There are certain dates on the calendar that deserve to be marked in red for what they have meant for history, for the change that has come after them or for what those days have meant for the progress of the future. Although these changes have occurred in different social spheres – in the workplace, in the economy, in politics – and continue to do so today, one of the areas that has experienced the most transformation, but also required the greatest struggle and commitment, has been the equal rights between men and women. Still with countless goals to achieve, we have reached today having overcome important barriers that have made it possible for this gender equality to move further and further away from that utopia of previous centuries to a reality that the 21st century promises to bring back.
1791Universal Declaration of the Rights of Women and the Female Citizen; 1893New Zealand, first time in history that women can exercise the right to vote; 1931Spain, first time women go to the polls; 1947Sweden, recognition of equal pay between men and women; up to the current century, with two key moments that have marked the last decades. United States, 2017women in the country’s film industry take to the streets under the #MeToo movement to denounce sexual assault and abuse in their field following the complaint against producer Harvey Weinstein. Spain, 2018massive and historic feminist demonstration on March 8 under the slogan “If we stop, the world stops”.
However, as in every struggle and progress, there are sometimes setbacks and threats that evoke a darker past when so many of the freedoms and rights that were achieved were still lacking and, although they are still far from eliminating what has been achieved, they can pose a threat in terms of the emergence of new contrary ideas.
In recent weeks, a movement known as ‘ ‘ has gone viral in SpainTranswife‘. The truth is that it is nothing new, since its real origin is in the United States. This term was coined to refer to the traditional woman, in English ‘traditional wife’ and hence its better-known name ‘tradwife’. Among the pioneers in championing it, the name of Estee Williamsa young woman who decided to abandon her university studies to devote herself entirely to housework. She has 120 million followers on social media and defines herself as such. In addition, in a post she shared in May she says she is “proud to be a wife, proud to be a housewife, proud to have left university behind.”
Among others, the name of also resonates Nara Smitha German model living in the United States whose content, both on TikTok and Instagram, is based on preparing cooking recipes for her family members.
And in this country the movement has managed to establish itself as a way of life that is just as valid as the rest, even having profiles on social networks that represent these women. An example of this is the account of @thetradwivesclub where in one of the shared posts, they point out: “Women: find a good man. Get married. If you can and have the ability, have lots of children. Learn to cook, be domestic, it is a generational lie that these things enslave you. Far from it, they enrich your existence. Life is about family, not work”.
The Spanish ‘Tradwife’: A Business Far From American Reality
But between this and what has now reached Spain, there is a profound, though invisible, difference. And that is precisely where the danger and threat of the spread of this message in recent weeks lies. It was in mid-July, when the young woman Dew Good22 years old, began to be on everyone’s lips for the videos she has been publishing for a few months, the majority of which are based on the preparation of recipes for Pablo, her boyfriend, and all kinds of details also dedicated to her partner.
She is self-employed, she invoices
At first, when the first videos began to become popular, many people still didn’t know who Roro was or what she did with her life, assuming that she was a young woman who just stayed at home serving her daughter and her boyfriend. But this is not the case.She is self-employed, she invoices. Let’s not stop being critical, Rocío Bueno is not a traditional woman,” she says. Silvia Diaza sociologist from the Complutense University of Madrid. In fact, Rocío Bueno has a degree in Translation and Interpretation from the Pontifical University of Comillas. Her life, like that of any other young person, mostly escapes the walls of a kitchen. Rocío studied, works, goes to the gym and lives with her parents in Madrid.
For this reason, Díaz focuses on the risk that other women may want to imitate the lifestyle that Roro spreads on social networks and abandon their respective jobs, studies or different life plans. “The danger is that this ideology that she is selling attracts women who choose to abandon that life of exploitation, rush, stress, and then they become tradwives dependent on her husband. Roro is not, she You are selling a very illusory and very false fantasy.”, he notes.
“A bubble of escapism” exempt from regulation
In a system where work is rewarded, no matter what you have to give up to get it, where the pace of life is ever faster and where it is sometimes difficult to understand that rest is a necessity, this reality offered by the ‘Tradwife’ movement is highly pleasing as it is far removed from these accelerated rhythms of life. “In these videos there are no bosses, no deadlines, no overtime, no work meetings,” says Díaz.
Along the same lines, the illustrator and graphic humorist, Anastasia Bengoecheain networks known as @monsterspaguetipoints out: “In that way of life that they are selling you, everything is very relaxed, that person is very calm all the time, does appetizing things, has a clean and tidy kitchen. It is As if it were a little bubble, it has a touch of escapism. Like when you watch a fiction movie you are relaxed because you are seeing that idyllic world.”
However, this escape route, also supported by Díaz, has its limits. “What is dangerous is that when you go to the cinema to see a film, you know you are watching a film, but there are a lot of young people here who are not going to understand that,” says Bengoechea. He also adds the lack of regulation on social networks. “What happens on social networks is not regulated. There is no regulation like there is in television ads.. I think it is dangerous that this message is being spread because it seems to me to be an ideological message,” although she points out that she is referring to the entire ‘Tradwife’ movement and not exclusively to Roro.
However, far from the television advertisements of the 80s and 90s where values and ideas were represented “that would be unacceptable now”, “on Instagram there is no such regulation, he establishment finds very clever ways to sell you ideology”.
Aesthetics is 50% of ideology
In this sense, Díaz points out that it is not only ideology that is told to you in the message spread, but rather how they do it. Therefore, he points out that “aesthetics is 50% of their ideology, how they speak, what voice they use, the clothes they show, the type of hair.”
And this has been one of the most debated topics following Roro’s videos. The tone of voice that the young woman displays has been harshly criticized on social networks and even by prominent figures in the political sphere such as the spokesperson for Más Madrid in the Assembly, Rita Maestre. It is called “Foundie Baby Voice“and is characterized by having a soft and high-pitched tone reminiscent of that of girls and boys. A study carried out by vocologist Kathryn Cunningham concluded that this voice is reflection of submission and docility. For this reason, it constitutes one of the highlights of ‘Tradwife’ and of the criticisms directed towards it.
With all this, it is evident that the main issue is not Roro, not even in her supposed tastes for cooking, sewing and home care. The matter escapes from that. And where the attention should be placed is in the The lack of reality behind Roro’s videos. She doesn’t spend her day cooking, cleaning, or even looking after Pablo. But the product she sells does clean, cook and look after. And this is not regulated and does not contribute to ensuring that all the advances achieved to date in terms of progress and equality continue on their path and open the eyes and minds of those who consider Roro’s business as a fantasy to aspire to.
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