Vanity Fair Says Conservatives Want "Mommy Mania"—But Is That Really A Bad Thing?

In a bizarre move, Vanity Fair writes that Vance and Musk are “pushing Americans to breed" and then ties that claim to the so-called “trad wife movement,” as if women choosing to embrace traditional roles are all unwittingly participating in a massive "Dark MAGA" scheme.

Why are so many people on the left always so quick to jump to The Handmaid's Tale whenever motherhood is mentioned? They truly have a strange obsession with equating family life with literal slavery. The comparison isn’t just hilariously dramatic—it’s inaccurate.

When people like JD Vance talk about families, they’re talking about exactly the opposite of oppression—it's about creating a society where having children is seen as an attainable, joyful, valuable choice.

It’s not about treating women as breeding machines; it’s about addressing very real cultural and demographic challenges, like declining birth rates and the isolation felt by many who have been told that career success should be their sole ambition. It’s about creating an environment where women who want to be mothers feel supported, rather than shamed or written off as relics from the past.

"Deploy the Trad Wives!"

The term “trad wife” itself has become a kind of cultural boogeyman, used to describe any woman who finds value in traditional roles as if that’s inherently anti-feminist or politically motivated. But here’s the thing: women are increasingly choosing these roles not because they’re brainwashed or oppressed, but because they genuinely want to. They find happiness and fulfillment in raising their children and caring for their households, and that choice should be respected as much as any career ambition.

For those paying attention, there has been a cultural shift over the past few decades. For a lot of women, pursuing career success, financial independence, and personal freedom have become the primary markers of empowerment, but now more women are questioning the "girl boss" narrative and wondering if family might be a higher priority.

The truth is, the instinct to nurture and raise a family isn’t some political ploy—it’s a natural, deeply human desire that’s always been a part of us.

The Stigma Is Real—and It’s Not Helping Anyone

This is where Vanity Fair really misses the mark: it glosses over the very real stigma that surrounds choosing motherhood today. And it's worth remembering that the stigma wasn't created by conservatives.

When we elevate career ambitions and individual pursuits to the exclusion of other paths, we send the message that being a mom isn’t “enough.” Women who dream of having kids or finding fulfillment in family life are made to feel like they’re not living up to their potential, which is absurd. Since when did raising the next generation become a lesser pursuit?

If a woman chooses to have kids because it feels right for her, that’s empowering. It’s just as valid a choice as becoming a CEO or traveling the world. Yet, modern cultural pressures often create this fear that by prioritizing family, you’re somehow not “leaning in” or you’re wasting your talents. That stigma is exactly why so many women find themselves torn between career ambitions and the desire to start a family, even though those things don’t have to be mutually exclusive.

Are We Really Going to Shame Women for Wanting Kids?

It’s also worth mentioning how often progressive voices tend to twist conservative ideas into something sinister. Vanity Fair portrays the push for “mommy mania” as if there’s some dark motive behind it when in reality, conservatives like JD Vance or Elon Musk are responding to genuine concerns about declining birth rates and their impact on society. And let’s not pretend that these concerns don’t have merit—if fewer people are having kids, it does create real economic and social challenges.

By framing the promotion of larger families as a political scheme, they're failing to consider that valuing family life isn’t some radical agenda; it’s a response to a very real cultural need.

The Bigger Picture: It’s About Freedom, Not Politics

The truth is, women want freedom. Freedom to choose their own paths. Instead of feeding the cultural narrative that pits career against family, we should be creating a culture where women feel supported in pursuing whatever combination of these roles makes sense for them.

Vanity Fair would probably say women deserve to feel validated in all of their choices, so why doesn't that include “mommy mania” if that’s what speaks to their hearts? After all, there’s nothing crazy about wanting to create a life full of love.

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