'Trad wives' controversy continues: TikTok star Nara Smith reacts to 'hateful' criticism
Content creator Nara Smith made GQ from scratch.
The TikTok-viral influencer, 22, is known as one of the platform's top "trad wife" creators. She and her model husband Lucky Blue Smith spoke to GQ about their family life and online perception.
The influencer achieved her following by making home-cooking TikToks for her supermodel husband and their children — Rumble Honey, 3, Slim Easy, 2, and 4-month-old Whimsy Lou. Her lavish videos, including clips of her making everything from grilled cheese to bubblegum from scratch while dressed in 1950s-style clothing, have been parodied across the internet.
What is a 'trad wife'? Lucky Blue, Nara Smith say relationship is a 'partnership'
Nara Smith reflected on how her recent online fame took off in early 2024 and brought negative attention, especially after announcing she was pregnant with her third child.
"People on Twitter had a field day, hating on us. I'd get screenshots of people saying insanely rude things — so hateful, and so spiteful," she told the outlet.
She added that the negative attention may have spurred her online success, to the tune of over 9 million followers. "In a weird way, I think it might have helped?" she said.
It's also brought accusations of perpetuating the "trad wife" lifestyle, the term given to creators depicting old-fashioned "traditional wife" aesthetics: perfectly coiffed hair, pinup dresses and home-cooked meals on decadent dining room tables. The content style has led some viewers to worry they are idealizing a time when women enjoyed less autonomy and fewer rights than they have now.
But Nara Smith told the magazine that's not her story.
"It's not so much about: Oh, I need to make my husband a meal right now, or else he's going to be mad," she said. "He does cleanup. Which I'm grateful for, because I hate that part."
Lucky Blue Smith, 26, added: "I view our situation as a big partnership in every aspect of our lives."
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Lucky Blue and Nara Smith's domestic GQ photoshoot spurs reactions
Lucky Blue Smith and Nara Smith may not be fans of 1950s gender dynamics, but they clearly are big fans of mid-century attire.
Shot by photographer Jason Nocito, the photoshoot sees Nara Smith in a red and white checkered dress and red pumps, and Lucky Blue Smith in a coordinating shirt, holding their baby and playing with their other two children.
In another photo, Nara Smith wears a black-and-white gingham jacket and skirt set, draping her leg over a kitchen counter while cracking an egg. In others, the couple and their children are seen around the home, flanked by yard animals, and Nara Smith in a field in a Jackie-O-style sweater, cardigan and skirt, with Lucky Blue Smith in a white button-down and green tie.
"Lucky gives off such old Hollywood vibes," one user commented on Instagram.
"They literally look like they are from the 1900s and live that way asw," wrote another person.
On TikTok, others were similarly complementary. "It's giving Loving," a commenter said, referencing the 2016 film about Mildred and Richard Loving.
Others aired their skepticism of the couple and their aesthetic. "Her being 22 with three kids scare me," one person wrote under the photographer's photos on X. "the message of the styling is LOUD," said another.
Contributing: Ariana Triggs, Claire Hardwick, David Oliver
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Nara Smith 'trad wife' TikTok content lands her GQ cover
