Warremann, Natalie (2025):
"Gel Manicures, a Thirty-Thousand-Dollar Stove, and Gender Oppression: The Lives of Mormon Influencers." Eds. Dawurske, Lara; Dresig, James Z.; Friedrichsen, Johanna; Goncharov, Serëzha; Hayes II, Robert; Herzmann, Erna J.; Luckhardt, Jana; Obermann, Lilian Viktoria; Rachner, Charlyn; Sandiford, Corwin K. M.; Stief, Cosima; Thiemicke, Vince; Xerinda, Joanna.aspeers 18: 99-114.
Journal Article

Abstract

Through an analysis of Mormon TikTok creators Nara Smith and Hannah Neeleman (alias Ballerina Farm), this paper examines how the persistence of traditionally feminine ideals and gender roles intersects with class status and religious doctrine in the digital age. By drawing on Barbara Welter’s “Cult of True Womanhood” and Thorstein Veblen’s Theory of the Leisure Class, I investigate how these influencers utilize social media to construct aspirational images of idealized womanhood that in turn can be leveraged for financial gain. Through close readings of content produced by Nara Smith and Hannah Neeleman, this paper argues that, despite their contrasting aesthetics, they strategically perform wealth and leisure. Consequently, both content creators reinforce traditional gender roles and perpetuate harmful class distinctions within their religious community. This research ultimately demonstrates the enduring influence of historical ideals on contemporary online performance and highlights how social-media platforms not only allow but encourage unrealistic and potentially damaging expectations of (religious) femininity.