Sister WivesstarRobyn Brown used to be all about polygamy, but something changed, and she became the ultimate monogamist, turning on a dime and embracing a traditional married lifestyle with Kody Brown.Now, she’s seemingly gone “full tradwife.“Robyn’s decked out in purple floralthat’s decidedly dated, and embracing life as a homemaker in a $2.1 million dollar house. She’s got the kids and the masses of dolls, andshe and Kody wear matching David Yurman rings.
Once a dyed-in-the-wool plural marriage fan, Robyn’s now totally into old-school married life with Kody. It’s just the two of them, and there’s sometimes trouble in paradise, but that doesn’t mean that Robyn’s going to throw in the towel. She appears to be in it for the long haul, even though she has issues with Kody, saying onscreen that he"picks fights"over"dumb"things. While Robyn changed, abandoning the passive-aggressive tactics of the past by letting the world know that she’dfeel disrespected if Kody took another wife, she’s still got that “old-fashioned woman” thing happening.
Tradwives Let Men Take The Lead
These Women Idealize A 1950s-Inspired Lifestyle
Some (including me) might argue that the 1950s lifestyle was oppressive - there were major social issues, including racism, which made a lot of people long for change. Homophobia was a thing. People were expected to conform.
All of these injustices and restrictions led to an extreme about-face. Hippies embraced Flower Power, rejecting that wholeLeave It To Beaverthing. Despite all this, there are women who want to go back in time,living out the fantasy of being 1950s housewives, who get appliances extra-shiny, and prepare dinner party delicacies of the era, such as Ham Jell-o Salad and Oysters Rockefeller. Maybe they whip up Manhattan cocktails for their Don Draper lookalike hubbies.Mad Menseason 1 was set in 1960, right on the cusp of change.
Is Kody A Tradhusband?
He Is, But There Are Red Flags
I fell in love with Robyn. I never fell in love with anybody else. - Kody
Okay,Sister Wives' Kody Browndoesn’t look like theMad Menleading man, Don, but except for the rampant cheating (Kody is very faithful), theSister Wivespatriarch might act like him sometimes. He likes to be in charge, and mostly, Robyn is okay with that. The fictional adman, Don, grew up in a different time, when women didn’t have a lot of power.Kody was raised with polygamous beliefs, which are quite patriarchal. However, as seen in the clip above, where he shows off a ring that matches Robyn’s, Kody’s one hundred percent committed to his relationship.
Kody dotes on his feminine soul mate, whose eyes are often filled with tears. He clearly loves that “damsel in distress” quality.
So, theMad Menstar and the reality icon do have something in common. That may be whythe ultra-feminine Sobbin' Robyngets along with Kody. She’s apparently happy to be a wife whodoesn’t go out to work at a typical day job, although she has dabbled in jewelry design. She reportedly came into her marriage with over 33K in credit card debt, some from Victoria’s Secret, a brand that took a heavy hit because it wouldn’t expand its idea of what beauty is until it was almost too late.
Kody and the other Brown women paid her debts.
Robyn seems to have quite a luxe lifestyle, but maybe the “tradwife” lifestyle has its downside. Robyn must go out of her way to get along with a man who’s quite often cranky and bitter. She has said he’s trying to"sabotage"their relationship. In my opinion, and others may disagree, the tradwife thing only works when the man involved isbenevolent, not malevolent. If a man starts out “good” and then slides into villain territory, a “tradwife” may feel too dependent on a cruel partner.
Have you watchedMad Men? Don’s wife, played by January Jones, was often very unhappy. It wasn’t just about Don’s infidelity - it was the restlessness of not having a purpose that really nourished her soul. Motherhood and the traditional role she was in didn’t fulfill her. Part of that show’s resonance stems from the fact that the characters were trying to break out of the 1950s mold and find themselves. So, #tradwife life isn’t always sunshine and rainbows. It might not be for Robyn either.
It has to be said thatSister Wives' Robyn Brownearns her own money from show appearances, just like Kody does. So, she is not financially dependent on him. However, they have clashed about their spending habits. She wants to spend more freely to boost her quality of life, while he would prefer to save. Janelle said Kody held the purse strings during their spiritual union, and maybe now, she has to get permission to buy the things she wants. Their marriage may still be that traditional.
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If so, she could feel too dependent on Kody sometimes. Maybe she wants to step into her power more, as she did when she shared her thoughts on monogamy. It seems like “tradwife” life isn’t giving Robyn the same kind of contentment that it should. She has the fancy house, the jewelry, the kids and the white picket fence, but something may be missing. Otherwise, why would she spend $70,000 dollars on dolls acquired via Etsy, as perWithout A Crystal Ballat Instagram.
Sure, she may just love dolls, but if her spending habits are real, it seems like she’s shopping to fill a void. Shopaholics attempt to soothe their stress with purchases, which can actually lead to financial problems.GwendlynBrown said Kody’s “spending very crazy” at her YouTube channel, and maybe that’s because he’s trying to make his traditional wife happy. However, what Robyn really needs isn’t another doll in a pretty dress - it’s an emotionally stable male who’s able to weather life’s ups and downs without getting so rattled.
Kody Seems Jaded These Days
Life Has Hardened Him
Kody’s supposed to be the tradwife’s “man of the house” but he’s falling down on the job, lashing out erratically and letting his existential dread show. He’s not the smiling dad of yesteryear.He’s not a cheery guy who’s thrilled to be monogamous, and that was probably what Robyn expected him to be. Kody’s grievingthe loss of his son, Garrison Brown. That is going to change a person, dramatically darkening their worldview. It is trauma.
So, #tradlife may have its perks, but maybe Robyn’s growing weary of some of its more negative aspects. Hanging everything on a man can end in disaster - if it doesn’t work out, what does a woman have left? While tradlife clearly makes a lot of men and women happy, it’s a gamble, just like every other type of relationship. There’s no wrong or right - just the certain knowledge that Robyn’s not as happy as she used to be.
Meanwhile, Janelle (the family’s worker bee, like Peggy Olson fromMad Men,played by Elizabeth Moss), is starting over with a new business, Taeda Farms. Christine, sassy and bold like Christina Hendrick’sMad Mencharacter, Joan Harris, is blazing her own trail with David Wooley, her new husband. Meri, so wholesome likeMad Men’s Trudy Campbell, played by Alison Brie, is starting over, showing a little edge thanks to a glow-up and her Worthy Up company.
Sister Wivesisn’tMad Men, but there are parallels, and Robyn and Kody may find that their 1950s fantasy isn’t really feasible anymore, any more than their Coyote Pass pipe dream was. Maybe they can work out their problems. However, I don’t get the sense that they’re having their happily ever after, whether Robyn’s a true #tradwife or not.
