Wives For Consumption

Nostalgia, discourse and ideology of the #Tradwife Movement

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5752/P.2237-9967.2026v15e37743

Keywords:

Mormons, #TradWife Movement, Semiotics, Discourse, Nostalgia

Abstract

This article examines the #TradWife movement as a discursive, ideological, semiotic, and consumption-oriented phenomenon, drawing on the ideas of Yuri Lotman, Mikhail Bakhtin, Michel Foucault, and Mary Douglas and Baron Isherwood. Through a semiotic analysis grounded in Yuri Lotman’s theory, combined with Nilton Milanez’s concept of intericonicity, and focusing on the Instagram profile of Hannah Neeleman, known as @BallerinaFarm, this study maps how religious discourse permeates her content. It argues that Neeleman’s imagery engages in dialogue with historical representations of the westward migration of Mormon pioneers in the United States, mobilizing a form of nostalgia distinct from that typically found in other #TradWife influencer profiles.

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Author Biography

Adille Rigoni Massimini, ESPM

Adille Rigoni Massimini is a PhD candidate in Communication and Consumption Practices at PPGCOM/ESPM, where she also earned her Master’s degree from the same program and a Bachelor’s degree in Social Communication with a specialization in Advertising. Her current research explores the materialization of religious discourse in ultraconservative movements, such as the #TradWife movement. Her research interests include gender, Mormon Studies, communication, performance, and resistance movements.

References

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MASSIMINI, Adille. Irmãs em Sião: uma análise discursiva dos grupos feministas na Igreja de Jesus Cristo dos Santos dos Últimos Dias e seus circuitos de comunicação e consumo. 2022. Dissertação (Mestrado em Comunicação e Práticas de Consumo) – Programa de Pós-Graduação em Comunicação e Práticas de Consumo, Escola Superior de Propaganda e Marketing (ESPM), São Paulo.

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MORGAN, Holly. ‘Tradwives’: The women looking back to the 1950s for a traditional role model. CNN, 27 dez. 2022. Disponível em: https://edition.cnn.com/2022/12/27/us/tradwife-1950s-nostalgia-tiktok-cec/index.html. Acesso em 03 de junho de 2025.

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Published

2026-09-09

How to Cite

MASSIMINI, Adille Rigoni. Wives For Consumption: Nostalgia, discourse and ideology of the #Tradwife Movement. Dispositiva, Belo Horizonte, v. 15, p. e37743, 2026. DOI: 10.5752/P.2237-9967.2026v15e37743. Disponível em: https://periodicos.pucminas.br/dispositiva/article/view/37743. Acesso em: 13 sep. 2026.

Issue

Vol. 15 (2026): Tema Livre e Dossiê temático: Nostalgia(s) nas mídias

Section

Nostalgia(s) in Media

License

Copyright (c) 2026 Adille Rigoni Massimini

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