Ballerina Farm, whose real name is Hannah Neeleman, has garnered traction online in the past week after The Times published a story on her lifestyle. The influencer is best known for her “trad-wife” content and has now raised eyebrows for her devotion to homemaking.
For those unfamiliar, “trad-wife” is the shortened version of “traditional wife.” Those who follow this lifestyle often spend their time relishing motherhood and taking care of their home. Ballerina Farm is best known online for following this lifestyle at her Utah residence.
A week ago, The Times’ Megan Agnew published a story titled “Meet the queen of the ‘trad wives’ (and her eight children).” In the interview, Ballerina Farm, a former ballerina, gave fans a glimpse into her life, which included the health struggles she faces while homemaking, her pregnancy journeys, and the dreams she never fulfilled.
Hannah Neeleman is married to Daniel, the owner of the Ballerina Farm brand and the son of JetBlue founder and billionaire, David Neeleman. She revealed in the interview that sometimes cooking a meal from scratch can be excruciating. Agnew wrote online that Hannah:
“Sometimes gets so ill from exhaustion that she can’t get out of bed for a week.”
In the story, Hannah also shared that she opted out of taking painkillers while giving birth to seven of her eight children, whom she cares for alone. While describing how it felt to be on an epidural while giving birth to her daughter Martha, she called it an “amazing experience.”
Netizens expressed concern for Ballerina Farm. Many took to the internet to express such sentiments. Comments online read:
Other netizens also shared similar sentiments online:
“This article made me sad- reality is often so far removed from what’s portrayed on social media- and this is just a tiny glimpse into her world- who knows what her life is truly like,” one netizen said.
“I’m honestly really worried about HER, who seemingly is already dealing with a narcissist dream crusher, being the one who has to deal with backlash of the article and the convo around it,” another internet user said.
It was also revealed in the article that she initially did not wish to date her husband. However, they eventually did and got married immediately after graduating from Juilliard, despite her reluctance. Other reactions to The Times story read:
“The fact that he had zero concerns about her being pregnant 8 times in 10 years is so disgusting. One single pregnancy wreaks havoc on your body, 8 that close together is terrifying. I want his a*s d*ad tbh,” a reddit user said.
“I hope she doesn’t get punished for how her husband came off in the story but damn than journalist is good,” another internet user said.
“omg this is chilling to read :(,” another platform user stated.
Daniel himself did not contribute to the interview. Other reactions to the latest revelations read:
“I’ve always been firmly against the tradwife family of influencers for EXACTLY this reason. It’s heart breakingly sad to me,” an internet user said.
“He wanted a baby machine and that's what he got, sad she went along with it,” a netizen said.
What did Ballerina Farm say in the interview? Details explored
The article, which provided a glimpse into Hannah's life, also revealed that she initially wanted to convert a barn at her home into a ballet studio. However, following the birth of her children, the space was turned into a schoolroom. She shared:
“Well, I gave up dance, which was hard. You give up a piece of yourself.”
The Neelemans are parents to 12-year-old Henry, 10-year-old Charles, nine-year-old George, seven-year-old Francies, and Louis, Martha, Mabel, and Flora, who are five, three, two, and six months old, respectively.
Ballerina Farm, who has amassed over 7.5 million followers on social media, also went viral for revealing that she was gifted an apron for her birthday by her husband instead of the dream vacation to Greece she had hoped for.
Earlier this year, she garnered traction online after competing in the Mrs. World beauty pageant just two weeks after giving birth to her youngest child.