HANNAH Neeleman is better known to her millions of followers as Ballerina Farm.
Here we take a look at who Hannah is and why she went viral in July 2024.
Hannah Neeleman is a homesteading mom-of-eight with more than 9million followers on Instagram and nearly 8million on TikTok, who has been labelled as a ‘trad wife’.
But in a July 2024 interview with the Times, Hannah said she doesn’t “identify” with the label — she has worked as a content creator while raising her family.
She said: “We are traditional in the sense that it’s a man and a woman, we have children, but I do feel like we’re paving a lot of paths that haven’t been paved before.”
A trad wife (short for traditional wife) is a woman who chooses to take on an ultra-traditional role in marriage.
These women have rejected modern gender roles and in the process become an internet phenomenon — promoting their lifestyles online to a massive audience.
Hannah was born in a town near Salt Lake City to Mormon parents and is one of nine children.
In October 2023, her father-in-law David shared a video of himself and some of his 31 grandchildren on Instagram.
“Nothing better than celebrating my birthday with family,” he said.
“(Thirty-one) grandchildren and one on the way! I’m a blessed man!”
In August 2023, Hannah was crowned Mrs American at the Westgate Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.
Astonishingly, she won the event just 12 days after giving birth — without using any pain relief at all during the baby’s delivery.
Sharing her and her family’s lives with her online followers, there have been numerous social media storms.
She received a strong backlash from her audience for promoting the use of natural remedies over Western medicine, as well as for saying she feels most empowered after having a baby.
Hannah explained that her husband helps her deal with the controversy, saying: “Daniel is so good about that.
“He says you can’t lean into what people are saying or the titles people are putting on you.
“You just have to live your life and shut that out, because if not it will overtake you.”
Daniel added: “For whatever reason I’m kind of numb to it.”
Hannah’s husband Daniel is the son of David Neeleman.
David is a Brazilian multimillionaire who has founded several airlines including JetBlue.
I knew that when I started to have kids my life would start to look different. I gave up dance, which was hard. You give up a piece of yourself
Hannah Neeleman
Daniel is also one of nine children from a Mormon family — just like his wife — but he was brought up in Connecticut.
Hannah, her husband and their kids live on a rustic Utah homestead called Ballerina Farm, where they grow fresh vegetables and milk cows.
The farm’s official website says: “Ballerina Farm is nestled in the fertile mountain valley of Kamas, Utah.
“Blessed with snowy winters and cool summers, livestock and humans alike enjoy this high altitude oasis.
“Hannah is a former Miss New York City and graduate of the Juilliard School in dance.
“Daniel is a history major and finishing his masters.
“The children are wild, hardworking and homeschooled by their mother.”
Ballerina Farm is also Hannah’s social media handle and the name she uses to promote her products online.
Hannah was featured in a Sunday Times article labelling her the ‘Queen of the Trad Wives’.
After it was published on July 20, 2024, the interview went viral.
The piece provided insight into what her life on Ballerina Farm is really like — and evidently there is a large audience interested in the trad wife phenomenon.
One of the passages that caught readers’ attention was about Hannah giving up her dreams to have children.
She said: “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.
“But I knew that when I started to have kids my life would start to look different.
“I gave up dance, which was hard. You give up a piece of yourself.”
Online reactions to the Times interview have been varied.
One person posted: “I honestly just feel bad for the children cause I can only imagine the emotional neglect they experience at times…
“Hannah made her bed, although I felt bad after reading the article, I feel even worse for the children and won’t be surprised if as they get older they start to have some serious issues.”
While another wrote: “At first it triggered my heart strings I think a lot of women can relate to this in one way or another…
“But then I began watching her content and realized wow she actually has a beautiful home, seemingly a lot of money from the farm if not generating from social media, some of those would considering the ability to have children a gift.
“She seems to travel, and has had a lot of achievements such as the Utah pageant or whatever.
“This is who we feel bad for? She has a choice and the power to change her circumstances if it’s that bad.”
