo. That really brought concern about food safety into the main stream in a way I hadn’t seen before.

I’ve seen comments from self described Harris voters who said things like “at least we might get safe food again” which is dubious considering who helped gut protections in the first place but I can see where they are coming from.

Food safety did not come across as a top concern for the current presidency but like gas prices, it is something that is important to the average person and you can’t avoid seeing the signs in stores and news about recalls day after day. Everyone has to eat and having recalls of so many basic foods is scary feeling for a lot of people. It sends a message that it’s not safe to buy and prepare food yourself in your own home anymore and sends people looking for answers.

I never understand how people can see recalls as proof all of our food is unsafe. The unsafe food has been discovered and is being removed from the food supply, that's proof the system works.

This is exactly what I was going to say. Recalls make us safer and will go away once we start dismantling the FDA. Many manufacturers only recall when forced to. The scarier thing is no recalls. 

[tacokick]

Nov 14, 2024 10:32:10 GMT -5 missva said:

Nov 14, 2024 10:11:30 GMT -5 notreal said:

I never understand how people can see recalls as proof all of our food is unsafe. The unsafe food has been discovered and is being removed from the food supply, that's proof the system works.

This is exactly what I was going to say. Recalls make us safer and will go away once we start dismantling the FDA. Many manufacturers only recall when forced to. The scarier thing is no recalls. 

This is the other part they don’t seem to grasp.

[nospaekae]

Nov 14, 2024 8:42:22 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

A lot of this goes back to basic literacy and the undermining of our education system. We don't trust science. We can't discern fiction from reality. We don't have a basic understanding of where our food comes from. And on and on and on.

I grew up on a dairy farm. After seeing what the milk filter catches, no fucking way would I drink raw milk. Our farm was recognized and awarded numerous times by our milk co-op for low SCC (indicator of bacteria in milk samples), but I've changed that filter after a milking, no thanks on the raw stuff.

[wildrice]

Nov 14, 2024 10:18:24 GMT -5 claudiajean said:

I saw so many tiktoks last week that were basically "If we're going to lose our rights, I volunteer to give up my right to work.... hahahaha." Like, no. It's not a laughing matter. Most of the women who do the tradwife aesthetic have immense privilege to be able to do so. I give up my "right to work" and I also give up my right to shelter and food.

Yes, and also puts women in a terribly vulnerable position. If you can't bring in your own money, you are stuck with your spouse, no matter how much he abuses you or treats you poorly. 

My sister is a SAHM and she brought up a good point to me - her family is on ACA for health insurance because her H is self employed. He also has a heart condition. These people who are pushing a "traditional" family would love her family - a man who supports the family, mom who stays home, 1 boy, 1 girl, and 2 dogs. But they are going to force her to go get a job if they need employer sponsored health insurance, since her H probably couldn't get that type of job and make enough money to support them all (since he'd essentially have to start over in a new career). So which is it? You want wives to stay at home or you want both spouses to be forced to work (regardless of what the family has decided THEY want) because you have taken away supports that allow them to stay home?

As far as food safety goes - My biggest concerns are about all of the chemicals in our foods. I would LOVE to see us adopt rules more similar to the EU about what can be put into those processed foods. Americans are never going to move away from convenience, but there is no reason why our food has to be full of poison (even at "acceptable" levels). Do I think RFK is the guy to make that happen? Absolutely not, lol. 

[havarti]

Remember when they went after Michelle Obama for being mildly critical of boxed mac and cheese?!?

[neverfstop]

Nov 14, 2024 9:40:50 GMT -5 sakoro said:

I spent a summer nannying an 18 month old when I was in college. Just doing that for a few months convinced me that I didn’t want to be a SAHM. It wasn’t all calico dresses gardening in the meadow. I was trying to entertain a child with a short attention span, clean messes, him rejecting food and demanding TV time (which he wasn’t allowed per the mom). It might be more pleasant on a big budget for extra childcare, cleaning service and activities outside of the house. But it’s completely beyond me how anyone who has been around small children could think that the Tradwife content is connected to reality?!?

I think a lot of social media is aspirational - like who we wish we could be.  That's why I follow so many stupid "home organization" influencers that have nice,  neat houses....

Even with Trump, the poor & MC want to be like him with this (fake) bootstraps story into a celebrity billionaire.  

[neverfstop]

Sorry, these topics are somehow linked in my mind & I can't quite put my finger on how they go together, other than it's very back to "traditional values" and a rejection of modernism/science/society in some ways. Which dovetails into Trump's message of "make america great again" by rewinding the clock and having women raise kids at home, getting rid of all the chemicals & doing back to all natural before scary required COVID vaccines and masks...

ETA: I also think they were very social media movements that the Dems did nothing to counter, address, speak to in the campaign & they ended up being more influential than we could imagine (Thanks RFK & Joe Rogan)

[cuadrado]

Knowing we're going to have to listen to this MAHA stuff for at least the next 4 years makes me want to bang my head against a wall. Only a small percentage of our own personal behaviors (nutrition, exercise) contribute to our health outcomes. Social issues like access to healthcare, food security, financial stability, community, education, etc. are the large majority of factors that determine health outcomes.