Tradwives, Secret Lives, and Housewives: How Utah’s Real Cultural Norms Shape Women’s Lives

Utah women and girls are exposed to the same media, influencers, and cultural messages as women across the nation — yet the pressures they experience around beauty, body image, modesty, marriage, and gender expectations often feel uniquely intense. Why? What is it about Utah’s cultural, social, and religious environment that magnifies these dynamics? And how do these norms shape women’s lives, opportunities, relationships, and sense of self?

This research-based webinar brings together three leading scholars and advocates — Dr. Lexie Kite, Dr. Lindsay Kite, and Dr. Amy McPhie Allebest — for a candid, evidence-driven conversation moderated by Dr. Susan R. Madsen. Together, they will explore how cultural attitudes, gender norms, and religiously influenced beliefs in Utah contribute to body image pressures, sexual objectification, purity and modesty messaging, and traditional gender roles. These Tier 1 “upstream conditions,” identified in the newly released “Utah Sexual Violence Pyramid,” influence not only violence risk but also broader patterns of harm, self-worth, and social expectations.

Using Utah’s pop-culture visibility — tradwives, mommy bloggers, Mormon influencers, and the “Utah look” — as an entry point, the panel will unpack why these trends resonate so strongly here and what they reveal about deeper systemic pressures. The discussion will highlight how homogeneity, marriage expectations, gendered power structures, and beauty-as-currency dynamics shape women’s experiences in ways that are often invisible or misunderstood.

Importantly, this webinar is not about assigning blame or attacking faith or family-oriented values. Instead, it offers a thoughtful, academically grounded space to understand how cultural systems operate — and how individuals, families, congregations, and communities can create meaningful change. Panelists will share hopeful, practical strategies for reducing harm, strengthening women’s voices, and fostering environments where all people can thrive.

Whether you are a parent, educator, faith leader, policymaker, student, or community member, this conversation will deepen your understanding of the cultural forces shaping women’s lives in Utah and illuminate ways to support healthier, more equitable futures.

Registration is free and open to all.

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION:

Dr. Lexie Kite is a body image scholar, author, and co-director of Beauty Redefined, the nonprofit she founded with her twin sister, Dr. Lindsay Kite, to help girls and women build resilience in a culture that objectifies and commodifies bodies. She is co-author of the acclaimed book More Than a Body: Your Body Is an Instrument, Not an Ornament, which advances a research-backed framework for body image resilience and media literacy. Lexie earned her Ph.D. in Communication from the University of Utah, where her research focused on positive body image, media literacy, women’s representation in media, and feminist theory. Her work has been featured in national outlets including The New York Times, CNBC, The Boston Globe, Slate, Shape, Glamour, and Teen Vogue. In addition to her academic and advocacy work, Lexie serves as Senior Director of Development at the University of Utah’s S.J. Quinney College of Law.

Dr. Lindsay Kite is a leading expert in body image resilience, media literacy, and women’s representation in visual culture. She is co-director of Beauty Redefined, the nonprofit she founded with her twin sister, Dr. Lexie Kite, to help girls and women recognize and reject harmful cultural messages about bodies, worth, and potential. Lindsay is co-author of More Than a Body: Your Body Is an Instrument, Not an Ornament, which presents their groundbreaking research on positive body image and the practical process of building resilience in an objectifying culture. She earned her Ph.D. in Communication from the University of Utah, where her dissertation examined media literacy, health literacy, and feminist approaches to body image. Lindsay’s work has been featured in The New York Times, CNBC, The Boston Globe, Slate, Shape, Glamour, and Teen Vogue, and she regularly speaks to audiences nationwide. She currently lives in New York City.

Dr. Amy McPhie Allebest is an educator, writer, and the founder of Breaking Down Patriarchy, an acclaimed multimedia project dedicated to examining and dismantling patriarchal systems through scholarship, storytelling, and public dialogue. She hosts the Breaking Down Patriarchy podcast, which features diverse guests and has produced seasons comparable to graduate-level coursework in women’s studies, including global surveys of patriarchal structures and deep engagement with foundational feminist texts. Amy earned her Ph.D. in Education, Culture, and Society from the University of Utah, holds a Master of Liberal Arts in History from Stanford University, and completed her undergraduate degree in English at Brigham Young University. Her YouTube channel distills complex research into accessible, shareable videos designed to reach audiences who may be new or resistant to gender-equity conversations. Across all platforms, Amy’s work advances her core goal: building an egalitarian world where every human being can thrive.

Moderator:
Dr. Susan R. Madsen is considered one of the top global scholars and thought leaders on the topic of women’s leadership, has authored or edited nine books, and has published hundreds of articles, chapters, and reports. Her research has been cited in the U.S. News and World Report, Newsweek, The Atlantic, The New York Times, Parenting Magazine, Chronicle of Higher Education, and The Washington Post. She is also a regular contributor to Forbes and other local and state newspapers. Professor Madsen is a Professor of Leadership in Extension at Utah State University and serves on many nonprofit and community boards. She is also the Founding Director of the Utah Women & Leadership Project, the visionary behind Utah’s A Bolder Way Forward, and her passion is to strengthen the impact of girls and women in Utah and worldwide.