Dr. Naomi Wolf's provocative January 2026 tweet (quoted below), has sparked intense discussion across conservative circles, particularly after being highlighted in an American Thinker piece titled "Leftist women get, if possible, crazier, and I love Naomi Wolf's theory about why." In it, Wolf observes videos of liberal white women clashing with ICE agents — strong, masculine figures in uniform — and interprets their expressions as revealing deep-seated frustrations. She describes liberal men as often "estrogenized, physically passive, submissive due to woke gender hectoring, or porn-addicted," leaving white liberal women "disproportionately sexually frustrated." Wolf suggests these confrontations serve as a form of "physical release" or "kinetic battle," with smiles indicating longing for the very masculine authority they ideologically oppose. Dr Wolf wrote:
"Okay, I'll just say it. I've seen enough videos of the faces of liberal white women in conflict with @ICE, to know what is up. Liberal men at this point (sorry) are disproportionately estrogenized, physically passive, submissive due to woke gender hectoring, or porn-addicted. White liberal women are disproportionately sexually frustrated. Policing others as in the pandemic was an outlet for them, but it was not nearly enough. The smiles you see on their faces now say it all: white women long for all out combat with ICE - who tend to be strong, physically confident, masculine men - because the conflict is a form of physical release for them. They long for actual kinetic battle and it will get even uglier. "
It is the inevitable conclusion of the feminist "battle of the sexes."
The American Thinker author endorses this view, arguing that women "go crazy" without "the ballast of strong, sane, manly men to anchor them," blaming Leftist culture for emasculating men and fostering emotional instability. Examples cited include tearful public outbursts, hypocritical virtue-signalling, and aggressive anti-ICE activism, painting a picture of escalating "emotional incontinence" among Leftist women.
Psychological Evidence Points to Real Challenges
While Wolf's theory is speculative and framed in evolutionary/sexual terms, broader psychological research reveals documented patterns in mental health, personality, and ideology that align with concerns about heightened distress among liberal (especially young, white) women.
Studies consistently show a mental health gap favouring conservatives. For instance, data from Pew Research and the American Family Survey indicate young liberal women report significantly higher rates of mental health diagnoses — often over 50% in some cohorts — compared to conservative peers. Conservative women frequently score higher on life satisfaction (e.g., 37% "completely satisfied" vs. 12% for liberals in recent surveys). This gap persists even after controlling for factors like income, education, and age.
Key contributing factors from research include:
Personality Traits (Big Five Model): Liberals tend to score higher on Openness to Experience (creativity, novelty-seeking) but lower on aspects of Conscientiousness (orderliness, self-discipline) compared to conservatives. Women overall score higher in Neuroticism (emotional instability, anxiety) and Agreeableness (compassion, empathy), traits that correlate with liberal leanings on social issues. One aspect of Agreeableness — Compassion — links to liberalism and egalitarianism, while Politeness ties more to conservatism. These differences may amplify vulnerability to stress in progressive environments emphasising systemic injustices, leading to "catastrophising" thinking (overly negative interpretations of events), as noted by Jonathan Haidt and others.
Ideological and Cultural Pressures: Liberal ideology often involves heightened awareness of inequality, which can foster rumination and external locus of control (feeling powerless against large forces). This contrasts with conservative emphasis on personal agency, optimism, and traditional structures (e.g., family, religion), which buffer against distress. Research links "wokeness" or progressive activism to internalising problems like anxiety and depression, particularly among women.
Sexual and Relational Dynamics: Evidence ties sexual satisfaction to overall well-being; frustration or dissatisfaction correlates with stress, anxiety, and depressive symptoms. Prolonged unmet needs can exacerbate isolation and low self-esteem. While no direct studies confirm Wolf's specific claim about liberal women's frustration stemming from "estrogenized" men, broader trends show declining marriage rates, delayed relationships, and cultural shifts (e.g., hookup culture, porn influence) disproportionately affecting young women, contributing to loneliness and mental health declines.
These patterns don't indict an entire group — many liberal women thrive — but they highlight how ideological environments, personality predispositions, and modern relational challenges can intersect to create real psychological strain.
A Conservative Doctor's Perspective
As a conservative physician, I see these issues in practice almost every day: patients grappling with anxiety, depression, and relational dissatisfaction amid cultural pressures that undermine traditional anchors like family, faith, and biological realities. Wolf's theory, while blunt and controversial, echoes a core conservative insight — that rejecting natural gender dynamics and masculine-feminine complementarity can lead to imbalance and unrest. The data supports caution: unchecked progressive ideologies may amplify vulnerabilities, especially for women wired toward empathy and emotional sensitivity.
Restoring balance requires reclaiming agency through strong communities, healthy relationships, and evidence-based mental health approaches that affirm personal responsibility over perpetual victimhood narratives. Until then, the "crazier" trajectory Wolf and others observe may continue, underscoring the urgent need for honest dialogue about ideology's real-world psychological toll. After all, women are now dying because of their Leftist woke ideology, and that is a tragedy.