Nuclear Nouveau: Trad’s Not Dead, Just Rebranded
If you somehow haven't noticed, our country is experiencing a change. As the current administration continues to introduce drastic changes to our most basic government systems and human rights are seemingly decimated on a daily basis, the attitudes of many Americans are beginning to sway heavily conservative. The “right-wing swing” is all around us, on the news and in our daily interactions. It's the increasing popularity of patriotic country music, the dominance of “old money” style in the fashion world, and the uptick in anti-intellectualism. Despite the criticism it receives from citizens and noncitizens alike, America is more American than ever. But where did this come from? And why now? It boils down to fear.
Whether it’s the economy tanking, impending international and domestic warfare, or the rising cost of living, people are afraid of what reality they’ll wake up to every day. It’s a poisonous and unshakeable fear, the kind that makes a population vulnerable. It throws us off balance, knocks us off our feet. And historically, when we do fall, it’s the shining hand of tradition that reaches out to us, offering a desperate country a taste of normalcy and safety. After World War II, the nuclear family was born as a solution for national instability and chaos: a strong, providing father, a dutiful homebound mother, and 2.5 high-achieving children. It was once heralded as the ideal familial structure for achieving success. However, as time passed and real social issues began to be seriously addressed, the facade of the perfect nuclear family started to fall away. It became antiquated, viewed as a backward, limiting aspect of our past. But if you take a good look around you, you will see that history has begun to repeat itself. Fear is growing like an injection of poison slowly creeping through the body of the American people. Fear of the future, of instability and struggle. The people crave stability and normalcy. And as if on cue, trad has returned with a vengeance. Only this time, more subtle. ess identifiable. It often masks itself under the guise of health, and from this, crunchy-trad was born.
Crunchy-trad is harder to pinpoint than the nuclear traditional philosophy we’ve previously seen. Crunchy-trad women don’t don the pearls and kitten heels of nuclear wives past, nor do they run the PTA. Instead, they populate farmers markets, scouting for the best organic produce and farm-to-table ingredients. They sniff expensive essential oils instead of downing handfuls of opiates. They’re in your run club, on your pilates retreat, behind you in line at the Birkenstock store, woven basket in hand. Most of all, they’re on your social media. Crunchy-trad influencers like @ballerinafarm shot into the mainstream spotlight during the COVID-19 lockdown and have only solidified their place in the mainstream in the years since. While they masquerade as modern hippies, under the surface, the philosophies and deep-rooted beliefs of the crunchy-trad align more with alt-right extremists than real commune living liberals. In short, they are people with strong conservative beliefs who embrace traditional values while also presenting as health-conscious and anti-establishment. They still harbor the same individualistic and nationalist ideals, just wrapped in an organic beeswax package.
What’s Old:
Most obviously, the crunchy-trad value a traditional family structure. Gender roles in the family are clearly defined and can be understood through the lens of separate spheres. This antiquated patriarchal ideal is the basis of the nuclear family. It dictates that men are the rulers of the public, and women are the rulers of the private. Men are saddled with the weight of society and the outside world, thus being thrust into the role of sole provider, and women are limited to the jurisdiction of the home. This is easily seen in the classic traditional family, as the father works to provide and protect while the mother aims to nurture and tend to matters of emotion and homemaking. Crunchy-trad is no different, only slightly altered to fit the realities of 2025. Conservative men are still expected to be the sole providers of their household, and more and more women have opted to become stay-at-home moms. This should be no surprise. As jobs get fewer and farther between, and the cost of simply being alive climbs to historic heights, the prospect of being a homemaker becomes increasingly attractive. In the age of “I’m just a girl,” the crunchy-trad lifestyle provides young women with a way out of the endless capitalist onslaught no degree or independence required. Crunchy-trad mothers, or self-proclaimed “mama bears,” are instead given a new purpose – being the sole protector of the souls of their children. This is part of the traditional idea of seeing the family not as a moving part of a larger society, but as a private sovereign nation ruled by the parents. Each role provides the parents with separate tasks, hoping to provide everything a child needs to survive without the help of a community or the government.
