‘A husband expects a yes’: wife schools and the Christian nationalist movement

A new wave of Christian conservative influencers is reshaping the cultural landscape by redefining womanhood through the lens of submission, not empowerment. Elena Dimopoulos, a Guardian journalist, infiltrated the world of 'wife schools'—online courses teaching women to prioritize their husbands' needs above their own—after signing up for one led by Tilly Dillahay, a Tennessee-based influencer. What began as a curiosity quickly turned alarming: the curriculum promoted silence, emotional self-suppression, and the idea that a wife must always say 'yes' to sex, even when uninterested. Underlying this was a broader movement rooted in Christian nationalism, with Dillahay’s work backed by Doug Wilson, a controversial Idaho pastor who advocates for a theocratic U.S. and opposes women’s suffrage. The episode reveals how these 'cute-servatives'—like Alex Clark and Erica Kirk—use wellness, spirituality, and relatable aesthetics to quietly spread regressive political ideologies, from household voting to repealing the 19th Amendment. Their influence isn't just cultural—it's political, with millions of followers shaping real-world policy debates in an era of razor-thin electoral margins. The most disturbing revelation is how these messages normalize marital coercion and silence victims of abuse by framing submission as spiritual duty. Experts warn that when women like Dillahay and Clark speak these ideas, they lend legitimacy to misogyny, making it harder to challenge.