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Salon
Salon
Politics
Amanda Marcotte

A tradwife's trolling tirade backfires

Let's stipulate up front that it is theoretically possible that Lilly Gaddis, wannabe "tradwife" influencer, did not realize what she was doing when she used the n-word in a recent cooking TikTok. Her defenders, far more numerous now than in her more anonymous past, offer an "innocence by ignorance" excuse. But even not knowing the story, you'd be right to be skeptical. After all, she didn't just let the word slip — she filmed, edited, and posted the content online. If you actually watch the clip that has gone viral, it becomes even harder to ignore the likelihood that it was a deliberate word choice.

In the video, Gaddis is decked out in the standard tradwife gear of a cleavage-baring sundress and a cross necklace to justify the sexualized marketing. She is vaguely arranging food while providing a rant tailor-made to tickle the reactionary male brain. She accuses immigrants and Black women of being "gold-diggers," while insisting Christian white girls like herself will love you, pathetic male viewer, solely for your masculine might, even if you are "broke." She is going for maximum shock value, dropping not just the n-word, but other five-dollar curses that are clearly meant to to offer a transgressive thrill, coming from a young woman playing at being a more scantily clad June Cleaver.

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