Remember when the ‘Trad Wife’ movement started growing on TikTok, where housewives would post videos of their seemingly blissful life at home cooking and looking after children, when some started to question if the revival of traditional conservative values was an insidious way to manipulate women into craving subservience? Well, that’s all come crashing into reality after queen Trad Wife, Hannah Neeleman – known as BallerinaFarm on TikTok – was interviewed by The Times.
Who is Hannah Neeleman, aka Ballerina Farm?
If you’re unfamiliar with BallerinaFarm, it’s an account where Hannah posts videos cooking meals for her eight children from scratch, farming with them on their 328-acre land in Utah and living a seemingly blissful life as a caregiver. She has almost 8million followers, 127million likes, and has gone viral for countless videos including one where she professed to competing in the Mrs World pageant just 12 days after giving birth. The unofficial matriarch of the Trad Wife movement, Neeleman’s content projects her life as the ultimate conservative fantasy.
But in a recent interview with The Times, where journalist Megan Agnew was invited into Neeleman’s home with husband Daniel who is the heir to JetBlue (his father, David Neeleman, founded five airlines), the illusion was shattered. Comments from the Neeleman’s instead show a strained life of sacrifice and exhaustion, while Agnew’s observations herself about the dynamic between Hannah and her husband imply him to be a domineering force in her life. Despite Agnew being there to interview Hannah primarily, she notes many times that Daniel whisks her off to have her tour different part of their land, or answering on behalf of his wife. He doesn’t however consider himself the head of the household, nor does Hannah consider herself a ‘Trad Wife’. And she’s right, she’s not a traditional housewife whose main contribution to the family is caregiving – she and other influential trad wives are actively making high incomes from their online content. Essentially, they’re being paid to play the part of a Trad Wife.
Now, the interview is causing a storm on TikTok – particularly the part in which Hannah opens up about giving up her dream to be a professional ballerina in order to become a housewife. Hannah studied ballet at Julliard School in New York City, largely considered one of the most prestigious dance schools in the world with an acceptance rate of just 7 per cent. In one of their brief moments alone, Agnew asks if this was the life she always wanted. ‘No,’ she says. ‘My goal was New York City, I left home at 17 and I was so excited to get there, I just loved that energy. And I was going to be a ballerina. I was a good ballerina.’
She confesses the biggest sacrifice she’s made was giving up ballet, but claims Daniel gave up his career ambitions too. Agnew’s commentary paints a different picture, noting that Daniel achieved much of what he wanted – to live in the ‘western wilds’, to own a farm, to not have nannies. Even Hannah’s one private space on the farm, a barn which she wanted to convert into a ballet studio, was converted into a schoolroom for the kids.
And in one moment that presents a stark reality far from what’s seen online, Daniel says that Hannah is sometimes so exhausted by her responsibilities she will spend a week straight in bed. That’s the side of the ‘Trad Wife’ life we certainly don’t see.
How old is Hannah Neeleman (Ballerina Farm) and Daniel Neeleman?
With The Times article now going viral, TikToker’s are revisiting old videos and watching them in a new light. One video shows Daniel giving Hannah a birthday present which she hopes are tickets to Greece, but it turns out to be an egg apron that he prompts her to say thank you for. The video is so telling, according to viewers, that it’s sparked Google search trends. ‘Egg apron ballerina farm’ is a breakout search term on Google, as well as ‘How old is Ballerina Farm’ (if you mean Hannah, she’s 34) and ‘Daniel Neeleman age’ (he’s 36) and ‘Ballerina Farm controversy’.
What is Daniel Neeleman’s net worth?
It’s also sparked interest in their net worth. According to Distractify, Daniel Neeleman’s net worth is $6million (£4.6million) thanks to his work on Ballerina Farms (the farm sells beef, pork, baked goods, homewares, and imported products) and his role as the director of DDN Group (and previously Vigzul). DDN Group is an investment management company. Daniel’s father, David Neeleman, is worth over $400million (£310million) thanks to his airline businesses.
What are Hannah’s (aka Ballerina Farm) children’s names?
With so much interest in their family life, there’s also search for what their children are called. For your information, they have eight kids – three boys Henry, Charles and George and five girls named Frances, Lois, Martha, Mabel and Flora Jo.
Now, Hannah, aka Ballerina Farm, has posted a TikTok responding to the article
Having witnessed the backlash, Hannah has now responded via Ballerina Farm with a video and lengthy post on their website explaining her backstory.
On BallerinaFarm.com, Hannah writes of how she came from a big family and was always keen to have many children, that dance was just one of her many passions in life and marrying Daniel was the 'best decision' she ever made.
'While dating we had talked about when to start a family,' she writes. 'There was no hesitation from either of us. We came from big families, (we are both one of nine) and wanted a big family. So we left it in God’s hands. I thought he would want me to finish school before sending me our firstborn Henry. We plan, God laughs.'
Despite her extensive defence of their life, few on TikTok are convinced. 'It wasn't even the article that convinced me, it was the video of the light leaving her eyes with the egg apron & his condescending "You're welcome" at the end,' one viewer responded. 'It wasn't just about what was said, it's about the DYNAMICS that they saw in the home,' another added.
What does this all mean though for the Trad Wife movement? Ultimately, that the reality doesn’t quite meet the illusion shared through TikTok videos. Honestly, it’s a necessary breakthrough that feels a long time coming. Many have raised concerns about what kind of influence Trad Wife content has on young, impressionable viewers. At the very best, it presents a glorified version of homemaking that even the most blissfully happy stay at home mums would tell you is unrelatable.
At its worst, it manipulates a generation of young people into chasing a life that can put women in particular at risk. That’s not to say that there’s anything wrong with being a housewife – feminism is about choice, after all – but we cannot ignore the dangers that come with being entirely financially dependent on another person. That blissful picture can quickly turn dark if there’s any elements of control or abuse in a relationship.
When it comes to promoting any kind of aspirational lifestyle online, it’s just as important to show the bleak times as it is the blissful – and if the Times interview is anything to go by, the Trad Wife life sounds anything but bliss.