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What is a ‘trad wife’ and why is TikTok star Ballerina Farm’s lifestyle causing such a stir

The term “trad wife” has been thrown around a lot recently as a result of TikTok star Ballerina Farm’s lifestyle.

Content creator Hannah Neeleman is a mother-of-eight living in Utah in the United States who has accumulated a cult following of over 9.5 million on the social media platform.

The 35-year-old’s traditional lifestyle has received mixed comments online with many people branding it archaic and others praising it.

@ballerinafarm I’m calling it “Dairy Date Night” 🐄🌾♥️ @Daniel ♬ original sound – Ballerina Farm

Trad wives can be described as women who embrace the traditional gender norms and put homemaking, childcare, and supporting their husbands above all else.

Up until her interview with The Times, Hannah’s life was envied by fans who adored her simple way of living.

However, this all changed after journalist Megan Agnew spent the day with the TikToker and published her findings in a tell-all piece.

@ballerinafarmEvery year we have a booth at our local rodeo. This year we decided to serve homemade ice cream inside a freshly picked cantaloupe. It was a hit. We’re all exhausted, but so much fun! 5 nights of rodeo in the books! ✨🇺🇸♬ original sound – Ballerina Farm

Megan joined the family in their home in Utah and met Hannah’s husband, Daniel, 35, and their eight children, aged seven months to 12 years.

The journalist quizzed her whether she believes she is putting other women under pressure for not living a similar lifestyle.

Staying at home, looking after children, cooking everything from scratch all the while looking amazing while doing it- she even famously competed in the Mrs World pageant 12 days after having a baby.

Megan described their life and surroundings as beautiful but also noted that it was a “life of contradictions.”

The writer explained: “Children not allowed screens, but who are reality TV characters online for millions. A stay-at-home mother who has made a career out of being so. An analogue, old-fashioned farm, only working because it is underwritten by social media cash. A choice — modern in her ability to have one — to do something so very traditional.”

The Times writer also revealed that neither Hannah nor Daniel had come from a traditional or farming background- adding to the sense of confusion.

@ballerinafarm Fresh morning milk and @Daniel ♬ original sound – Ballerina Farm

Hannah wanted to live in New York girl and become a professional ballet dancer, a dream that was not out of reach having gone to the prestigious Julliard School at the age of 17.

Daniel was the son of a billionaire airline founder and grew up in the suburbs of Connecticut “without a single animal.”

Megan described the father-of-eight as having “staunchly traditional views, combined with unmistakably 21st-century business acumen.”

@ballerinafarm Huge honor to be an Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year finalist. Some snippets from our time at the Mountain West event in Colorado. We loved having the older kids (and Flora!) with us because they have worked alongside Daniel and I to get us to where we are today. Feeling grateful, humbled and also so excited for the future of Ballerina Farm! @Daniel @ballerinafarmstore ♬ Good Times (Lhotse ‘Rest Of Us’ Remix) – Samuel Jack & Lhotse

Some of his views included that men “make stuff work” and women “beautify” and also wanting his parents to get remarried, despite their divorce 12 years ago.

He also revealed that Hannah “sometimes gets so ill from exhaustion that she can’t get out of bed for a week”.

Thousands of people chimed in on the article online and begged Hannah to pursue her dreams of becoming a ballerina and to leave the farm behind.

@ballerinafarmOut for my birthday lunch. Best present is spending time with this crew right here. ♥️

♬ original sound – Ballerina Farm

One commenter wrote: “I just read the Times article, and I am so very sad for Hannah. None of this is at all what she wanted, but she does it, because Daniel wants her to.”

“Everything about their lives is what he’s always wanted. The only things she’s been allowed to keep is the name. That they use, as a brand. So very sad.”

Another said: “Hannah! Please take time for yourself, you DESERVE things for yourself. You deserve to be happy.”

@ballerinafarmWhat I’ve been thinking lately…♬ original sound – Ballerina Farm

However, the former dancer clapped back at these comments in a recent TikTok video and called the article an “attack on her family.”

The mother-of-eight expressed her “shock” at the tone of the article and inisted that she is happy with her life and that “God and family” are her main motivations.

She signed off the clip: “For now, I’m doing what I love most: being a mother, wife, a businesswoman, a farmer, a lover of Jesus, and making meals from scratch.”

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