TradWife TikToks and the new viral tumbler
Are some of these "traditional wife" TikToks trolling us? TikTok / @madfitmaddison Over the last few months, and especially the last few weeks, TikTok's algorithm has been feeding me more and more massively viral videos about wives showing how they take care of their husbands. Usually, my For You page is algorithmically curated with progressive content, so it's notable that über-conservative TikToks began floating onto my FYP because of their disproportionately high engagement. This TikTok from user @madfitmaddison, which got 3.5 million views in just one week, demonstrates how she prepares the day for her husband, whom she then wakes up.
Maddison opens her TikTok by saying, "Here's how I start my husband's day off right." She starts off by "writing down three reasons why I love him," filling up his water bottle, making him a smoothie, pouring him a cup of aloe juice, and fixing him an iced coffee. She says she then cleans their house, puts on Christian music, and proceeds to wake her husband up "with a little hand squeeze." To me, its husband-centering mothering is cringeworthy. These kinds of TikToks are personally concerning to me because I don't subscribe to these values, but I understand that some people do, both consensually and satisfyingly.
It's also an extraordinarily ordinary video, so I was shocked it had millions of views. A lot of the views, IMO, were largely because of all its spoofs, like this one from user @nicolemmatt. Her video is hilarious. It transforms something earnest into something absurdist.
"I shared this video hoping to inspire others to do kind things for their significant others," said Maddison, who's 23 and lives in Arizona. "Everyone instantly assumed I was doing these things because I'm a 'servant' to my husband. I am not a servant and never will be. We both help each other equally because we love each other."
I don't want to get into a debate on gender roles and patriarchy, as relevant as they are here and as critical as I am about them. (I think from a history of my writing and assertions here you can probably accurately deduce how I feel about these issues.) But I also know that where someone is in her own journey of interpreting systems of oppression, and possibly dismantling them and promoting empowerment, differs from woman to woman. So if Maddison is cool with it, we'll leave this here.
What I'm a little more interested in is how this genre has become a strategic growth hack on the app, whether it's intentional or not. It seems like Maddison's TikTok was not a troll, but I suspect others are meant to incite division and a bit of controversy.
Take the super popular account @cheesedaily, which has 3.3 million followers. Their videos mostly show meal prepping with very curious commentary about their husband. The videos are sometimes so beyond belief I am almost convinced it's straight satire. "While I was on my knees this morning tying my husband's shoes before work, he says he received an electricity bill and it was extremely high, and he wants the children and I to start using candles for lighting," they say in one video. "While my husband has been away with his mistress, I've been living life to the fullest," they say in another. TikTok / @cheesedaily My colleague Lauren had been trying to reach @cheesedaily — who also has an unrelated YouTube channel where they trial toys and miscellaneous fun items — for a while. Lauren also strongly suspects the TikTok account is a parody.
People in the comments are sometimes very confused. In a video from February, @cheesedaily says filling their husband's gas tank is just one of their "duties" as a spouse, as they have an actual contracted agreement. "I'm sorry a CONTRACT?!?!?!" a user reacted; another wrote, "My one question are you joking."
We still don't know, because they have not responded to Lauren's emails or mine. But the incongruity between the videos and the dramatically escalating narration seems to be the work of an imaginative troll. In comments of more recent videos, people are catching on and outwardly calling their videos "satire," but there are still enough comments like "is this real" that the suspension of disbelief has become a successful growth hack for the account. People are enjoying them as comedy and are so intrigued by the potential of a scandal that many of the videos have been viewed millions of times.
I find this fascinating because so much social media success has come courtesy of perceived authenticity. In both of these cases, however, the accounts and videos have become massively popular because we're either riffing on someone's authenticity or we're questioning it. That liminal space seems to be really effective on TikTok, where we're constantly discovering new personalities. Their mystique works to their advantage, whereas on Instagram and YouTube, creators' success has largely been built on cultivating a personality that fans and strangers learn more and more about. I don't condone bullying Maddison or people like her because they've decided that serving their husbands in these domestic ways are fulfilling, but the spoofs that her TikTok have inspired are funny and also have the opportunity to go viral.
