Nara Smith is pushing back on the "trad wife" narrative and misunderstandings about her marriage.

The 23-year-old influencer appeared as a guest on the July 9 episode of the On Purpose with Jay Shetty podcast for a wide-ranging interview covering everything from her relationship with husband Lucky Blue Smith and parenting their three, soon to be four, young children to learning how to set boundaries on social media and facing constant criticism online.

During their chat, Nara disagreed with the belief that she embodies the "trad wife" stereotype that many project onto her due to the videos she would post making recipes from scratch for her family, per People. The label is often used to describe women embracing traditional gender roles in marriage and motherhood.

"I'm very busy. I travel almost every week. I have kids that I raise," she said. "I love being in the kitchen because it's a passion of mine, not because I have to."

The TikTok star emphasized that she and Lucky share responsibilities equally and that there is "nothing truly traditional" about their relationship other than they got married and started their family at a young age. Even when she shares that part of her life, some viewers still "don't wanna accept it."

"Sometimes I feel like this is where social media gets tricky for me personally, is it doesn't matter how much I voice those things and try to make people understand that I am actually a full-time working mom that they just don't wanna get it," she said. "They use me as this poster child of this like very traditional wife and I'm not."

While Nara has learned to do what feels best for her, the negativity and "drama" once took their toll and left her in tears. She revealed she would still get harsh comments even when she shared "subtle" videos hitting back at the trad wife misconception.

"Then all the comments would be like, 'She's lying. She's gaslighting,'" she said. "I literally cannot win. And I think that's what I've learned. People don't want to hear the truth. They don't care for the truth. They care about what they wanna hear and what serves them. So the less I say, kind of the better."

She added, "I've just kind of learned to, I'm gonna do me and whoever resonates with that, great. If they don't, then there's nothing really I can do to change their minds."

On Purpose with Jay Shetty has a focus on mental health and aims to help listeners feel understood in the challenges and hurdles they face in life. The podcast has new episodes each week and often features special guests to "uncover a side of them we've never seen before." Follow along with On Purpose or catch up on past episodes at iHeart.com.

Joey Brooks

Follow

Email