Around this time last year, the Western 'tradwife' trend stormed social media. These women, dressed in head-to-toe designer outfits, cooked elaborate meals from scratch, managed children, cared for pets, maintained gardens and farms, and somehow still looked picture-perfect. They did it all without breaking a sweat or smudging their lip gloss.
At the centre of this trend was Nara Smith, a young 22-year-old a model, influencer, mother of four and wife to fellow influencer and model Lucky Blue Smith. Her "made from scratch" reels quickly became Internet gold. Others like Hannah Neeleman of Ballerina Farm and Kelly Havens followed suit, blending domesticity with a curated online aesthetic.
Fast forward to now, and it seems India has its own version of the tradwife.
A Day In The Life Of A Married 20-Year-Old
The videos are not so aesthetic, they are simple. A young girl, usually in her early twenties, or younger, wakes up before everyone else, cooks breakfast, does household chores, offers morning prayers, and spends her day caring for her family, usually alongside her mother-in-law.
These aren't ultra-conservative households, at least not outwardly. The girls appear happy, even content, often smiling or cracking jokes in their videos with their husbands or in-laws.
But something about the trend is unsettling for many online viewers.
They call themselves "girls", not "women" in these daily vlogs title. And perhaps that's what has made them go viral across Indian social media, despite their mundane content: their age.
How Social Media Is Reacting
These "day in the life" reels have sparked heated debates.
While some viewers (largely male) praise these young women for being "ideal wives" and "every man's dream", others, particularly women, aren't convinced.
For some, the videos act as a cautionary tale. "Motivation to study harder," many users comment in these videos. Others question whether these women are truly choosing this life, or whether they've been conditioned to believe it's their only option.
'Choice Or Conditioning'
"This is called conditioning, that whatever you've seen growing up, you normalise it," says Dr Falguni Vasavada, a professor of marketing and an influencer herself.
She adds in a now viral video, "There's an extremely disturbing trend going on right now. These girls are doing skincare, cooking, running households and appearing happy, but at 20 or 21, do they even know what else is out there? Have they had the exposure or freedom to make a real choice?"
Dr Vasavada's comment struck a chord on social media, where many echoed the sentiment: at that age, are you truly choosing something, or just mirroring what you've been taught to accept?
So we asked an expert.
Shreya Kaul, a Noida-based counselling psychologist, also believes this topic sits in a grey area.
"If you ask me, there's no black-and-white answer. As a feminist, I firmly believe in the power of choice. If a young woman genuinely chooses marriage at 21, then that should be respected," she says.
But Kaul also points to the broader cultural context. "Indian society has long romanticised early marriage. So when a young girl chooses it, we can't ignore the role of conditioning," she adds.
Her real concern, though, lies in the glorification of this lifestyle.
"The issue isn't with being married or choosing to care for your family, it's the pedestal we place it on. When we glorify a certain path, we forget that not everyone has the luxury of choice. Not every woman can choose to work, or to marry later, or to travel. The danger lies in turning a single lifestyle into an ideal," Shreya says.
Psychologically too, Kaul warns of the implications, "At 21, your brain is still developing, your identity, your beliefs, your decision-making abilities are evolving. Becoming a wife that early could potentially short-circuit that growth."
The Real Takeaway From This Trend
What's clear is that these Indian tradwife videos aren't just harmless content. They're reflections of bigger questions about gender, freedom, and societal expectations.
Yes, some women may genuinely enjoy married life at 20. But as both experts argue, it's crucial to examine whether they're choosing it freely or falling into patterns pre-written for them.
Perhaps the real takeaway is this: not every girl who posts about her happy married life is oppressed. But not every one of them is liberated either. Until we acknowledge that both can exist at once, we'll continue to argue online while ignoring the deeper cultural currents beneath.
This new generation of Indian tradwives might look like they're simply embracing domesticity, but their videos have sparked necessary conversations.
But as Dr Vasavada puts it, "Choice without exposure isn't really a choice."
In the end, whether you're cooking from scratch in a Noida kitchen or a Utah farmhouse, the question remains the same: is this truly your choice, or is it just content for social media.