Nothing epitomises this change quite like the trad wife subculture, arguably helmed by Smith, 23, where women embrace traditional gender roles and ideals of femininity. The appeal of the trad wife aesthetic, as seen in creators like Aria Lewis and Hannah Neeleman of Ballerina Farm, is clear: it offers a seemingly simple, idyllic lifestyle, a refuge from the chaos of modern life. But beneath the surface, the trend reinforces conservative beauty ideals that inadvertently exclude Black women (who do not look like Smith) marginalising the expressive, diverse, and space-occupying representations of our beauty.
