Latest news with #HannahNeeleman
Daily Mail
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE The TRUTH about Ballerina Farm... and what it's really like behind the scenes
Hannah Neeleman, known to her nearly 20 million followers by Ballerina Farm, perhaps became the most famous 'tradwife' in the world after a Sunday Times interview controversially labeled her the 'most well-known' of this particular brand of influencers. The social media star and entrepreneur lives on a 328-acre farm in Kamas, Utah, with her husband, Jet Blue scion Daniel, 35, and their eight children, showing their everyday life online to their large collective following. Raised in a large Mormon family in Utah, Hannah was the eighth of nine children. Though she trained as a ballerina at Julliard, hence the name, she gave up dancing professionally shortly after graduation, instead choosing to pursue a family and farming. Online, Hannah is primarily known for her aesthetically pleasing videos in the kitchen, where she whips up elaborate, homemade meals for her family. She shows followers how she makes herbed spaghetti, mixing the flour and egg by hand and then stretching it in her KitchenAid pasta attachment, or making raspberry jam from scratch. As their farm has grown, the Neelemans have built a booming business around their brand, selling everything from $67 Farmer Protein Powder to $44 sourdough kits, and various homemade spreads and seasonings. Customers can also buy frozen goods, like chocolate croissants, as well as cuts of meat, which comes from their farm and their sister farms throughout the US. They have their own meat processing facility in Springville, Utah. Neeleman's videos are captivating to her audience, to put it lightly. The idyllic life she portrays through her content seems to elicit an awed reaction from many, while others watch through a critical lens, unable to look away. Last year, the family weathered a media storm after the piece published in The Times of London titled, 'Meet the queen of the 'trad wives' (and her eight children).' The story highlighted certain complexities of Hannah's lifestyle, painting a particular picture about her relationship with her husband, parenting, her Mormon faith, and her career as a professional dancer. The writer implied Hannah was living a life that she didn't enjoy, or worse - one that she didn't choose. For her part, Hannah addressed the controversy afterward, telling viewers she felt like the piece was an 'attack on her family.' She claimed that it portrayed her as 'oppressed,' with her husband being the 'culprit.' She'd already refuted the 'tradwife' title, telling The Times she didn't 'identify with it' because although she is married and has children, she feels like she and Daniel are 'paving a lot of paths that haven't been paved before.' The Daily Mail visited Ballerina Farm in Utah - where we saw for ourselves what it's really like on the TikTok-famous farm. To perhaps the surprise of some viewers, and especially their most outspoken critics, the Neelemans are running a full-fledged business empire - and there's a lot more than meets the eye to both the brand and the couple themselves. During the Daily Mail's time in Utah, we traveled to the couple's new brick-and-mortar market, and had the opportunity to go on a private tour of their farm, led by Hannah and Jonathan Curley, their director of agriculture. The farm, which is nestled right in the Utah mountains, is vast and houses a red barn emblazoned with 'Ballerina Farm.' The sprawling land is home to 120 dairy cows and 150 cows total, who go out to pasture as often as they want and are milked whenever feels necessary - sometimes by hand, and sometimes by the couple's contact-sensing Lely robot. Jonathan and the Neelemans work as a team when it comes to the dairy. According to Hannah, a nutritionist comes in for the cows once a month, and tells the couple what to add to the cow's diets for the creamiest milk possible. Recently, it's been cotton seed. The farm was surprisingly quiet too, as Hannah and Jonathan explained that this is how a dairy should be. We learned that cows that moo are actually in need of something, and it's better to have a calm dairy. 'Daniel and I and the Ballerina Farm team, we do nothing halfway,' Hannah told the Daily Mail, after feeding us farm-fresh butter, fresh-baked croissants, which tasted like they were from a bakery in Paris, and a homemade orange seltzer. Lunch was a delightful mix of Ballerina Farm beef kofta with olives, pickled red onions and tossed parsley, as well as sugar snap peas and ricotta, salad, and glazed carrots and hummus. The farm was surprisingly quiet too, as Hannah and Jonathan explained that this is how a dairy should be The sprawling land is home to 120 dairy cows and 150 cows total, who go out to pasture as often as they want and are milked whenever feels necessary - sometimes by hand, and sometimes by the couple's contact-sensing Lely robot We were treated to an array of delicious food while we were on the farm, including a homemade orange seltzer 'We really try to provide products that are sourced in a way that's beautiful and direct and also, we want to be able to offer people delicious food,' she continued. 