She had her eighth child and two weeks later took part in a beauty contest: “I’m grateful to be a mother.”

At just 33 years old, Hannah Neeleman She gave birth to Flora Jo, her eighth daughter, and two weeks later traveled to Las Vegas to compete in a beauty pageant for married women representing her country, the United States.

Hannah became a global network star overnight. Before January 21, the day of the competition final, her Instagram account had 200 thousand followers; after that day, more than 8 million.

Her participation in the beauty contest Lady World made its history visible. Since 1984, this award has recognized “Mrs. World” in the same way that the American Mrs. America and Mrs. Americana pageants recognize “Mrs. America” ​​and “Mrs. Americana”. In fact, the global competition is an offshoot of that of the United States.

Neeleman’s photos, two weeks after becoming a mother for the eighth time, caused a sensation on her Instagram account, @ballerinafarm. “What an incredible experience it was to compete! There were so many emotions this past week, the biggest being gratitude. Grateful to hear it all. Grateful to be a mother, a woman, a daughter, a sister,” Hannah wrote alongside a video of her performing in Las Vegas.

Neeleman didn’t win; she was in the top 17. The new queen of Mrs. World was German Julia Schnelle. But her surname will undoubtedly be the most remembered of the last edition, even more than that of the winner.

A life of luxury on the farm

His Instagram account username says it all: “Ballerina Farm”. Hannah is a former dancer who has long lived on a farm near Salt Lake City with her husband. Daniel and his eight children.

In recent months it has become clear that Neeleman knew how to turn his name into a business: thanks to his success on social networks, he managed to convince many of his followers to buy products with his name and face.

On Instagram you can see photos of her milking cows, cooking or feeding her young, among other maternal and rural activities.

Where does it come from?

Hannah has a good financial life, among other things, thanks to her husband’s family. Daniele is the son of David Neelemannfounder of several airlines, including JetBlue.

Both she and her husband are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In any case, religious messages, much less political ones, usually do not appear on their networks. With her content, Hannah generally tries to motivate her fans.

According to what she said in an interview with the New York Times, she and Daniel prayed before participating in Mrs. World. “(My husband) told me, ‘God, let Hannah know what she needs to do.’ Either let her know she’s OK not to go, or give her the strength and healing to get there,’” Neeleman revealed.

Competition fan

Before becoming famous for the pageant, Neeleman was known for participating in other beauty pageants. It should be noted that he comes to Mrs. World after winning first prize in Mrs. Americana, the national pageant.

In recent months his surname had circulated within American conservative groups due to the answer he had given on stage to a question about women’s emancipation: “After holding that newborn in my arms, the feeling of motherhood and bringing him to earth is the most powerful feeling I have ever felt.”.

Hannah, although she lives partly for racing, believes that these races are “not like running a marathon”. Will it be awarded next year?