We’re about to dive headfirst into the wild world of trad wives, specifically the queen bee herself: Hannah Neeleman, a.k.a. Ballerina Farm. You might have seen her picture-perfect life pop up on your feed — think homegrown veggies, sun-kissed kids, and a rustic Utah farm straight out of a Hallmark movie. But behind the curated Instagram posts lies a far less idyllic — more controversial — reality.
The Times dropped a bombshell profile by Megan Agnew, and let’s just say it’s got everyone talking. Agnew’s visit to the Neeleman’s 328-acre farm unveiled a life that’s more Stepford Wives than a fairytale. Hannah and her husband, Daniel, have crafted a digital empire full of people here for the back-to-the-land fantasy. But, spoiler alert, all that glitters is not gold.
@hannahneeleman #hannahneeleman #ballerinafarm #ballerinafarmsourdough ♬ original sound – Hannah Neeleman
Ballerina Farm Interview Breakdown
Before we get into any of that, if you’re like me, you’ve never heard of Hannah or the Ballerina Farm before today. Nothing about the trad wife lifestyle is appealing to me (I’m a single 27-year-old woman of color who doesn’t want children), so I tend to stay away from content like that. And now I’m realizing it’s a good thing I do! For those of you new to this content, a “tradwife” is short for “traditional wife.” This whole vibe is about embracing ultra-traditional gender roles where the woman’s main focus is on homemaking, raising kids, and supporting her husband. Think of a 1950s housewife with an Instagram filter and a ring light. It’s a movement that some find empowering, but others (hi, me) see as a regressive throwback to less equitable times.
Now, let’s talk about Ballerina Farm. It’s called this because Hannah, a former ballet dancer, turned her family’s rural lifestyle into a social media phenomenon. Her posts are all about farm life and making it seem dreamy. But there’s no ode to dancing, really. So is “Ballerina Farm” dedicated to the life she doesn’t live? With 1.2 million followers on TikTok and over 9 million followers on Instagram, she’s built an empire that romanticizes the tradwife lifestyle, making it look like the ultimate dream.
Does Hannah Neeleman Enjoy Her Lifestyle?
First off, Megan explains that getting any real talk from Hannah during her visit was like pulling teeth. Whenever she tried to speak, she was interrupted by Daniel or one of their eight kids. Yup, eight. And let’s talk about Daniel for a second – this guy apparently demanded marriage and babies within three months of meeting Hannah back in 2011 when she was just 21. Her desire to finish school? Nope. He wasn’t having it.
We also learn that Daniel is basically the reason Hannah’s rocking this no-childcare, nonstop mom mode. And birth control? Ha, forget it. This dude seems determined to keep the baby train rolling until… well until Hannah’s body decides it’s done. At one point, Daniel even mentioned that Hannah sometimes gets so exhausted (from taking care of their household and, hello, eight children) that she’s bedridden for a week. Ah, I can’t explain how pissed off that makes me.
When asked if this tradwife life was always the dream, Hannah’s response was a gut punch. She basically said no, she wanted to be a ballerina and that’s why she left home at 17 — which is a far cry from the domestic goddess she portrays on social media.
While it’s easy to feel bad for Hannah, it’s important to remember she’s also perpetuating this tradwife fantasy. Her posts, which make many women feel like they’re not good enough and question their life choices, aren’t just happy homemaking highlights. They’re carefully curated content to feed into a lifestyle that benefits men and men alone. And we all know that the patriarchy wouldn’t be able to thrive if women also didn’t feed into it.
A lot of these trad wife videos are just trying to hide what they really are: a profitable, yet potentially damaging, fantasy. So next time you see a Ballerina Farm post, remember there’s more to the story — and it’s not all sunshine and homemade bread.
