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Daily Mirror
3 days ago
- General
- Daily Mirror
Trad-wives are distracting you from the global shrinking of women's rights
What makes a modern woman? This debate has been doing the round since at least the 1950s. There's a myriad of ways to describe modern femininity. Having a freedom fund to escape an abusive relationship, perhaps. Or expecting the same wage for the same work as a male colleague. Safety and security issues too come to mind, not least the ability to walk alone at night without fear of harm. Each of these aspirations face outward, to society's treatment of women and call for the basic rights of living to be met: safety, security, equality. Yet a growing number of women are turning their backs on this. Instead, they are embracing conservative traditional values through TikTok's so-called "trad-wife" trend by prioritising domesticity. Cooking and cleaning are the basic components of caring for yourself and others. Pre-first wave feminism, this was what the patriarchal society envisioned for women: apron on, cooking for the family, mopping up after everybody else. All the while being demure, kind, and placid. The epitome of 'no thoughts, just vibes'. This, to my mind, is nightmare fuel and - horrifyingly - this feeling is not universal. Feminist critic Betty Friedan wrote about the particular loneliness and emptiness of the 1950s era housewife in her 1963 book, The Feminine Mystique. She called it 'the problem which has no name.' She wrote: 'Each suburban housewife struggled with it alone. As she made the beds, shopped for groceries… she was afraid to ask even of herself the silent question - 'is this all'?' Or in other words: there has to be more to life than folding laundry and serving the man of the house's desires. And there is. But the recent trad-wife trend on social media would have you believe otherwise. It would have you salivating over the idea of making a meal totally from scratch - and no cheating with a jar of sauce! In one video by popular trad-wife influencer Nara Smith (@naraazizasmith), she makes her husband a fizzy drink from its base ingredients caramel sugar and zested lemons, limes, and oranges, when he asks for a Coca Cola. The house is spotless and she is decked out in a sequin covered gown. Nara says in the video after taking a sip: 'It tasted exactly like coke.' You may wonder then: what is the point? The point is this: it fills women's time by keeping them busy in fulfilling men's desires. Somehow, this video alone has amassed 4.7million views, while her Tiktok page has 11.7million followers. According to the Greater London Authority, that is more than the population of London. The trad-wife trend keeps women from bubbling over with rage about the erosion of our rights here in the UK and across the Atlantic in the USA. Roe vs Wade was repealed in the States in 2022, while just this year the definition of a woman in the UK was ruled by the Supreme Court to be reductive and restrictive. We are living through a shrinking of women's rights. Buy the fizzy drink from your local independent shop. Concentrate on what matters: equality and liberty. However, there are many different stripes to this trend. While Nara's trad-wife image is glittering, polished, and so very modern, there is another strand which presents a rose-tinted gaze back to the post-war period. Take Alena Kate Pettitt's website The Darling Academy for example. Pettitt's brand of tradwife celebrates 'homemaking, motherhood, and vintage inspired living.' In an article on her website, Alena writes: 'In a world that glorifies career ambition and independence from men above all else, the presence of a contented housewife can challenge the deeply ingrained belief that a woman's worth is measured by her pay check, and ability to survive on her own.' This sentiment is a world away from Friedan's. As a modern feminist, there is cause for concern here. The issue is not with the individual enacting domesticity online. Each to their own. Individual right to choose is a core tenet of feminism after all. But what does it say about our current political moment when trad-wife content gains millions of views? To be clear: the trad-wife trend operates by evoking a subdued kind of womanhood that echoes with an era when women did not have equal rights. In a recent interview with author and cultural critic Sophie Gilbert about her new book Girl on Girl, we discussed this strand of the trad-wife. Gilbert describes this looking back as 'weaponised nostalgia' that 'really work[s] hard to serve men's desires.' This 'weaponised nostalgia' is a huge threat to the modern woman. It warps the realities of the past, when women were contained, silenced, and treated as second-class citizens. In response to Friedan's 'problem that has no name', 2025 calls back that the problem is now not only named, but it is trending, with millions of views under the trad-wife hashtag.
