Julianne Hough is putting her own spin on the trad wife trend.
“What’s the opposite of #tradwife?” Hough, 36, captioned a cheeky video of herself making food in a teeny white bikini via Instagram on Sunday, September 22. Her dog, Sunny, also made a cameo in the clip, even snagging a bite of Hough’s lunch for herself.
Followers were quick to comment on the Dancing With the Stars cohost’s cooking video, with multiple social media users answering the question she asked in her caption with a simple, straightforward answer: “Untradwife?” Another said, “Fab wife.”
The term “trad wife,” which is short for “traditional wife,” is an aesthetic for married women that embraces traditional gender roles, particularly domestic duties – like cooking and cleaning – and supporting the husband as the primary caregiver of their children. (Hough is not married and does not have children.)
Influencer and mom of three Nara Smith, who catapulted to TikTok fame after posting cooking videos on the social media app in 2022, is one of the faces of the rising trend.
Other popular trad wife personalities include Hannah Neeleman – a mom of eight known for her “Ballerina Farm” – and Estee Williams, who appeared on Dr. Phil in May to discuss all things trad wife. (Neeleman, 34, previously said she doesn’t “necessarily” identify with the term despite being one of the most public trad wife personalities.)
Hough was previously married to former NHL player Brooks Laich. The pair were introduced by mutual friend Teddy Sears in December 2013 and got engaged in 2015. They tied the knot in Idaho in July 2017 but called it quits in 2020. Us Weekly confirmed that the duo’s divorce was finalized in June 2022.
While appearing on the “Jamie Kern Lima Show” in August, Hough reflected on her romance with Laich, 41, explaining that their relationship was the “greatest thing that could have happened to me at that time of my life.”
She continued, “What I needed at that time was to reconnect with my 10-year-old self. What did I need at 10? I really needed safety and almost, like, a father figure to come in and be that grounding force of stability.”
While looking back at their love story, Hough had nothing but positive things to say about that chapter of her life.
“We are important, special people in each other’s lives and we shared a really powerful season together,” she said. “I know that I also brought a lot of things to his life that he’s shared with me also so it has definitely felt like a mutual respect and love and period of growth for both of us.”
