The False God of the Divine Feminine

By Patricia Patnode

The girlboss may not be dead, but she is dying. Her weakness became apparent during the pandemic. Tons of articles warning against corporate burnout, loneliness, and the risks of egg-freezing and other attempts to stall the female clock circulated. “Lazy girl jobs” offering a reliable paycheck at a relaxed pace became increasingly popular. Many young women today crave more balanced lives. This has generated a demand for content that encourages them to tap into their womanly instincts and fuel their softer energies - not fight them.  

Secular femininity influencers are dominating the zeitgeist these days. These creators- mostly tradwife bloggers and spirituality gurus- attempt to promote the intrinsic and holistic experience of womanhood via 1950s tropes and horoscopes and crystals. But their content is incomplete, for it omits the foundation of femininity: God.

One influencer vertical that young women are gravitating to is the “Divine Feminine.” These creators’ understanding of femininity is nebulous. To them, femininity can be channeled by anyone, man or woman. It’s just a matter of effort, perception, and vibes. It is entirely independent of family life. To feel feminine is to be feminine, there are no behavioral requirements or metaphysical pillars of being. 

Goop, Gwenyth Paltrow’s wellness brand, regularly invokes their nonsense language. “For women, embracing the sacred feminine is about fully realizing her divine essence, standing in all her power, and creating a more harmonious world,” one blog post reads. 

So-called Divine Feminine influencers recommend manifestation, slow mornings, and long beauty regimens while neglecting to explain where femininity comes from and what purpose it serves. 

What is a divine essence, if you have no conception of God? How and why is femininity inherently sacred? Those who espouse this gobbledygook do not answer these questions. They’ve invented a faux faith in which women can find temporary empowerment outside of a husband and family, which activates the deepest femininity. 

Women are designed to create and nurture new life. Regardless of whether or not that potential is fulfilled through motherhood, it has a profound effect on our identity and the way we relate to the world. Further, without acknowledging the differences between men and women down to the cellular level, it’s impossible to understand femininity. 

There are Christian, Mormon, Muslim, and Jewish lifestyle influencers who all have different theologies about feminine behavior and duty. However, they are all grounded in God. That doesn’t mean that every religious influencer gets everything right. When it comes to work and dating culture, femininity influencers should explore the conflicts and paradoxes of being a woman in our dual-income, digital age. Not everyone can bake bread daily, do frequent yoga, and shoot a fun get-ready-with-me video. Sometimes, we have to girlboss a bit to make ends meet and pass the time, especially while we are single. That doesn’t mean a total sacrifice of our femininity or neglecting our nature. 

I work full time, in addition to doing a few side gigs, and write a lot. I have been single for most of my life. From the outside looking in, my lifestyle doesn’t appear feminine compared to the viral trad-wife ideal. This doesn’t mean I’m not thinking about my future family. 

Femininity influencers are missing the mark for young single working women who are looking to develop themselves. These secular creators speak about femininity as if it is a holy source of power. Worship in this new religion, like in any other, mimics tradition. Prayer is replaced by meditation and manifestation. Skincare functions like a sacramental ritual. Therapy is the new confession. Self-love, rather than the Christian selflessness, governs life.

Femininity influencers need to be mindful of the vulnerable masses they are speaking to. Luring a young woman away from the truth -  a God-focused understanding of femininity- to a new paganism is dishonest and depriving.

Patricia Patnode is a columnist at The Conservateur and a Junior Fellow at the Independent Women's Forum. She can be found on Twitter @IdealPatricia.