'I think people will think what they want to think, I guess, but when they come to our stores, our physical spaces, we want them to feel that love and intention.' Despite Ballerina Farm's booming success, one product continues to spark controversy - the raw milk they sell that has not been pasteurized to kill harmful bacteria. The polarizing product has stirred debate online, with heated discussions often playing out in the comments of Hannah's videos. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, consuming raw milk, which has become a trendy product among influencers and celebrities like Gwyneth Paltrow, can lead to 'serious health risks.' Despite the health risks, Hannah defends the sale of Ballerina Farm's raw milk, which the farm says is tested every day. 'There are so many benefits to raw milk nutritionally,' she told the Daily Mail, adding: 'But it does need to be produced in a very clean environment, and the cows need to be clean, and you have to make sure that every step of the way is just monitored.' 'We have an amazing team that's, like, so meticulous… so it's really fun being able to stand with total confidence behind the milk, and people are excited about it,' she added. However, Hannah did share that she feels a lot of milk today 'still needs to be pasteurized.' 'We have an amazing team that's, like, so meticulous… so it's really fun being able to stand with total confidence behind the milk, and people are excited about it,' she added 'I feel like if you're able to find farms that are local and small, and have good procedures, then I stand by raw, I think it's so great. But honestly, we love all milk. If we're out and about and we can only get pasteurized, like, we definitely drink it,' she shared. Last summer, Cleveland Clinic warned about the health risks that come along with drinking raw milk, such as salmonella, and Listeria monocytogenes. In addition, it can also put you at risk for avian flu, which has been on the rise over the past year. Though, not everything they sell is raw. Their team pasteurizes some of their other milk products, like their chocolate milk, as well as their yogurt, butter, and cheese. 'When we started farming, it was a whole new energy in life that we found, because there is something so beautiful about raising your own food,' Hannah said. 'The energy and passion comes from what we do.' Hannah explained that when she and Daniel first got married, just months after they began dating, she could tell that his heart was in agriculture. 'When we first got married, I really could tell that his love was with animals. It was every weekend or every night that he had off, he was going to tour a farm, or meet with farmers,' Hannah described to the Daily Mail of her husband. 'He learns a lot from farmers and from people we met along the way. That was the highlight of our trips to Europe, and to Maine, just meeting the people that are growing their own food and how they're doing it,' she continued. When they bought their first farm in Spanish Fork, Utah, which tragically burned down in 2018, Hannah said that the farmer they purchased it from 'really took Daniel under his wing,' teaching him about irrigation, building fences, and the health of the animals. 'He learns a lot from farmers and from people we met along the way. That was the highlight of our trips to Europe, and to Maine, just meeting the people that are growing their own food and how they're doing it,' she continued Upon returning from our trip to Utah, it was clear Ballerina Farm is not just a frilly 'tradwife' business, or just operating under a TikTok bubble strictly limited to her aesthetically-pleasing content - it's a real business entity, and a brand that the family has big plans for 'There have just been so many people in our lives that have taught us, and we're always learning too, we love traveling and going to farms, because in a way, they're life-changing, every farm visit,' Hannah said. As for the future of Ballerina Farm? The couple has big dreams. In the next few years, Hannah and Daniel want to open an agricultural tourism site on their farm, where visitors can experience a microdairy, chickens, a market garden, and farm stand. They also have plans to build out a creamery. 'We just want to be able to give our community part of Ballerina Farm in a way that's really thought-out and beneficial, educating,' Hannah shared. Now, the couple are expanding their business to their first brick-and-mortar storefront in Midway, set to open this June. Daily Mail got a sneak preview of the store, which was stocked with all of their own products, including their meat, as well as a curated selection of items that they love. In addition to buying groceries, you can also buy fresh-baked goods and sandwiches. Upon returning from our trip to Utah, it was clear Ballerina Farm is not just a frilly 'tradwife' business, or just operating under a TikTok bubble strictly limited to her aesthetically-pleasing content - it's a real business entity, and a brand that the family has big plans for. Although Daniel's family is worth an estimated $400 million, the couple appears to be self-sufficient, just as they've always dreamed - though the brand declined to disclose sales numbers to the Daily Mail. As for Hannah, we didn't see a woman who is oppressed, but rather a serious entrepreneur. With such a huge following, controversy and the occasional backlash is inevitable, but it's clear Ballerina Farm will be just fine either way.