The Advertiser
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Advertiser
Mirren warns women of society's 'desire to repress'
Dame Helen Mirren warns there is still a "desire to repress women". The 79-year-old British actress has revealed her "fear" for women in the United States, especially after the decision to overturn Roe vs Wade in 2022, overturned in 2022, which left millions in the US without the constitutional right to abortion. She told WWD: "My great fear is that with the overturning of Roe vs Wade and what's happening in America in general, you realise that lurking in the back is always this need, this desire to repress women. "You think of the way women were treated under Stalin, under Hitler. It was 'get back there, have babies, and shut up. Be pretty, be sexy, have babies, and then shut up about everything else'. "I keep thinking it can't take over, because women have come so far." The Hollywood veteran isn't fazed by aging, but she wishes she would "live longer" to experience the full impact of change she waited decades for. She explained: "The one reason I do wish I was younger is I would like to live longer to see, because I've waited 50 years for the changes to happen that I thought should happen when I was 16 or 17 years old." She said: "There will always be a desire to see youth and beauty on the screen. I mean, I feel the same, quite honestly. "But I think it's the broadening of the stories that we tell. Casting then follows. "People are living longer, and as people live longer, they have stories to tell. Between 50 and 100 years old, there are obviously roles for men and women." She insisted progress has been made in recent years, with more varied stories being told beyond "a man's eyes". She added: "For all of my life, up to like 20 years ago, if I went to the movies, I only ever saw a vision of the world and culture and human relationships and stories and romance and adventure that was seen through a man's eyes. "Now we're seeing women's view of the world about us. I think it's really surprising a lot of people. "I think they thought women would just make movies about romance and dogs or something. They are doing amazing, challenging, difficult, shocking stuff. It's great." Dame Helen Mirren warns there is still a "desire to repress women". The 79-year-old British actress has revealed her "fear" for women in the United States, especially after the decision to overturn Roe vs Wade in 2022, overturned in 2022, which left millions in the US without the constitutional right to abortion. She told WWD: "My great fear is that with the overturning of Roe vs Wade and what's happening in America in general, you realise that lurking in the back is always this need, this desire to repress women. "You think of the way women were treated under Stalin, under Hitler. It was 'get back there, have babies, and shut up. Be pretty, be sexy, have babies, and then shut up about everything else'. "I keep thinking it can't take over, because women have come so far." The Hollywood veteran isn't fazed by aging, but she wishes she would "live longer" to experience the full impact of change she waited decades for. She explained: "The one reason I do wish I was younger is I would like to live longer to see, because I've waited 50 years for the changes to happen that I thought should happen when I was 16 or 17 years old." She said: "There will always be a desire to see youth and beauty on the screen. I mean, I feel the same, quite honestly. "But I think it's the broadening of the stories that we tell. Casting then follows. "People are living longer, and as people live longer, they have stories to tell. Between 50 and 100 years old, there are obviously roles for men and women." She insisted progress has been made in recent years, with more varied stories being told beyond "a man's eyes". She added: "For all of my life, up to like 20 years ago, if I went to the movies, I only ever saw a vision of the world and culture and human relationships and stories and romance and adventure that was seen through a man's eyes. "Now we're seeing women's view of the world about us. I think it's really surprising a lot of people. "I think they thought women would just make movies about romance and dogs or something. They are doing amazing, challenging, difficult, shocking stuff. It's great." Dame Helen Mirren warns there is still a "desire to repress women". The 79-year-old British actress has revealed her "fear" for women in the United States, especially after the decision to overturn Roe vs Wade in 2022, overturned in 2022, which left millions in the US without the constitutional right to abortion. She told WWD: "My great fear is that with the overturning of Roe vs Wade and what's happening in America in general, you realise that lurking in the back is always this need, this desire to repress women. "You think of the way women were treated under Stalin, under Hitler. It was 'get back there, have babies, and shut up. Be pretty, be sexy, have babies, and then shut up about everything else'. "I keep thinking it can't take over, because women have come so far." The Hollywood veteran isn't fazed by aging, but she wishes she would "live longer" to experience the full impact of change she waited decades for. She explained: "The one reason I do wish I was younger is I would like to live longer to see, because I've waited 50 years for the changes to happen that I thought should happen when I was 16 or 17 years old." She said: "There will always be a desire to see youth and beauty on the screen. I mean, I feel the same, quite honestly. "But I think it's the broadening of the stories that we tell. Casting then follows. "People are living longer, and as people live longer, they have stories to tell. Between 50 and 100 years old, there are obviously roles for men and women." She insisted progress has been made in recent years, with more varied stories being told beyond "a man's eyes". She added: "For all of my life, up to like 20 years ago, if I went to the movies, I only ever saw a vision of the world and culture and human relationships and stories and romance and adventure that was seen through a man's eyes. "Now we're seeing women's view of the world about us. I think it's really surprising a lot of people. "I think they thought women would just make movies about romance and dogs or something. They are doing amazing, challenging, difficult, shocking stuff. It's great." Dame Helen Mirren warns there is still a "desire to repress