Ballerina Farm is a farm in Kamas, Utah and the social media name of influencer Hannah Neeleman (born June 25, 1990) who is known for posting about homemaking, farming, and raising eight children.[1] The farm sells beef, pork, baked goods, homewares, and imported products.[1] In 2024, Madison Malone Kircher wrote in The New York Times that Ballerina Farm was "as much a brand as it is a person" and described it as "wholesome and bucolic."[2] Neeleman is associated with the tradwife aesthetic.
Social media
editBy 2024, the Ballerina Farm social media accounts grew to more than 8.6 million followers on Instagram[3] and 6.9 million on TikTok,[4] an increase from the 200,000 Instagram followers it had in 2021.[2] Hannah posts videos milking her cow named Tulip, cooking, wrangling children, drinking raw and unpasteurized milk, and tending to the farm. She frequently bakes bread in a green stove, named Agnes, which she found on Craigslist.[2] Hannah often wears floral dresses and skirts, and her aesthetics have been compared to Little House on the Prairie.[1] She has been called a tradwife, though Hannah said in 2024 that she wasn't familiar with the term.[2]
On January 21, 2024, less than two weeks after giving birth to her eighth child, Hannah Neeleman competed in the international Mrs. World competition.[1][2]
The New York Times wrote that Ballerina Farm was "simultaneously one of the most popular social media stars in the country and a lightning rod for criticism."[2] Hannah Neeleman has been criticized for failing to publicly display the farm's hired employees and not acknowledging the family's financial privilege.[1][5] Viewers have speculated that the family is probably not living off the profits of the farm and have pointed out that their home's stove, which Hannah says she purchased used, retails for about $20,000 and their property was listed for $2.75 million when they purchased it in 2018.[6]
Daniel Neeleman posts on Instagram on the account @HogFathering.[7] The account did a sponsored post for FedEx that showed Hannah mailing the farm's meat to Hawaii so that the family could eat it on vacation.[2]
Farm operations
editThe farm is a 328-acre ranch that Hannah and Daniel Neeleman purchased in 2018.[5] Hannah Neeleman lists herself as the farm's founder and chief executive.[2]
In 2020, Hannah noted an uptick in online meat sales from the farm.[8] Additionally, the farm's website sells products both from the farm and imported, including beef, pork, as well as baked goods, sourdough starter, homewares and flowers grown in Ecuador.[1][5] In 2024, Hannah Neeleman said that Ballerina Farm planned to expand to add a dairy operation, a store, and a cafe.[2]
Personal life
editHannah Neeleman | |
|---|---|
| Born | Hannah Wright June 25, 1990 Springville, Utah, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Juilliard School |
| Occupation | Social media influencer |
| Spouse |
Daniel Neeleman (m. 2011) |
| Children | 8 |
| Relatives | David Neeleman, father in law |
Hannah Neeleman grew up in a Mormon family of nine children in Springville, Utah. Her family owned a flower shop.[1][9] At the age of 14, she attended a Juilliard School summer ballet program. At 16, she received a scholarship to Brigham Young University’s theatre ballet program; she finished her university ballet studies at Juilliard School in New York City.[10] Hannah met Daniel Neeleman, who is from Connecticut and studied at Brigham Young University, while she was in Utah over a Thanksgiving break in college.[9] Daniel is the son of David Neeleman, who founded five airlines including JetBlue and led efforts to take TAP Air Portugal private.[6] Daniel is also a Mormon, and grew up in a family of ten children. The couple got engaged after just three weeks.[5] Hannah said that she is the first Juilliard undergraduate “in modern history” to be pregnant.[5]
The couple spent several years living in Brazil for Daniel's corporate job as director of home security company Vigzul, which was founded by his father. Upon returning to the United States, Daniel attended business school at the University of Utah while serving on the board of a different security company.[5] They spent three years looking for farmland and initially purchased a different farm in 2017. They then purchased Ballerina Farm in 2018.[5]
Hannah Neeleman told The New York Times that the family hires farm workers, a personal assistant, a teacher to homeschool five school-aged children, and an occasional babysitter.[2] Hannah and Daniel have eight children, three sons followed by five daughters.[1][5] They are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.[1] Neeleman is associated with the tradwife movement but does not use the term or identify with it strongly.[11]
Pageants
editHannah Neeleman competed in the Miss New York pageant while a Juilliard School ballet student.[10] After getting married and having children, she competed in the Mrs. America competition and was crowned Mrs. Utah in 2021.[12] In 2023, she competed as Mrs. South Dakota and was crowned Mrs. American (which is a separate pageant from Mrs. America, though both are run by Elaine Marmel, an 86-year-old who additionally heads the Mrs. World competition).[1][2] She appeared on stage in Las Vegas less than two weeks after giving birth to her eighth child. Her answer to a question about female empowerment attracted attention from conservative media: "After I hold that newborn baby in my arms ... the feeling of motherhood and bringing them to the earth is the most empowering feeling I have ever felt."[2]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Why Does Ballerina Farm Make Moms So Mad?". Glamour. 2024-01-22. Retrieved 2024-01-23.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Kircher, Madison Malone; Bennett, Bridget (2024-01-30). "She Gave Birth Two Weeks Ago. Now She's in a Beauty Pageant". The New York Times. Retrieved 2024-01-30.
- ^ "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 2024-01-19.
- ^ "TikTok - Make Your Day". www.tiktok.com. Retrieved 2024-01-19.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Land Ho | Gaby Del Valle". The Baffler. 2023-09-12. Retrieved 2024-01-23.
- ^ a b North, Anna (2023-11-20). "Why influencers with 7, 8, or 10 kids are having a moment". Vox. Retrieved 2024-01-23.
- ^ "2023 Mrs. American goes viral saying motherhood makes her feel empowered". Deseret News. 2023-08-29. Retrieved 2024-01-23.
- ^ Crampton, Liz (2020-03-31). "Coronavirus has more Americans turning directly to farms for food". POLITICO. Retrieved 2024-01-23.
- ^ a b Hargreaves, Matt (December 9, 2021). "Pageants, Plies, and Pork: Tales of Connection on the Ballerina Farm".
- ^ a b Hargreaves, Matt (December 9, 2021). "PAGEANTS, PLIES, AND PORK: TALES OF CONNECTION ON THE BALLERINA FARM". Utah Farm Bureau Federation. Retrieved May 14, 2023.
- ^ Agnew, Megan (2024-07-23). "Meet the queen of the 'trad wives' (and her eight children)". www.thetimes.com. Retrieved 2024-07-23.
- ^ Satran, Rory (23 August 2021). "Instagram Stars Make Farm Life Look Delightful—Minus the Manure". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2023-05-13.