I was a perfect trad wife in my 20s – now I’m single & struggle to support my kids, I wish I’d listened to the warnings
A FORMER trad wife has revealed that she was left struggling to take care of her children, after her marriage did not work out.
Maddie Joy shared her story via a series of videos posted to her TikTok channel, where she is known as @mountainm0mma.
A trad wife (short for traditional wife) is a woman who chooses to take on an ultra-traditional role in marriage, meaning she makes dinner and looks pretty whilst her husband goes to work.
The trend takes inspiration from the idea of a 1950s housewife and many tradwives choose to dress in the style of clothing popular in this period ( think floral dresses and frumpy cardigans).
Additionally, the values considered important to trad wives are similar to strict Christian values.
Trad wives state that they are not forced into this way of life, and believe that it is their purpose to be homemakers.
Maddie explained that she got married to her ex-husband when she was a teenager, and spent her late teens and early 20s being the “perfect trad wife”.
She didn’t go to university or get a job, and became a stay at home mum to her three children.
Maddie explained that during her years as a trad wife, she baked bread, cooked all of the food she made for her family from scratch and even sewed her own clothes.
She said that she also wore the clothes that he wanted her to wear and did her hair and makeup in the way that he told her to
“I tried really, really hard to be the wife that I thought my ex husband wanted”, she said.
However, she revealed that she made the decision to leave her husband, as he was controlling her and isolating her from her loved ones.
“When everyone who warned you was right”, she said.
She said that she now believes that the lifestyle that trad wives are pushing online is “scary”.
The mum of three said that she believes that trad husbands pray on young girls who don’t have much money or a good education, as to them, the trad lifestyle seems like a stable and secure way of life.
Now that she has left her husband, Maddie is studying at university, whilst struggling to support her kids in a low wage job.
She advised women to always stay in work, even if it is just a few hours a week, so that if things go wrong, you have colleagues that you can network with to find work opportunities.
Maddie’s video has likely struck a chord with many people, as it has racked up over 1.2 million views on the video sharing platform.
TikTok users raced to the video’s comments section to share their thoughts, with many sharing the importance of women having their own incomes.
One person said: “This just proves you should never depend on someone’s else’s finances.
“Always have your own money!”
Another person said: “I feel loved and protected by my husband and I don’t think that will ever change.
What is a trad wife?
A trad wife (short for traditional wife) is a woman who chooses to take on an ultra traditional role in marriage, meaning she makes dinner and looks pretty whilst her husband goes to work.
The trend takes inspiration from the idea of a 1950s housewife.
Many trad wives choose to dress in the style of clothing popular in this period (think floral dresses and frumpy cardigans).
Additionally, the values considered important to trad wvies are similar to strict Christian values.
Trad wives state that they are not forced into this way of life, and believe that it is their purpose to be homemakers.
“Am I still keeping my nursing license and a job though? 100%”.
A third said: “I had to learn the hard way .
“No matter what a person tells you and what dreams they sell you, don’t ever depend on anyone”.
A fourth added: “These are the trad wife stories that we need to hear.
“Say it louder!”
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