Unlike traditional influencer tactics, on TikTok, perhaps a thought experiment is more compelling than a singular personality as far as content goes. And that's kind of an exciting way to think about accounts that will gain popularity in the future. Maybe we won't praise a person as much as we'll praise anyone who gets us to challenge our value systems.
—Tanya Chen How One Instagram Account Turned A Cup Into An Influencer Phenomenon Instagram / @thebuyguide When I first saw the phrase "Stanley cup" floating around Instagram, I thought it had something to do with hockey. After posting about it on my Instagram stories, I quickly got schooled. I got so many messages praising this cup, I struggled to respond to them all. Suddenly, it seemed like every influencer on my feed was talking about it.
"The Stanley Cup" or simply "the Cup" is an insulated, 40-ounce tumbler that has become so popular it's now a phenomenon. After the company that makes it, Stanley, restocked the Cup on Monday, it sold out in under five hours. Company representatives wouldn't specify how many had been sold, but they did share with me that 33,000 people had signed up for Stanley's waiting list ahead of the drop. On eBay, the tumbler, which normally retails for $40, is being resold for up to $180.
How exactly did this happen? Like Carhartt beanies before it, Stanley, founded in 1913, has become the benefactor of an online fervor that began completely organically. In its case, it's all thanks to one Instagram account.
The Buy Guide is run by three friends — Ashlee, Taylor, and Linley — and is dedicated to "purchases that make life a little better." Their story with the Cup is simple: Ashlee bought it and just really liked it. She had tested a bunch of other water bottles and tumblers and "knew this was the best right away."
"It just shows up and does its job," she told me. "There isn't another 40-ounce cup with a handle that is dishwasher safe on the market. There are a couple similar cups that are a bit smaller, but they're just not nearly as pretty." She added that some may think it's silly, but she thinks it is worth spending a little bit more on something that looks nice.
Ashley gave one tumbler each to Taylor and Linley, and they both loved them, and would proselytize about them on their then-small account. Then, Stanley temporarily discontinued the cup in 2019. The women were devastated and set out to try to connect with someone at the company to convince them to bring it back.
The trio eventually reached a member of the Stanley public relations team through her personal Instagram account. Over the next several months, they worked closely with the company to advocate for the cup using influencer marketing. (I won't rehash the whole story here, but you can read about it on their blog.)
"We advised Stanley to work on their site, join an affiliate platform, and that we would introduce them to an army of influencers who love the cup and would sell it to their followings," the blog reads. "We told them our dreams for the cup were much bigger than we were alone. We asked them to give us the chance to show them what women selling to women looks like."
Since then, the cup has skyrocketed in popularity. On Monday, the company introduced a new line of pastel colors. Obviously, it went well. www.stanley1913.com As you can imagine, the people at Stanley are stoked about the massive popularity of the Cup, which is called the Adventure Quencher on its website. Terence Reilly, Stanley's global president, told me they are "thrilled."
"We have a huge hit on our hands, thanks to the Buy Guide, thanks to influencers from all over and a huge word of mouth," he said.
He promised me, and fans of the Cup, that Stanley is just getting started when it comes to leaning into the market of devotees of their product.
"We'll have several more drops of the Quencher in new colors," he said. "And we're just so excited. It's really a fun time to surprise and delight so many consumers with this incredibly popular product."
The power of influencer marketing is truly staggering, and companies who haven't yet gotten on board with it should look to Stanley if they need any further convincing. But while I do marvel at that aspect of this story, I keep thinking about something else: the power of being an influencer.
Through their Instagram account, Ashlee, Taylor, and Linley have become savvy entrepreneurs, opening up a century-old company to an entirely new market segment. How else than through social media would this have ever been possible? It is only through the democratizing power of social media that these women, who aren't working in some C-suite, are able to have this much influence.
It's exciting, it's impactful, and it's important.
Want more? Here are other stories we were following this week. Instagram is asking influencers to love them again with new moneymaking features. By announcing new tools to help people earn money, it seems like the company wants to woo back some of its disgruntled influencers.
P.S. If you like this newsletter, help keep our reporting free for all. Support BuzzFeed News by becoming a member here. (Monthly memberships are available worldwide.) 📝 This letter was edited and brought to you by Tanya Chen, Stephanie McNeal, and BuzzFeed News. You can always reach us here. BuzzFeed, Inc. |
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