Daily Skimm

Hannah Neeleman (aka @ballerinafarm) is back — well, back in the hot seat. For the unfamiliar: Neeleman is a Juilliard-trained ballerina turned homesteading influencer, who documents daily life on her family’s Utah farm. She’s milking cows at dusk, whipping up homemade lilac jelly for freshly-baked bread, dressing her daughters in American Girl-style outfits, and making endless flower arrangements. It’s a millennial “Little House on the Prairie.” Last month, Neeleman gave birth to her eighth child and within days started posting her “postpartum pageant prep.” Neeleman also happens to be Mrs. American (not to be confused with Miss America) and decided to get glam, put on a swimsuit and ball gown, and compete in the Mrs. World pageant two weeks later. 

The internet…had thoughts, with many questioning whether she was setting unrealistic expectations for new mothers. Then came thoughts about those thoughts — namely, here we were again, criticizing what another woman does with her body. This isn’t the first time Neeleman has been criticized for painting an unattainable picture: In her dispatches from her idyllic pastoral lifestyle, she has seemed to avoid mentioning that her father-in-law is the founder of JetBlue and other airlines. That omission, accidental or intentional, caused some fans to feel deceived — and critics to say the Neelemans are simply cosplaying humble farmers. She’s also been called the original Instagram tradwife, a term Neeleman told the New York Times she was unfamiliar with. Spoiler: Mrs. Germany won the pageant, but Neeleman’s won millions of followers (or hate-followers). And that’s worth its weight in butter.