Nara Smith and Hannah Neeleman have been called “trad wives” by social media users to their mutual chagrin.
Late last month, Nara, 23, and husband Lucky Blue Smith even brought their three children to visit the Neelemans’ Ballerina Farm. (Hannah, 34, runs the homestead with her spouse, Daniel Neeleman, with whom she shares eight kids.)
“We were visiting my husband’s family in Utah and thought it would be fun to hang out,” Nara told The Times of London in a Saturday, October 5, profile. “Hannah and I always get looped in together for some reason. We share similarities, like being mums and having a passion for cooking, but really we are quite different.”
Nara and Hannah both make social media videos documenting their domestic lives, leading critics to call them “trad wives.” The label, short for “traditional wife,” refers to modern women who take on stay-at-home roles while their husbands act as breadwinners. The “trad wife” term seemingly glorifies the more old-fashioned lifestyle of a housewife.
Both Nara and Hannah have denounced being referred to as a “trad wife,” asserting that they split all responsibilities with their respective spouses.
“I’m not a trad wife. I’m a working mum,” Nara stressed to The Times. “I’ve addressed it several times, but people still want to run with that narrative. I wanted kids, but I did not want to compromise my career. I do work that allows me also to be home with the kids. I know that’s a privilege.”
Nara and 26-year-old Lucky, who met as fashion models when she was 18, got married in 2020 before welcoming their three children. They share son Slim Easy, 2, and daughters Rumble Honey, 3, and Whimsy Lou, 4 months. (Lucky also shares eldest daughter Gravity, 7, with ex-girlfriend Stormi Bree Henley.)
According to Nara, she and Lucky divide all household chores 50/50.
“It took us five years to get to this point but now we make sure his needs are met and my needs are met by splitting our days,” she told the outlet, adding that cooking is her “love language.”
Nara, who gave birth to three kids before the age of 24, has also been criticized for young parenthood.
“[My] dad was 45 and mum 35 when they had me, and he always said he regretted having kids really old,” Nara told The Times. “So when I discovered my husband and I were on the same page about having kids young, we were like, let’s do it, and then they get to grow up with us.”
She continued, “[Haters] say, ‘She should be in a club living it up, coming home drunk.’ But I’ve been to the clubs. I’ve experimented. I’ve been a teenager. Now I would much rather be at home reading a book or having friends over to play a board game. That’s so much more fulfilling to me than coming home at 4 a.m.”
Nara and Lucky, however, are absolutely done having kids.
“Babies are so cute, but I feel I can’t be the best mom to my kids if I keep having more,” she said. “If I want something, I will work tirelessly to make that happen. I am a very ambitious person.”
