Sign of the Times: the Fashion Space and the 2024 Election

As the results of the 2024 election came into focus, with an apparent conservative swing dominating the political landscape, a curious theory began to gain traction on social commentary pages: the fashion and cultural space has long been signaling this shift, and many were just too blind to see it. Indeed, for the past eighteen months, trends in fashion and beauty have leaned heavily into traditional aesthetics and conservative values, foreshadowing the greater political mood that the country expressed early last month. 

Trends, Tradwives, and Traditionalism

Courtesy of Elle

The tradwife movement, characterized by a nostalgic embrace of mid-20th century domestic femininity, has experienced a recent surge in popularity across platforms like TikTok and Instagram. With a new wave of influencers promoting homemaking, modest attire, and traditional gender roles, the aesthetic dovetailed with broader cultural currents that prioritized “simpler times” over modern feminist ideals. Videos with tags like #tradwife and #vintagefemininity amassed millions of views, featuring young women, dressed in curated wardrobes of floral dresses and aprons, flitting about their pristine kitchens with a baby on their hip as they make chewing gum from scratch. There’s certainly a satirical edge to many of these videos, but the irony is undercut by the reality that many of these creators did, indeed, support Donald Trump in his presidential bid and—whether they admit it or not—are promoting a life relegated to the domestic sphere to millions of impressionable viewers. 

The point of concern comes not from the decision of a woman to be a stay-at-home mother or wife, nor necessarily from the party they supported in November. Moreso, 

Still, creators and commenters alike have framed this aesthetic and the inherently patriarchal values it propels as admirable—brave, even—and leaned into the notion rooted in choice feminism that the individual actions of all women are inherently feminist by virtue of the actor identifying as female. 

So What?

Courtesy of Adage

It would be fair to ask how any of these internet trends have any bearing on the country’s political climate. The connection might seem like a stretch, but once you look closer, it really isn’t so outlandish. Trump’s win was not carried solely on the backs of older white men—he also saw meaningful bumps in support from young voters and nonwhite voters, groups that happened to see the largest gender gaps in their vote choice. 

In their op-ed for The New York Times, Tressie McMillan Cottom discusses how tradwife influencers have propped up a “sprawling market of far-right, influencer-promoted goods that make a profit and slowly acculturate people to extremism” by rebranding the ideas of male breadwinners and female domesticity as “feminine leisure” and “stay-at-home girlfriends.” It’s no coincidence that as debates over bodily autonomy and women’s rights reached a crescendo this election season, the internet saw a rollout of content creators advocating for women’s place in the kitchen. 

Essentially, all of this matters because nothing exists in a vacuum, especially not content on the internet that has gained as much traction and attention as the tradwife trend. The Daily Tar Heel notes that this aesthetic carries implicit political undertones, reinforcing traditionalist values in ways that transcend mere fashion choices. Cycles of videos in the vein of Ballerina Farm on a user’s feed doesn’t just provide meaningless entertainment. They make viewers—voters—more accustomed and amenable to the idea that the pinnacle of femininity and female achievement is becoming a homemaker and providing services to a breadwinning husband. 

Even large, mainstream media outlets like Fox News have highlighted how tradwife influencers galvanized female voters, a group often split along generational and ideological lines, toward conservative candidates. In interviews, some of these influencers acknowledged the political implications of their content, admitting that their embrace of traditionalism extended to their voting preferences.  

Fashion’s Return to Conservatism

Courtesy of The Seasonless

Beyond just TikTok, the broader shift toward conservative styles in the fashion industry—think longer hemlines, the American flag sweater and Ralph Lauren’s resurgence, the Sofia Richie Grainge of it all—underscores this cultural realignment. According to McMillam Cottom, this pivot is more than a fleeting trend; fashion’s return to conservatism reflects deeper societal anxieties about modernity and change. Fashion commentators have linked this return with a cultural desire for order and predictability, and videos analyzing runway shows from major fashion weeks have highlighted the prevalence of structure and modesty even in the high fashion space. 

Fashion houses and fast-fashion brands, alike, have embraced this aesthetic, helping to normalize a worldview that idealizes restraint, tradition, and order. It isn’t just the tradwives in their floral milkmaid dresses; we’ve seen the maximalism of 2020 and 2021 replaced by a desire to embody the “clean girl,” in all her appropriative glory, and a growing idolization of the ultra-wealthy with “old money” and “quiet luxury” dressing. Brands’ marketing choices as they lean into these styles mirror consumer demands for “timelessness” and a return to the simplicity of old times; the point of concern lies in how these trends are tied to exclusionary and hypocritical values. 

Fashion and culture have long been mirrors of political sentiment. In the 1960s and 70s, countercultural styles rose in accompaniment with progressive social movements. Today, the pendulum has swung in the opposite direction. As voters embraced candidates championing traditional values, economic conservatism, and nationalism on election day, their sartorial choices echoed these preferences. Clothing became a canvas for identity politics, signaling affiliation with or resistance to broader ideological shifts. 

The Future of Fashion and Politics

The 2024 election’s conservative outcome invites reflection on how cultural phenomena shape—and are shaped by—political realities. As we dissect the implications of this shift, the fashion space will undoubtedly remain a powerful barometer of social change. Creators are already forecasting the next wave of trends, debating whether the pendulum will swing back toward experimental styles or continue in its traditionalist arc. 

Whether this conservative trend continues or gives way to a new wave of leftism and subversion remains to be seen, but one thing is certain: the interplay between aesthetics and politics is far from superficial. The digital platforms where these conversations play out will remain pivotal in shaping and reflecting the cultural currents of the future. 

Featured Image Courtesy of Challenges