New York Times
30-04-2025
- New York Times
A Little-Known Corner of Ireland Beckons
Less than an hour from Cork Airport, but tucked away off the main tourist trails, Ireland's Blackwater Valley is steeped in natural splendor and Old World romance. The area gets its name from the Munster Blackwater — a deep, fast-flowing river that wends through the verdant landscape before joining the Atlantic Ocean at the medieval town of Youghal. Flanked by the Knockmealdown Mountains to the north and blown by the fresh winds that come off the sea, the valley has its own microclimate, where the vegetation grows rich and lush, from ancient woodland to rolling pastures where the grass is so thick and green it looks almost artificial. As well as its natural beauty, the area is known for its landmarks that range from castles to follies, and a thriving cultural scene. It's well worth a diversion if you're planning a trip to Ireland. One of the most popular places to stay nearby is Ballymaloe House, home to the Ballymaloe cookery school. Many of Ireland's top chefs trained here, and Hannah Neeleman, of Ballerina Farm fame, recently spent three months doing a cookery course there — rooms are traditional and comfortable and cost from €280 a night (about $318), depending on the season. Or, head to the 220-acre Castlemartyr Resort (rooms from €233 a night), a five-star hotel set in a large manor house right next to a ruined castle. It's the perfect base for exploring the region and is a destination in its own right, with seven dining options, including a traditional Irish pub, the Hunted Hog. Castlemartyr is an example of what are referred to in Ireland as 'big houses' — large country homes built by wealthy Anglo-Irish landowners between the 17th and 19th centuries. In many parts of the country, they have either burned down or been left to decay and molder, but here, they are mostly still inhabited and thriving, partly because of a cohort of affluent newcomers. Lismore Castle lies at the heart of the Blackwater Valley, both geographically and culturally. This imposing gothic edifice looms high over the banks of the river, presenting a silhouette that's so dramatic and beautiful it looks as if it's escaped from a film set. It's the Irish seat of the Dukes of Devonshire — who also own Chatsworth, one of England's largest estates. Its former inhabitants include Adele Astaire, Fred Astaire's older sister and one of the most famous vaudeville stars of her day. She was a household name in the 1920s and 30s, before retiring from the stage to marry Charles Cavendish, the second son of the ninth Duke of Devonshire. During her time as chatelaine, she modernized the house, went on long walks and kept a pet goat. Today, the castle remains one of the region's top attractions. The extensive gardens are open from March to the end of October (full-price tickets cost €10), and while the interiors are off-limits to the general public, the entire property can be rented for group stays. Admission to the gardens also covers entry to Lismore Castle Arts, a contemporary art gallery that hosts an impressive roster of exhibitions by some of the world's leading artists. Recent exhibitions have included a site-specific installation by the British-Argentine artist Carolina Aguirre; a group show masterminded by Habda Rashid, the senior curator at the Fitzwilliam Museum and the Kettle's Yard gallery in Cambridge; and a collection of images taken by the New York-based photographer Lee Mary Manning, who was inspired by a monthlong residency in Lismore in the spring of 2023. If you're driving to Lismore, stop off at Ballysaggartmore Towers, an extraordinary pair of crumbling gothic gate lodges