women". The 79-year-old British actress has revealed her "fear" for women in the United States, especially after the decision to overturn Roe vs Wade in 2022, overturned in 2022, which left millions in the US without the constitutional right to abortion. She told WWD: "My great fear is that with the overturning of Roe vs Wade and what's happening in America in general, you realise that lurking in the back is always this need, this desire to repress women. "You think of the way women were treated under Stalin, under Hitler. It was 'get back there, have babies, and shut up. Be pretty, be sexy, have babies, and then shut up about everything else'. "I keep thinking it can't take over, because women have come so far." The Hollywood veteran isn't fazed by aging, but she wishes she would "live longer" to experience the full impact of change she waited decades for. She explained: "The one reason I do wish I was younger is I would like to live longer to see, because I've waited 50 years for the changes to happen that I thought should happen when I was 16 or 17 years old." She said: "There will always be a desire to see youth and beauty on the screen. I mean, I feel the same, quite honestly. "But I think it's the broadening of the stories that we tell. Casting then follows. "People are living longer, and as people live longer, they have stories to tell. Between 50 and 100 years old, there are obviously roles for men and women." She insisted progress has been made in recent years, with more varied stories being told beyond "a man's eyes". She added: "For all of my life, up to like 20 years ago, if I went to the movies, I only ever saw a vision of the world and culture and human relationships and stories and romance and adventure that was seen through a man's eyes. "Now we're seeing women's view of the world about us. I think it's really surprising a lot of people. "I think they thought women would just make movies about romance and dogs or something. They are doing amazing, challenging, difficult, shocking stuff. It's great."
Metro
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
We're living in the Handmaid's Tale - Adriana Smith proves it's true
It was morbid curiosity that saw me sat on my sofa one evening in 2019, watching in horror at season three, episode nine of The Handmaid's Tale. For those unaware of the show (and book's) premise, it is set in a dystopian US, where fertility is on the decline, and those able to bear children are given as slaves (handmaids) to powerful couples. In this episode, Ofmatthew (a handmaid) is left brain dead after but Gilead, the authoritarian state, hooked her up to life support because she was pregnant, refusing to let her die until she'd carried the baby to term. I was repulsed. After all, they'd reduced this poor woman to nothing but a human incubator, using her purely for her womb. I remember thinking ' thank god it's not real' . It was a horror story I could turn off before heading to bed, my internal monologue reminding me that it was all just fiction. So you can imagine my disbelief when the story of Adriana Smith cropped up on my news feed. Adriana Smith, a US-based 30-year-old mother and nurse was declared brain dead (meaning she is legally recognised as dead) after experiencing intense headaches in February, but has been kept on life support for three months because she's pregnant. Like Ofmatthew, she's being kept alive just so she can birth a child. The Handmaid's Tale has finally become a reality. This isn't what her family wants, but Georgia's strict anti-abortion law, which prevents you from terminating a pregnancy after just six weeks, means she will remain on a ventilator until the baby is able to be born. This won't be anytime soon either. It's been reported that her medical team will wait until she's at least 32 weeks pregnant, even though babies have a 'viable' chance of survival outside the womb at 24 weeks. Adriana is currently 21 weeks along. Ever since the US overturned Roe vs Wade in 2022 – allowing women the right to an abortion up to 24 weeks – women have been saying 'we're living in the Handmaid's Tale'. These words have fallen on deaf ears, with even more bills introduced with the goal of limiting a woman's right to choose. Adriana's story is a stark reminder of how close we are to slipping into a dystopian reality. 'It's torture for me. I see my daughter breathing, but she's not there,' her mother, April Newkirk, lamented to Atlanta TV station WXIA. Adriana's young son visits her in hospital but believes his mother is simply sleeping, a cruelty no child should ever have to suffer. And of course, her family will likely be lumped with the ever increasing medical costs of keeping Adriana alive too – how unjust is that? 'She's pregnant with my grandson. But he may be blind, may not be able to walk, may not survive once he's born,' April added. 'This decision should've been left to us. Now we're left wondering what kind of life he'll have — and we're going to be the ones raising him.' What is clear from her mother's words is that this pregnancy being allowed to continue benefits no-one. Certainly not Adriana, nor her son who cannot process his grief, nor the grandparents who will be responsible for this child. When the finale of The Handmaid's Tale aired on May 3, Channel 4 revealed more than half of Brits (56%) feel closer to a dystopian future than ever before, with the current global political climate closely mirroring the atrocities faced on the show. I'm not surprised by these statistics. It only takes looking back to a Grey's Anatomy episode from 2006 to see how much things have changed. In the episode '17 Seconds', 19-year-old Kendra Thomas is shot and left brain dead. She is pregnant and her parents want to leave her life support turned on until she has the child, which they want to raise. The doctors agree this is a terrible option, with Addison in particular explaining how irresponsible this would be. In the end, the parents decide to switch off the life support. I dread to think the kind of criminal charges those doctors would be up against today. I don't even know if that episode would be allowed to be made. I fundamentally believe that Brits should be worried. This is not just a discussion happening in the US. Just last year Conservative MP Caroline Ansell argued the current abortion limit should be lowered from 24 weeks to 22 weeks. It was only in November that Reform's Nigel Farage agreed that the abortion limit should be rolled back. This