Influencer Nara Smith says she's "not hardcore Mormon" amid debate over the faith's tradwife ties
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Nara Smith's TikTok videos. Image via TikTok
Nara Smith, the model-turned-homemaker whose cooking videos have gone viral in recent months, has spoken out (a bit) on one of the most-discussed aspects of her celebrity: her Latter-day Saint faith.
Why it matters: Critics have accused Smith of using her massive platform — 4.3 million combined followers on TikTok and Instagram — to subtly advance the Utah-based faith's historically conservative views on gender.
Catch up fast: The influencer married fellow model (and Utah son) Lucky Blue Smith when she was an 18-year-old convert to the church and is now pregnant with her 3rd child at age 22. It's not clear where she lives; some say L.A., some say Dallas.
- Her videos show her in her kitchen, usually in full makeup, painstakingly cooking from-scratch versions of packaged foods like Cheez-Its, Cookie Crisp cereal and cookies-and-cream ice cream — with homemade Oreos.
What they're saying: "I know that my religion is a very hot topic on the internet. ... I'm still learning and figuring out my own faith," Smith said in a TikTok that's been viewed more than 11.5 million times since it was posted Monday.
- "I'm not in any way a hardcore Mormon or anything like that," she continued. "I don't wear garments. I didn't get married in the temple. Both me and my husband are on our own journeys and figuring out how we want to raise our kids."
- Smith did not respond to Axios' request for comment.
The big picture: Smith's fame coincides with debates over "tradwife" content — an online trend valorizing motherhood and domesticity.
- Some tradwife influencers share overt or implicit messages that women should serve or submit to men.
Context: For years, much has been made of the overrepresentation of Latter-day Saints among popular influencers. But the rise of the tradwife aesthetic has taken that attention to another level.
- "Is this where tradwife influencers come from?" asked culture critic Caroline Burke in an article last month titled "How Mormonism Churns Out the Most Influential #TradWives."
The intrigue: The church itself has enlisted influencers to promote temple openings and donation campaigns — leading some to ask whether influencers like Smith or Ballerina Farm's Hannah Neeleman are proselytizing for the faith as well as the gender roles it promotes.
The other side: Still other critics accused Smith of downplaying how orthodox a Latter-day Saint is expected to be.
- That has rankled some progressive members and observers who say neither Smith nor anyone else in the faith should be policed for how strictly they adhere to church teachings.
What's inside: Smith says she took up from-scratch cooking after developing eczema to "make sure that what I put in my body would be good for my body"
- She adds that she "always wanted to be a young mom" and that "it's one of the best decisions I could have made, and I know it's not for everyone."