Neformatushki*: The Wives of Russian Priests have an Instagram Side Hustle

In the spring of 2024, Skillbox, a Russian leader in online education, conducted a study of the latest trends on Instagram to help determine how to keep audiences and attract new subscribers. It turned out that virtually the entire arsenal of techniques that experts recommend for boosting viewership were being deployed by the wives of Russian Orthodox priests. These wives, who were operating dozens of accounts on the platform, are no prigs: they post videos “with real-life emotions,” create carousels of unedited photographs with no filters, hold interactive challenges for their subscribers, and record meme-filled “Insta Reels” (a video format as short as 15 seconds that Instagram started in 2020 in response to the popularity of TikTok and to hold onto young subscribers).

The most popular priest wives’ Instagram accounts have more than 215,000 followers.

The wives promise their subscribers a “friendly” and “elegant” Russian Orthodoxy, the breaking of stereotypes, prayers, joy, humor, recipes, parenting advice, fashion – including for plus-sized women – and “Orthodox time management” for women with housefuls of tiny tots. You can learn to “believe, pray, love,” to “overcome superstitions,” to “reconcile everyday and spiritual life” through Instagram stories. These matushki (the plural form) serve as ambassadors for fashionable Russian brands, collaborate with cosmetics companies, and offer Orthodox-friendly cooking tips: how to make kulich “just like grandma used to” and low-calorie apple desserts for Spas – the Apple Feast of the Savior (the East Slavic folk name for the Feast of the Transfiguration).