is a terrifying thought when you realise that Brits are now more likely to consider Reform UK as the main opposition party, ahead of the Conservatives, according to research from this week. Thankfully, 76% of Brits also feel there is no better time to speak up for women's rights than right now. We should all care about the deplorable treatment of Adriana, firstly because she's a woman who is being treated like a human incubator; secondly, if it's happened to one woman, it could happen to any of us; and thirdly, her story signals what feels like the point of no return for women's rights. In the UK, an abortion can legally be performed up to 23 weeks and 6 days of pregnancy, in line with the Abortion Act 1967. After 24 weeks, abortion is only permissible in limited circumstances. To find out more, and to support the Women Need 24 Weeks campaign, head to To sit idly by and say nothing or do nothing, is to allow the patriarchy and misogyny to win out. It cannot get to the point where we're forced to wear red dresses and white bonnets, told not to speak, and have no say over what happens to our bodies. Take action to protect all women by supporting the Women Need 24 Weeks campaign, call your MP and make your concerns known. Speak out on social media and talk to your male friends and family members to help them see why this matters. I would especially like to see protests in the States for Adrianna. Too often, stories of Black women being mistreated by the state fade into distant memory because of misogynoir. Adriana cannot and should not be forgotten. More Trending To everyone who has read Adriana's story, I say: Don't wait until it directly affects you, because then, it's too late. As The Handmaid's Tale protagonist June says: 'Now I'm awake to the world. I was asleep before. That's how we let it happen… In a gradually heating bathtub, you'd be boiled to death before you knew it.' I'm not planning on seeing how hot it gets before I can't take it anymore, it's time to get up, get out, and make your voice heard. May Adriana rest in blissful peace once this ordeal is over. Do you have a story you'd like to share? Get in touch by emailing Share your views in the comments below. MORE: Regardless of the law, I will never use the men's loos MORE: Race Across The World fans slam 'cheating' but I like the rule break MORE: Map reveals the UK cities who have the longest-lasting sex sessions
Daily Record
16-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Record
Legally dead pregnant mum kept alive on life support as foetus 'incubator'
Although Adriana Smith is essentially dead, because she's around 21 weeks pregnant, doctors are refusing to switch off her life support. A pregnant mother who has been pronounced brain-dead is being kept alive against her family's wishes as a human "incubator" because she is carrying a foetus. And the foetus - now at around 21 weeks' gestation - may not even survive birth because tests have shown it has hydrocephalus, or fluid on the brain. Three months ago, 30-year-old Adriana Smith was declared brain-dead after suffering blood clots on her brain. At the time she was around nine weeks pregnant and went to Atlanta's Northside Hospital seeking help for intense headaches, reports the Mirror. The nurse went home after being given medication. However, the next morning her boyfriend woke to the sounds of her gasping for air and called for an ambulance, and she was rushed to Emory University Hospital. Tragically, mum-of-one Adriana was declared brain-dead due to the clots on her brain - but because of draconian anti-abortion laws in the US state of Georgia, instead of being laid to rest, the woman was hooked up to a life-support machine and artificially kept alive so that her foetus could grow. Her confused five-year-old son still visits her body in the hospital, along with other members of her family, who say she is being kept alive against their wishes. Adriana's mum, April Newkirk, told local news that her grandson thinks his mother is ' sleeping '. "It's torture for me. I see my daughter breathing, but she's not there," she added. In the meantime, the family are facing mounting medical bills as Adriana is kept on life support by doctors who have told switching off the machines is a 'legal grey area'. "Every day that goes by, it's more cost, more trauma, more questions," said April. "She's pregnant with my grandson. But he may be blind, may not be able to walk, may not survive once he's born. "This decision should've been left to us. Now we're left wondering what kind of life he'll have — and we're going to be the ones raising him." Since the Supreme Court's 2022 reversal of Roe vs Wade - which allowed women in the States to access abortions since 1973 - Georgia's Republican lawmakers have brought in some of the harshest legislation against abortion healthcare. State law now bans abortion after cardiac activity can be detected - the so-called 'heartbeat bill' - which is around six weeks into pregnancy. But there is an exception under the law if abortion is necessary to maintain the life of the woman. In a statement, Emory Healthcare claimed it "uses consensus from clinical experts, medical literature, and legal guidance to support our providers as they make individualized treatment recommendations in compliance with Georgia's abortion laws and all other applicable laws". "Our top priorities," the hospital added, "continue to be the safety and wellbeing of the patients we serve." Adriana's plight has sparked a wave of outrage from women. Dr Jennifer Lincoln, an OBGYN based in Portland, Oregon, summed it up in a TikTok that has already been watched more than four million times. "So they're keeping a pregnant woman alive in Georgia who is brain-dead, because she's 20 weeks pregnant, and they've said they cannot take her off life-support because that would be an abortion," said Dr Jennifer. "And it would be one thing if that's what she said her wish was, or her family's wish even, but it's against her family's wishes. "Let me say that again: they are keeping a pregnant woman who is dead, alive, for her foetus. So she is literally just an incubator now. While her older son watches her and thinks that she is just 'sleeping'. And if that doesn't make you throw up, then you, my friend, are the one who is dead inside," she added. "When will you stand up and speak out against these abortion bans? When it affects you? It's so sick. So sick." Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'.
