I’m a Tradwife Influencer—Here Are My Thoughts on “Yesteryear”

"One of the marks of a good writer is the ability to write accurate characters. That includes understanding what motivates them, even characters you may not personally like. A novel exploring the internal thoughts of a traditional Christian woman, even if she is an influencer, is no exception. Yesteryear fails this test.

"I barely related to Natalie, who comes across as a peculiar Christian fundamentalist: theologically illiterate and seemingly unchurched. In addition to considering herself flawless, Natalie has a thin prayer life, much of it tacked onto repetitive profanity she later apologizes to God for."

I read this article after Burke mocked it on Instagram.

I loved Yesteryear, but this was a fair critique. I'm an agnostic, but I studied the sociology of religion for both my undergrad and postgrad, with a focus on fundamentalism. Reading Yesteryear, I didn't feel like I was inside the mind of a far right Christian woman. Natalie was rarely at church, she was not part of a church community, and she didn't weave theological contemplation into her day to day life. The book didn't explore why a modern woman would be drawn to religious fundamentalism, such as the dissatisfactions that many of us collectively have with modernity, the yearning for community and meaning in an increasingly secularist and individualistic world, and the perceived beauty in the theology. I would've loved Yesteryear to have delved into that. Even if Natalie had a fear of the hellfire that pushed her into the tradwife life, that would've been fascinating to read. When reading comments online, I've come across a lot of progressives from conservative Christian backgrounds share this same sentiment.

EDIT: I'm British so I have no clue what the Heritage Foundation is 🤷🏽‍♀️