I'm disgusted. Outraged even. I can feel my blood boiling before I take a moment to compose myself. I try, and fail, to remember that the whole point of social media is drive outrage through engagement.
And yet, I just can't help myself.
Before I can stop, my thumbs are angerly tapping out a reply to this post from a so-called "tradwife"—traditional wife—influencer. Before stumbling upon this post, I had no idea that "#tradwife" was even a thing.
And yet, here was this woman, who was apparently quite popular on Insta, TikTok, Twitter, and the rest, dressed up in her finest 50's cosplay housewife dress, her perfect bouncy blonde hair in a bob cut, just above the shoulders, and makeup expertly applied, explaining to her followers how wonderful it was to be a perfect, submissive housewife.
Christ, most women—married or not—don't have the time, money, or energy to even put on makeup in the morning, let alone the rest. And it really was an appalling message, one that spits in the face of decades of sexual liberation and progress for women in the home and workplace. How many sicko incels will see this, and how many women will suffer as a result?
I ended up retweeting her "The future MAGA dipshit mouth-breathers want: the past."
I smiled to myself as I hit send. And yet, I found myself watching her video again. Damn, she was an absolute bombshell. Like, I've never really been attracted to women, but she was
gorgeous
. And she 100% pulled off that 50's style, including her large, perky breasts and perfect hourglass figure. It made the whole thing even more distasteful, promising desperate men who already lacked the emotional intelligence to have a real, committed relationship from a disingenuous TikTok hottie who will never, ever fuck them.
I got a few likes from my followers and then went back to work, staring at an Excel spreadsheet, reflecting unironically on this particular woman's progress. But hey, at least it's work.
A few minutes later I got a notification that I had a message request in my private messages. To my shock, it was this #tradwife, who apparently went by the name "Dorothy." Jesus, did she even take a 50's sounding name as a pseudonym? I couldn't help but rolling my eyes.
Tradwife_Dorothy:
Hi, sorry for sliding into your DM's lol, but I try to avoid conflict on my posts...I don't like putting that negativity out into the world! But like, I just wanted you to know that this "tradwife" movement isn't at all about "going back in time." Like, I know the 50's were like SUPER problematic in so many ways. But, I think there's some good stuff too! Like, I see how many mom's struggle to balance kids, jobs, and their home, and how their husbands, despite being "progressive" still expect so much from them! So, I try to give some advice on how to make easy to prepare, tasty meals, and look good doing it! That's all!
I paused for a moment. This was certainly not what I was expecting from her. And, as the meme goes:
Heartbreaking! Worst person you know makes a great point.
I mean, the number of "progressive men" that I dated who still expected the woman to do all the cooking and cleaning, well, it was downright depressing.
I don't know why, but I felt compelled to reply.
Zo-Zo_A_Go-Go:
Sadly you are right about most men. I just feel like, whether you intend it or not, your message is probably taken the wrong way, and to the extreme, by a certain subset of men who absolutely do not need to believe that this "tradwife" lifestyle is practical for most people.
Tradwife_Dorothy:
Oh, lol, that's where you're wrong! Like, did you actually watch my videos, not just the chopped-up clips on Twitter?
I blushed a little from embarrassment. I actually hadn't, I'd just reacted (overreacted?), just like social media wanted.
Zo-Zo_A_Go-Go:
Well, now that you mention it, I just saw the clip from Twitter, lol.
Tradwife_Dorothy:
OK, because like...I think you'll see that I really focus on the practicalities of day to day living in my longer videos.
Zo-Zo_A_Go-Go:
Lol, ok ok. But like, so you know, this definitely comes off as something worse than it actually is. Actually...I was wondering if this was really like a 50's housewife fetish or something lol.
Tradwife_Dorothy:
NO! LOL!!! I can even prove it to you...OK, so this is going to come off as super forward and maybe even sound like super sketch, but I see we live in the same city and like, you seem super interesting and opinionated...you can totally come over for dinner and see it's not that big of a deal, if you want. Then you can report it back to all your lefty friends ;-)
I felt a weird sense of excitement from her invite. Wait, no, this was sketch right? Before I could reply, she sent me a follow up message.
Tradwife_Dorothy:
Why don't you come over for dinner tomorrow? Dinner is at 6, but feel free to come over around 5 so we can have a drink and get to know each other :) And in case you're wondering, my full name is Dorothy Ellis, and you can very easily google me!
She then sent her address. Sort of dumbfounded, and without other plans, I agreed. Hey, at least I'd get a free meal out of it.
