A SELF-DESCRIBED ‘tradwife’ has sparked controversy with a list of the ways she ensures she never “disrespects” her spouse.
Katelyn Smith has been married to her husband, Marvin for 13 years, and the pair have five children together.
The 31-year-old, who describes herself as a homemaker and traditional wife, says part of the reason their marriage works so well is her commitment to staying respectful to her husband’s wishes.
On her list of 12 no-no’s, is friendships with other men, complaining about his income, rolling her eyes at him, and refusing to “submit”.
But her views have led to backlash from others.
“I’ve had people refer to me as my husband’s slave, and being brainwashed,” Katelyn, who is based in Canada, told What’s The Jam.
“People make assumptions that aren’t true.”
She’s also been accused of having a “lobotomy”, “bashing” women and making them seem inferior to men, acting this way for her husband’s money, and being a “wilful victim of controlling men”.
Katelyn and Marvin, 30, dated for three years before tying the knot, and have been together 16 years in total.
In their relationship they have a “traditional” setup – with Marvin the breadwinner, and Katelyn as the homemaker, a role she considers to be “prioritising the management of your home”.
In a recent series shared on her social media pages, she documented 12 ways in which she feels women may be “disrespecting” their husbands – and warned of the potential issues it can cause.
These include not being rude to your husband – which can cover anything from “telling him off, name calling, rolling your eyes and other rude facial expressions and passive-aggressive jokes”.
She continued to explain that with her social media video series, she’s hoping to “open the eyes of other wives to how they may be disrespecting and tearing down their husbands without even realising it”.
“I am sharing what I wish someone told me when I was in the beginning stages of my marriage or even better, before marriage,” she smiled.
“I just want other women to have the best marriage possible and for them to do their part to achieve that.”
A typical day for Katelyn includes Bible readings and prayer in the morning, followed by chores, exercise and getting ready for the day.
She then prepares breakfast for the family and starts homeschooling her five children, before doing some baking, going for a walk and making lunch.
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 wives are similar to strict Christian values.
Trad wives believed they were not forced into this way of life, and that it was their purpose to be homemakers.
The trend, which has garnered attention on social media platforms such as TikTok and Instagram, glamorises a time gone by with little acknowledgement of the economic challenges facing families and mothers today.
She’ll then do another tidy of the house with the help of the kids before “freshening up” herself and putting on some make-up.
She added that she’ll sometimes “light candles and put on relaxing music”, depending on her husband’s mood after work.
While the couple feels that following these more traditional gender roles works well for them, Katelyn has experienced “backlash” regarding her views.