that look like miniature fairy-tale castles. Surrounded by woodland, with no other buildings in sight, these follies are free to visit. Be prepared for a walk — the trail is 1.5 miles, with rough paths. One of the region's main cultural events is the Blackwater Valley Opera Festival, which runs each summer and attracts musical aficionados from around the world to hear top-quality productions in a collection of remarkable venues. These include some of the finest country houses in the area, as well as the ancient St. Carthage's Cathedral in Lismore town. The festival comprises about 20 events over the course of a week, with approximately 5,000 visitors in total. 'The big draw is having Lismore Castle as a main venue,' said Susie Wingfield, a resident. 'It's an incredible outdoor setting for an opera, particularly in the evening. Also, all the recitals are in private houses and churches, which feels very special and intimate.' In the spring, the West Waterford Drama Festival takes place in the tiny village of Ballyduff, when Ireland's top amateur theater groups converge in the local hall and put on the sort of productions that you'd expect to see in Dublin or Cork. No trip to the Blackwater Valley would be complete without a visit to Ardmore, a small fishing village perched on the rugged coast. Despite having a population of fewer than 500 people, it possesses one of therare Michelin-starred restaurants in Ireland outside of Dublin, House. Inside the Cliff House Hotel, where rooms cost from €269 a night, including breakfast, the restaurant is open from Wednesday to Saturday and focuses on locally sourced ingredients with a particular emphasis on seafood, in a nod to Ardmore's maritime heritage. Linger over the seven-course tasting menu (€150 a person) before sinking into one of the supremely comfortable beds in the hotel, where you'll be lulled to sleep by the sound of waves crashing against the cliffs. The next day, spend a morning exploring the village, starting with a stroll around the ruins of the 12th-century round tower and cathedral. Stop by Ardmore Pottery & Gallery, a family-run business that sells contemporary ceramics and pieces by Irish makers. You can also visit the on-site studio, where you'll see earthenware pots being made by hand. If the weather's fine, there are plenty of sandy beaches — Curragh Beach and Whiting Bay are the two main ones. Literary types can attend a creative writing workshop at Molly Keane Writers Retreats (a three-day course is €350), where the former home of the Anglo-Irish author is regularly opened to budding creatives. Keane was a celebrated author and playwright with a long career, starting out in the 1920s before finding late success nearly 60 years later, when her novel 'Good Behaviour' was shortlisted for the 1981 Booker Prize. She's one of several writers associated with the Blackwater Valley — the travel author Dervla Murphy grew up in Lismore, while the poet Thomas McCarthy lives in the nearby town of Cappoquin. Molly Keane's daughter, Virginia Brownlow, still calls the Blackwater Valley home, despite having lived in both Dublin and London. When asked what keeps her in this rural corner of Ireland, her reply was simple: 'The beauty of it. It's such a lyrical, lovely place.' Follow New York Times Travel on Instagram and sign up for our Travel Dispatch newsletter to get expert tips on traveling smarter and inspiration for your next vacation. Dreaming up a future getaway or just armchair traveling? Check out our 52 Places to Go in 2025.
The Guardian
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
The ‘womanosphere' is the latest cultural propaganda assault on young womanhood. Will it work?