What’s New:
The defining 21st-century difference between nuclear-trad and crunchy-trad is that those who fall under the latter category are often outspoken about their distrust in the outside world, especially the government and its various appendages. This could be considered a reflection of the actions of our current administration, as well as the crippling fear that has been pushing Americans further right.
A prime example of this is the crunchy-trad’s love for homeschooling, as parents are rapidly choosing to abandon public schools and instead opting to educate their children from the comfort of their impeccably clean kitchen tables. This is preferable because the lack of formal structure and regulation allows for a more controlled education, often supplemented with a healthy dose of religion. This connects back to the nuclear-trad idea that the family is seen as an individual sovereign kingdom. In both trad models, women are the leaders of the private sphere of influence, or the spiritual well-being of their immediate family. As a result, modern crunchy-trad mothers are eager to take on the role of sole educator for their children. This is only exacerbated by the constant speculative reports from conservative media about children in public schools being “groomed” by public school teachers by exposing them to diversity. This fear-mongering creates a dangerous narrative that homeschooling is the only option to keep your children safe. While homeschooling is not inherently conservative, it does fall in line with the nuclear-trad’s individualist and conservative mindset, as well as with the actions of our current conservative administration. As the Trump administration continues to cut educational funding and ban crucial information from being taught, more conservatives will choose to homeschool their children.
Another key characteristic of crunchy-trad is distrust in the American medical system. It’s common to see popular crunchy-trad influencers post about the dangers of commonly used ingredients. There is seemingly a new target every week, often things like seed oils, food dyes, and processed snacks. But the star of the show when it comes to the granolatrad diet is raw milk, despite being banned in many states due to serious health concerns and the high possibility of spreading deadly disease. It is not uncommon to see people in this online space condemning the use of vaccines, especially for children. This has always been a prevalent ideal in the granola cyberspace, but it has reached new and deadly heights after the COVID-19 pandemic. Being unvaccinated is not only seen as a means of strengthening natural antibodies, but it is also worn as a badge of honor. These practices are highly dangerous as they are rooted in misinformation. It could be inferred that this is a result of United States Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy’s “Make America Healthy Again” movement, which encourages this behavior and publicly denounces decades of scientific research in favor of dangerous practices. The dismissal of scientific research in favor of niche opinions born out of an online echo chamber has real-life consequences.
What Now?
The truth is that this movement, which presents itself as being health-conscious and family-oriented, is just the same outdated and dangerous conservative ideology from decades past, rebranded to be palatable for modern young people. It could be argued that crunchy-trad is more dangerous, as it promotes deep distrust in the federal structures that keep our country alive and instead encourages irresponsible methods of self-preservation. These ideas only spread faster with the use of social media, which romanticizes the lifestyle and brings down those who don’t conform to heteronormative, Christian identities. It may be disheartening to see this backslide decades of societal progress in America, but we can show strength in resistance. All we can do is be hyper-aware of the core messaging, because to recognize and critically analyze these patterns is to defeat them. We must remember that diversity and community are our country’s greatest strengths, and this repackaged conservatism will not save us from the horrors of our current governmental reality. Be smart, think hard, don’t fall for the crunchy-trad propaganda.
Sources:
Steinbach, S. (2025, April 25). Victorian era. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/event/Victorian-era
Luse, B., Williams, A., Girdwood, B., Pathak, N., & Williams, V. (2025, April 7). Crunchy Conservatives want to “make america healthy again.” NPR. https://www.npr.org/2025/04/07/1263527071/its-been-a-minute-road-to-maha-crunchy-conservatives
Natanson, H. (2022, April 5). Teachers who mention sexuality are ‘grooming’ children, Conservatives Say - The Washington Post. The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2022/04/05/teachers-groomers-pedophiles-dont-say-gay/
KFF Health News. (2025, January 29). Led by RFK Jr., Conservatives Embrace Raw Milk. Regulators Say it’s Dangerous. News. https://www.news-medical.net/news/20250129/Led-by-RFK-Jr-conservatives-embrace-raw-milk-Regulators-say-its-dangerous.aspx
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