Is The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives rebranding the “tradwife” for younger audiences? Staff Writer Lidiya Zhang discusses how the hit reality series may be trojan horse-ing Mormonism and conservative values.
Is The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives a right-wing pipeline? Before Mormon Wives, Nara Smith and Hannah Neeleman of Ballerina Farm explicitly represented the Mormon tradwife in pop culture. Now, the definition of a tradwife is blurred and more appealing to hordes of young women. The show’s stars are young wives and mothers who espouse Mormon values they do not strictly follow. The Church of Latter Days Saints bears similarities to Hillsong and Scientology with its celebrity, money and tiered rules.
A glossy aesthetic, influencer polish and surprising degree of ambiguity is reshaping the tradwife image. Mormon Wives is the viral show born of the “MomTok” ecosystem. It follows a group of young Mormon women navigating marriage, motherhood, friendship and now fame. If we think critically, is the show, with its glammed up stars, a soft introduction to a conservative ideology?
Nara Smith and Hannah Neelemen cultivated stereotypical images of domestic femininity that were explicit and consistent across their content: homemade bread, large families, pastoral settings and an emphasis on traditional gender roles. Ideological leanings were hardly disguised. Their lives were framed as aspirational, submission as liberation and motherhood as the central, if not exclusive, identity.
Mormon Wives diverts from gender stereotypes in some ways. The archetype set by Smith and others has been passed over. The wives present as both traditional and rebellious. They drink occasionally, feud publicly and create influencer brands built on both relatability and glamour. Yet, their lives still orbit early marriage, children and religion. A hybrid ideal of a woman is born, not quite a tradwife, not quite a modern influencer that is consequently all the more appealing. This contradiction between the perceived Mormon wife and the Mormon Wives of the series is what has precisely made the show resonate in the culture.
For younger viewers, many of whom seek to reject overtly ideological content, Mormon Wives offers a softer entry point to the traditional family norms. The modern lifestyle, irreverent tone and drama is funny and familiar to many. Yet the underlying narrative of conservatism - that fulfillment comes through early marriage, motherhood, and faith - remains a quiet but nevertheless consistent aspect of the show. This “soft sell” of conservative values is much more effective than explicit messaging. We as viewers aren’t directly told what to believe; instead, we are shown charismatic, successful women within a framework that subtly reinforces ideals that feminist fought long and hard to leave behind.
Much of Mormon Wives centres on the perception of Mormonism in pop culture. The Church’s relationship with all things visibility, influence and indeed wealth are similar to the celeb favourites Scientology and Hillsong. These institutions differ in doctrine but align in their ambiguous public image and emphasis on materialistic success. Beautiful homes, curated lifestyles and a sense of communities are part of the image. Faith is presented as something that fits neatly alongside prosperity and influence, and although the message is not direct, the Mormon Wives suggests that religion and wealth go hand in hand.
The show presents a monetisable domesticity, where motherhood is a brandable asset. In fact, these women are not stepping away from ambition but redirecting that drive from a typical career towards family life. It remains contested whether this constitutes a right-wing pipeline. Many argue the show reflects various life choices, including traditional ones. Others insist the depiction of young marriage and motherhood and religious context subtly promote a conservative worldview that is worrisomely attractive to young viewers.
All in all, it is clear that The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives presents a modern alternative to how traditional femininity is presented in pop culture. The once overt tradwife aesthetic that is pastoral, submissive, explicitly ideological is officially being replaced by something more fluid. These women argue with their husbands, party in their mansions, and build businesses of their own. They are messy, modern, and marketable. But with a deeper look, their lives still revolve around structures that echo older, more conservative ideals.
If you ask me, this is still conservatism. It’s just been TikTok-ified.