Fun news from the Guardian's 'Everything is Awful' desk this week: the 'womanosphere' cometh. The article heralds the arrival of 'a crop of conservative personalities … convincing young women of a gender-essentialist worldview'. What does such essentialism entail? The woman holding a sign reading 'Make him a sandwich' is a strong clue. 'Be thin, fertile and Republican' is the Guardian's conclusion. Yes, the people whose values brought January 6, Ice raids and Trumponomics to an abandoned container port near you are heaving resources into a cultural propaganda assault on young womanhood. Evie magazine is one of the new fronts in the hard right's endless culture war. As the Guardian article points out, it's an old-school glossy magazine, offering makeover suggestions and lifestyle advice, but for women who find suffrage a burden. It's less voting, more vibes as well as sex tips for women who are self-certified as virgins when they marry. Evie's format recalls the glamour days of Cleo and Cosmopolitan, before those old magazines went full communist by saying such radical things as 'nothing is worth dying of an eating disorder over' and society as we knew it collapsed. Evie is American, but the culturally coercive gender messaging it represents knows no borders. Australia may be less polarised in its gender politics than that other place, but recent research shows a small but notable conservative influence has grown among local young women. Evie itself reclaims the vintage appeal of the western woman's magazine, which I remember fondly from my youth, offering the Photoshopped propaganda of self-hatred to girls compelled to compare their performance of femininity to unattainable external standards. A recent edition of Evie featured Ballerina Farm's Hannah Neeleman as cover girl, modelling her unique brand of crispy blond locks and volunteer domestic servitude in neo-milkmaidian styling. The message here, girls, is clear: yes, if you marry the son of a billionaire, you too can have the life of a medieval peasant! Evie and Hannah are, of course, agents of a broader campaign. Conservative bandwaggoner Candace Owens is apparently rebranding her ubiquitous web presence in 'orchid' tones, positioning herself as a more mainstream women's lifestyle influencer and part-time Hollywood gossipist for those who want Blake Lively content that's antisemitic adjacent. Seeking out cultural commentary from a woman so bereft of virtue she was refused entry to Australia over her 'capacity to incite discord' hardly accords to any traditional mission of 'how to be good in a bad society'. The projects themselves may be coincidences, but there's shared ideology to this. The American conservative legal activist and rightwing supreme court justice picker Leonard Leo spoke in 2024 of a need for Trumpism to 'crush liberal dominance' in entertainment media; now America is here. Trump has appointed ageing rightwing crank Mel Gibson as a Hollywood 'envoy'. His administration is shaking down news media, and money is flowing through his movement to any 'content creator', male or female (but certainly not in between), willing to sing its hymnal of gender binaries, illiberalism and dominant order. The genius of this movement's true leader, Steve Bannon, was to recognise way back in his Breitbart days that 'politics flows downstream from culture'. The 'monster power' he identified in the online 4chan community was absolutely the place to normalise hate speech as political speech; Trump's emotionally dysregulated performances made him a candidate so familiar to that community, his politics didn't need to be explained to them for a cultural alliance to form. Those still struggling to understand how so many Americans seemed to have voted against their direct economic advantage and liberty have not studied Bannon's cultural calculations. Consider Trump's history as an avatar of reality television's 'immorality is entertainment' flavour. His visibility at WWE and UFC events marks Trump not only as culturally allied to the fandom but positioned within it, so that his political behaviour on everything from immigration to trade policy can be viewed through the fandom's men-punching-men cultural frame. Now consider Trump's relationship to the Fox 'infotainment' audience. The 'who needs an expert when you've got me' podcast environment. Edgelord comedians. Cultural familiarity can act as shorthand that avoids getting bogged down in confusing policy information. We have a saying in the theatre that's relevant here: 'If you have to explain it, you've already lost the audience.' When you're a low-information voter, 'he likes what I like' becomes all the information required to vote your preference. The womanosphere is an attempt by this same movement to now colonise the enormous and powerful fandoms of makeup and clothes, crushes on boys and pop culture gossip. Will it work? Not if the young women who have been heading in the liberal and opposite direction to the boys on the Jugend-train hold the line. The politics of boys insisting on women's servitude and humiliation only tends to last until they decide they'd really prefer to get laid. It's to head off this oncoming challenge that the womanosphere is being created and promoted. It's standard authoritarian 'for every soldier a wife' stuff. Girls, your future freedom and ours depends on your discernment, now. Van Badham is a Guardian Australia columnist
