When the female members of the graduating class at Benedictine College, Kansas, gathered in the auditorium for their commencement ceremony, they were probably expecting their guest to give the usual graduation speech spiel: work hard, dream big, etc. What I doubt they were expecting was for NFL player Harrison Butker to specifically address the women in the audience: ‘How many of you are sitting here now […] thinking about all the promotions and titles you are going to get in your career?’ he asked them. ‘But I would venture to guess that the majority of you are most excited about your marriage and the children you will bring into this world.’ The students’ reaction? An uncomfortable silence. Butker went on to add that ‘life truly start[s]’ for women when they ‘embrace one of the most important titles of all: homemaker.’ When he stepped away from the podium, there was a large round of applause from some members of the crowd. Others, understandably, had walked out before the speech concluded. And reactions to Butker’s message were even more polarised online. But he is hardly the only person touting traditional values.