Daily Mirror
16-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Mirror
Legally dead pregnant mum kept alive 'against family's wishes' to incubate baby
Adriana Smith, 30, is essentially dead - but because she's around 21 weeks pregnant, doctors are refusing to switch off her life support because of a draconian abortion law A pregnant woman who has been pronounced brain-dead is being kept alive against her family's wishes because she is carrying a foetus - essentially being forced to become a human incubator. And the foetus - now at around 21 weeks' gestation - might not even survive birth because tests have shown it has hydrocephalus, or fluid on the brain. Adriana Smith, 30, was declared brain-dead three months ago after suffering blood clots on her brain. At the time she was around nine weeks pregnant and went to Atlanta's Northside Hospital seeking help for intense headaches. After being given medication, the nurse went home - but the next morning her boyfriend woke to the sounds of her gasping for air and called for an ambulance, and she was rushed to Emory University Hospital. Tragically, mum-of-one Adriana was declared brain-dead due to the clots on her brain - but because of draconian anti-abortion laws in the US state of Georgia, instead of being laid to rest, the woman was hooked up to a life-support machine and artificially kept alive so that her foetus could grow. Her confused five-year-old son still visits her body in the hospital, along with other members of her family, who say she is being kept alive against their wishes. Adriana's mum, April Newkirk, told local news that her grandson thinks his mother is 'sleeping'. "It's torture for me. I see my daughter breathing, but she's not there," she added. READ MORE: Love Island star's 'heartbreaking abortion' just months after giving birth to first child In the meantime, the family are facing mounting medical bills as Adriana is kept on life support by doctors who have told switching off the machines is a 'legal grey area'. "Every day that goes by, it's more cost, more trauma, more questions," said April. "She's pregnant with my grandson. But he may be blind, may not be able to walk, may not survive once he's born. "This decision should've been left to us. Now we're left wondering what kind of life he'll have — and we're going to be the ones raising him." Since the Supreme Court's 2022 reversal of Roe vs Wade - which allowed women in the States to access abortions since 1973 - Georgia's Republican lawmakers have brought in some of the harshest legislation against abortion healthcare. State law now bans abortion after cardiac activity can be detected - the so-called 'heartbeat bill' - which is around six weeks into pregnancy. But there is an exception under the law if abortion is necessary to maintain the life of the woman. In a statement, Emory Healthcare claimed it "uses consensus from clinical experts, medical literature, and legal guidance to support our providers as they make individualized treatment recommendations in compliance with Georgia's abortion laws and all other applicable laws". "Our top priorities," the hospital added, "continue to be the safety and wellbeing of the patients we serve." Adriana's plight has sparked a wave of outrage from women. Dr Jennifer Lincoln, an OBGYN based in Portland, Oregon, summed it up in a TikTok that has already been watched more than four million times. "So they're keeping a pregnant woman alive in Georgia who is brain-dead, because she's 20 weeks pregnant, and they've said they cannot take her off life-support because that would be an abortion," said Dr Jennifer. "And it would be one thing if that's what she said her wish was, or her family's wish even, but it's against her family's wishes. "Let me say that again: they are keeping a pregnant woman who is dead, alive, for her foetus. So she is literally just an incubator now. While her older son watches her and thinks that she is just 'sleeping'. And if that doesn't make you throw up, then you, my friend, are the one who is dead inside," she added. "When will you stand up and speak out against these abortion bans? When it affects you? It's so sick. So sick."
