Megyn Kelly and Hannah Neelemen present inspirational alternatives to progressive forces that insist liberated women must support abortion on demand or biological males competing in women’s sports.
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I can see why liberal women might think I am duplicitous.
I hold traditional conservative values, but I also have benefited from the choices feminism represents by enjoying a rewarding career that provides meaning beyond raising my children.
But I don’t see valuing both children and a career as clashing with my conservative beliefs. Holding conservative political, economic and social values doesn’t mean we have to squeeze into traditionalist molds in all areas of our lives.
I thought about this recently when two conservative but very different women − Megyn Kelly and Hannah Neeleman − popped up in the news. At first glance, they seem polar opposites − one is a New York media star and the other is a farmer in Utah. Yet, they share vital similarities, and they’re inspiring droves of conservative women.
Megyn Kelly and Ballerina Farm’s Hannah Neeleman have this in common
Hannah Neeleman recently earned a spot as one of Time magazine’s top 100 creators. The mother of eight boasts a social media following of 20 million across Instagram and TikTok.
Neeleman spends her days raising kids, making meals from scratch and tending to farm animals. She’s the poster child for the “trad wife” phenomenon, the internet term for women who embrace traditional roles. But Neeleman told Time she resists the label. “There are parts of it that resonate with me,” she said. “Other parts, not so much.”
Label or not, Neeleman has chosen a very traditional life, even amid the contradiction of being a stay-at-home wife and mom while also benefiting from a revenue-generating social media presence. Neeleman’s popularity suggests many women covet (or are at least fascinated by) her lifestyle.
For her part, Kelly recently gave great advice to young women (and men) in an interview at the Turning Point USA conference. Kelly, who rose to national prominence at Fox News, is now an independent media star who hosts one of the most podcasts in the nation.
“Be who you are. Don’t pretend you’re a lefty in order to win any professor’s good humor. He’s not worth it. Get your ‘D’ on your paper, because you refuse to argue that capitalism is bad and wear it like a badge of honor,” Kelly told conference host Charlie Kirk. “Bring it with you into your job interview and that will make sure you align with an employer who’s right for you. Don’t say that you support Planned Parenthood the way they want you too, Don’t call yourself a feminist, because your teacher will give you pats on the head. Stand up for what you really believe in, and that’s how we spread the good word.”
Kelly’s advice − and her uncompromising stand as a conversative woman in the media industry − is a searing rebuke of progressive bullies and liberal values.
Conservative women are the true feminists
Kelly and Neeleman show a range of what conservative women can be. As a conservative, you can be happy and fulfilled raising your family on a farm or fighting political battles on a podcast. Or, like me, work as a writer while living as a single mom in Texas.
There’s true diversity and freedom beneath the conservative umbrella.
Perhaps that’s why significantly more conservative women than progressive women say they’re happy. According to the 2024 American Family Survey, 37% of conservative women, ages 18 to 40, say they are “completely satisfied” with their lives. Only 12% of their liberal peers express the same level of satisfaction.
Women like Kelly and Neelemen present inspirational alternatives to progressive forces that insist truly liberated women must support abortion on demand or biological males competing in women’s sports.
As conservative women, millions of us enjoy true freedom of choice. You can live on a farm and raise eight children. You can become a media star and live in New York. Or you can choose one of a thousand other options.
That is true feminism. When will my liberal friends join us?
Nicole Russell is an opinion columnist with USA TODAY. She lives in Texas with her four kids. Sign up for her newsletter, The Right Track, and get it delivered to your inbox.
