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Fact or Fiction: Trends like Cottage core, Tradwives, and Old Money Aesthetic, were the First Sign of the Shift to Conservatism?

If today is your first day on the internet, trends with certain themes called cores and aesthetics are what help shape algorithms and differentiate content creations. Micro -trends pop up every now and then, most notably the Mob WIfe Aesthetic- which includes big fur coats and heavy makeup. One that has lasted for more than 2-3 years has been cottagecore, at the end of the 2010s. The whimsical, gentle farm life, with homemaking and flowy dresses. The marking of a young maiden, but usually accompanied by children. This led to the clean girl aesthetic with minimal makeup when prior to this as we know as 2016 makeup which was bold and creative, but makeup and fashion drifting to a more modest look, this led to the Old Money Aesthetic. An aesthetic in which is braced modesty but with an air of high regard.

Where do the tradwives come into this?

The question can quickly be traced and answered with one word, the economy. From luxury brands posting their products in pictures with food, and selling their own food in coffee and pastry shops, it’s quite evident something as simple as food becoming so expensive it's a luxury shows exactly that the economy is cornering and catering to the select few that is the upper classes.

So, the tradwives. It takes both parents to be able to afford to run a household unlike years prior when mother’s stayed home and tended to their homes while fathers worked for their family. Not to mention, the ability to comfortably afford more than 2-3 kids is tethering for the average Gen Z/ Millennial (Gen Zers are in their mid twenties now, can you believe it) family. So finding influencers that not only have 4-5 kids but do so with financial ease but cook three full course meals from scratch is not only fascinating but enthralling to those that heat up microwave dinners for their kids.

It takes a quick timeline search to see the parallels to Germany before you know what happened, and where America is currently at. We'll come back to this in a moment. It’s not just America though, with Russia declaring banning child-free propaganda and Afghanistan banning women from showing their face, singing, humming, reading and talking outside of their home. In previous times when society would take huge leaps in progressiveness, and then when economic shifts also happen the blame falls on the progressiveness. In the late ‘20s and early ‘30s, Germany had significant liberalism from gay rights, a large influx of jewish immigrants, and women rights. And at the height, it all came crashing down, to what we know as a devastating scar forever etched in modern human history- as we are also currently seeing in Gaza.

The first black president, Barack Obama, gay marriage legalized, trans rights on the rise, and immigrant rates growing. Then? Donald Trump; a sexual abuser, racist, homophobic, misogynistic “business man.” Despite all allegations that can be proven, his economic plan is what has garnered him his votes.

In my opinion, he’s outspoken, specifically about his beliefs and those who also hold those beliefs support him- for that reason. Because not all Republicans support this man, but all racist Americans do. Trump taking office has led to a wave of other countries also adopting further conservative beliefs.

With aesthetics packaged to us to seem more appealing than the current reality we are facing, it can make one think maybe conservatism was better. It wasn’t.

The reality is, these cottagecore, tradwife, old money content creators are in fact Trump supporters, and following their beliefs is a pipeline straight into conservatism in the worst way. In this day and age, supporting an artist and disregarding who they are as a person, is next to impossible.

For me, I love the cottage core aesthetic. To frolic in a meadow in a princess milkmaid dress, with the sweetest fruits, and birds chirping and forest bunnies resting nearby sounds way more relaxing than walking through downtown passing creepy men who catcall at me to a job that pays me 15$ an hour for a bachelors and at least 3 years of experience, all the while 100 items at the grocery store is well over 300$. The reality is, in the meadow with fruit in a dress, I’d be covered in bug bites and followed by flies. Who knows, maybe even a bobcat lurking nearby as well.

Social media has a fun way of making pictures and 60 second videos look picturesque and dreamlike. Those tradwife creators are wealthy already so to make those homey videos isn’t the same for someone who isn’t from an upper class background.

We went from telling women to focus on school, wait on marriage and kids, now pushing out every other video with subliminal messages of being more traditional. Every woman has a choice on who they want to become, but young impressionable girls are the ones at risk. I went through and unfollowed all non progressive creators as well and proposely changed my algorithm to more female empowerment content. Even as this world is trying to push us back, at least for me, I will still be marching forward.

I hope you do the same.