'More than a housewife' : tradwives : the influencers of right-wing extremism : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Psychology at Massey University, Aotearoa New Zealand
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Date
2023
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Massey University
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Abstract
The right-wing landscape is vast with a variety of expressions, communities and cultures existing within its realm. Understanding the extent of Right-Wing Extremism and its association to not only violence, but also to ideological radicalisation is a prominent and important area of research for Aotearoa New Zealand and the world. Globalising anti-globalism and modernising the anti-modern, the Tradwife phenomena is a new and uniquely social media-based movement. Tradwives are an influential community of right-wing women that espouse the traditional feminine lifestyle of being a wife and mother and capitalise on contemporary social media marketing strategies to promote a uniquely feminine persona that is equal parts ideology and aesthetic. This thesis explores a moment in time of the Tradwife community and seeks to conceptualise their ecosystem, understanding how Tradwives have attempted to mainstream their ideologies through processes of radicalisation and social media influencing. A Netnographical analysis positions the Tradwife phenomena within the right-wing landscape and presents four key findings or 'holons' which cohere into a holography of the 'who, why, and how' that fuels Tradwife culture. Observing the Tradwife community not as its individual parts, but as a whole creates in-depth understandings of Tradwife culture. As an alive and growing ecosystem, Tradwife culture offers women distinct norms for action, and actively works to grow reach through nuanced techniques of influencer marketing and online radicalisation. This research finds that despite a continuum of right-wing affiliation existing within the Tradwife Landscape, the very subscription to Tradwife culture by definition promotes right-wing and at times extremist thought in an attempt to influence other women to take up the Tradwife cause.