* * * *
The next night I looked through my wardrobe completely flummoxed. What the hell was I even thinking going to "Tradwife" Dorothy's place? And, looking at my clothes, there was no way I was going to out bombshell this bombshell. I turned and looked in the mirror, weirdly disappointed by my pale skin and relatively thin frame. No, don't do this Zo! Don't let that woman get in your head! Not everyone can have a perfect hourglass figure and impossibly large and perky breasts. And yet, my B-cup breasts seemed so inadequate.
I sighed and put on my sexiest matching set of white lace bra and panties. Even if I couldn't be as sexy as her, I could at least feel sexy underneath. I looked at my dresses, but that would just be selling out at this point. I put on jeans and a button up shirt, and I left my long, wavy dark brown hair down. I might not look as traditionally sexy as her, but I was still a good-looking gal, I told myself. I gave myself a once-over one last time, and then got into my car and drove to her place.
To say that she lived in a nice neighborhood was an understatement. These were old money homes, not to be confused with the McMansions in the suburbs, and right by the lake. Her house, in particular, was gorgeous. And huge. They must be, in a word, loaded. No wonder she could afford to be a domestic goddess. As my well-loved, old Honda Accord pulled into the driveway, I was left once again feeling inadequate. They probably have couches worth more than my car, I quipped to no one in particular.
Dorothy answered the door, and god damn, she looked even better in real life. We were probably about the same height, around 5'5", but in heels she stood above me like some 50's pin-up goddess. Goddess. Damn! There's that word, again! I really need to stop using that word! She was wearing a blue and white polka dot dress—no joke—and yet it fit her curves perfectly, and it was admittedly a hot look. I guess if this is some sort of fetish, it's not the worst one in the world.
Anyway, if she looked down on my rather basic modern attire, she didn't show it. Instead it was a very warm welcome as she showed me to the spacious and modern living room and offered me a glass of white wine.
I was a bit surprised how easily we got on. She was warm and welcoming and a good listener. We laughed a little bit about our misunderstanding, though I voiced my concerns about her sending the wrong message to the wrong sort of man.
Dorothy explained that, yes, she had had some bad interactions with incel types, and that my concern was valid. But her bubbling positivity over, well, everything was infectious. I could tell that she took real pride in being a positive influence, and even showed me some chats with some horrible "men's rights activists," all of which ended with them apologizing to her and promising to reconsider their behavior! Amazing!
"You know, you catch more flies with honey than vinegar" she said, with a gentle, playful nudge.
I reflected that maybe I was just a typical "angry feminist" after all? But then again, this whole "lifestyle" or whatever was bothering me on a deeply personal level. For one, it was impractical for all but the very upper echelon of society.
"But doesn't it bother you?" I asked, circling back to our original discussion, "Not having a job or an income?"
She started laughing hysterically. "Does anyone ever get to the end of their life and wish that they had worked more?"
"No, I guess not..."
"Besides, you'd be shocked how much I'm bringing in from my various social media accounts."
"OK, but you have to admit that it's not a practical lifestyle for most women. I mean, some families are working 2-3 extra part time jobs just to make ends meet..."
"And isn't that a shame..." a deep voice said behind me. I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand up from his very presence. I looked over my shoulder to see her husband towering over us. He was at least 6'2", tall, undeniably handsome with dark hair with just a few flecks of grey starting to come through at the temples and piercing blue eyes.
He walked past me, leaning over to kiss his wife. This was not a normal "peck on the lips" that you'd expect from most long-term relationships, but a slow, sensual kiss. I watched on, weirdly aroused by the sight of her eyes looking up at him with pure lust and desire. It was palpable. I couldn't help but feel an erotic jolt of energy from the brief encounter.
"So, this is my husband, Steve," Dorothy beamed.
"Zoe," I said, extending my hand. He walked up to me slowly and confidently, his eyes locked on mine. Steve towered above me, standing just a little too close for comfort, taking my hand with a gentle, yet firm grip.
"Pleased" he said, keeping his eyes locked on mine, as my neck craned back. The simple handshake seemed to drag on for a few moments too long before Dorothy interrupted with a clearing of her throat. She told him to go relax for a bit after his long and busy day and that she'd call for him when dinner was ready.
"You should go with her," Steve said in a confident, assured tone.
I nodded, feeling unusually compliant and...submissive? As followed her into the kitchen, my brain full of strange thoughts and feelings. This was not what I expected! And what was up with that handshake? Was it a dominance thing? If it was...did I like it?