Out of desperation, I asked him to go back to work, to give me some space, and he told me that wasnt part of the deal in marrying me. Over time, she took on private clients in addition to the ones she had with the cleaning agency. Stephanie Lands story happens in the middle of the 2008 financial crisis. Its worth listening to. It seemed he was, even saying 25% of the reason in choosing to be with me was because of that. One afternoon, a few weeks before I finally told him to leave, we were all in the backyard together. Guests also had to maintain a clean house, something that Land was used to doing given her line of work at the time. [6] A car accident at age 16 led to her being diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, a condition which was later exacerbated by her financial struggles. But I dole out lessons in empathy as much as I can, [which is] not only my biggest challenge but my goal in being a parent. Then I moved with my nine-month-old daughter into a homeless shelter. Instead of learning to walk in a halfway house, as Story did, Maddy grows up in a subsidized apartment. The agency only permitted her to work up to six hours a day, reasoning that due to the exhausting nature of the work, she could risk injuring herself. She isnt anxious because she believes people are watching her every move, making sure she doesnt do anything they dont think a poor person should do. What she did learn from speaking with her own advocate there, was that many clients who the center helped get away from abusive partners would go back to the person who had been abusing them. Stephanie Land is the author of Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mothers Will to Survive, out in January 2019, Theres love, youll say, but is there any real point in getting married these days? Timothy Faust is a professional Air Force Veteran. Land was inadvertently thrust into the private lives of her clients, getting an up-close and personal look at how the other half lives. [11] Barack Obama placed the book on his "Summer Reading List" of 2019[17] and actress Reese Witherspoon said she "loved this story about one woman surviving impossible circumstances. Nate is not Sean, or Alex's dad Hank (Billy Burke), or Paula's ex-partner Basil (Toby Levins), or Sean's best friend Ethan . Land and her daughter stayed in one of the cabins for 90 days, the maximum that was allowed. In USA Today, Sharon Peters praised the book's honesty, writing that it fills the "with much candid detail about the frustrations with the limitations of programs she relied on. He said a judge would make me move to Portland if I tried to . It was then that she said, "No, I'm calling the police; I don't want you here." [4] Land has also written several articles about maid service work, abuse and poverty in the United States. Hed just adopted Coraline and we were playing catch on a sunny evening, feeling like the misery of winter and my husbands court case was well behind us. The author says that memes began to circulate in 2008 comparing people on food stamps to wild animals. He hasnt lived with us in almost six months. [26] The book will combine Land's personal experiences with investigative reporting about higher education and the cost of it in the United States. When Alex temporarily loses custody of Maddie, she is court-mandated to attend regular parenting and stability classes. CBS News/Stephanie Land, Netflix Before her memoir "Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother's Will to Survive" was even an idea, Stephanie Land was a single mother who had escaped an abusive. Even though Alex states, "I am on seven different forms of government assistance" in the show, they never go into too much detail about these programs. Eventually, the price for an hour of cleaning went up to $25 per hour.After being with the cleaning agency for two years, Land's salary had gone up to $9.25 an hour. This meant that out of the 20 clients she had, she would clean two or three houses each day. I've been getting a lot of comments about "I realize my current relationship is toxic and I need to leave, or "I was able to process past relationships and be more forgiving of myself" and I had a lot of people either tweet or comment that they immediately donated to a domestic violence shelter or started volunteering. [4] [2] Land and her eldest daughter occasionally lived in homeless shelters, transitional housing and a camper in a driveway, before securing an apartment in low-income housing. I never knew what to tell her. Who Is Hasnat Khan, Princess Dianas Boyfriend on Season 5 of The Crown? There were a lot of memes going around at the time about how people should be drug-tested for welfare, and a lot of my friends would post on Facebook and social media some type of hatred for people on food stamps. It was of course really triggering and hard to watch and traumatic in some parts. It feels almost implied throughout Netflixs Maid that Alex had an unstable upbringing, but that couldnt be farther from the truth. Then I Hired a Maid. Maid draws heavily from one womans real-life story, but changes some key details. My oldest, Mia, and I have taken to watching a couple of my favorite movies from the 1980s when were out traveling alone together. [23][24] According to Netflix, the show will likely reach 67 million households in its first four weeks, surpassing the record set by The Queens Gambit, which was watched by 62 million subscribers. Land called the police for help three months after getting married. A Maid fact-check reveals that the real Stephanie Land was 28 when she was pregnant with her daughter Mia (today, Mia goes by her middle name, Story). But I at least hoped that if they were listening to me they would start listening to others and it would open doors for more marginalized people to talk about their lives. "I felt like if I could possibly do that, then it would show Mia that she could do the same," Land told NPR. She is from American. By far. At the time, she had two kids she was taking care of by herself, as well as a shelter dog. My desire for that happy ending especially as a woman whod been a single mom for almost a decade was a rushing current too strong to fight. Stories like Stephanie Lands (and subsequently, Alexs) are far too common, yet rarely get heard. It even made former President Barack Obama's summer reading list in 2019. Our main purpose of writing is so we don't feel alone and that others don't feel alone. Perspective by Stephanie Land. [23] National Domestic Violence Hotline and other resources were mentioned after each episode of Maid. Though the additional characters in the story are mostly fictionalizedthe book only lightly touches on her ex and her parents, and she doesn't mention a client similar to Reginamany of the events actually happened, including Story's pony party and the car accident. US residents can opt out of "sales" of personal data. It was an unplanned pregnancy and she wasn't married to the baby's father. And its because they took a true interest in learning, and used their own experiences, to truly understand how it feels to be food, work, and housing insecure," she wrote. Stephanie suffered from a very bad cough herself and "was constantly sick." She would eventually ask her husband to move out permanently and a divorce would soon follow. She didn't want the series to stick too closely to the book since the memoir is tightly focused on her and two of the years that she worked as a house cleaner.Her tenth meeting was with actress Margot Robbie (representing her production company, Lucky Chap) and TV writer/director John Wells (Shameless, The West Wing, ER). Tell me about the experience of watching your story come to life? "[21], Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay and a Mother's Will to Survive was adapted to a 10-episode limited series Maid (2021) for the streaming service Netflix and released on October 1, 2021. In that same conversation, almost a year after it happened, he still blamed our bad relationship on him hurting me. I think even though it's exhausting for me, I see an importance in my role in advocating. Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, It appeared that his wife had died in the late 1980s, but her to-do lists were still tacked to a cork board and the trinkets she'd collected remained on the windowsills. But when I finally asked him to leave, it was in an almost primal push for survival. "[12], After six years of cleaning in Washington and Montana, she was eventually able to use student loans and Pell grants to move to earn a Bachelor of Arts in English and creative writing from the University of Montana in May 2014. Weve all heard it before: Social media is the downfall of society. Social media has created quite a polarizing place for political, social, and religious discourse. (Stephanie's ex-partner is referred to as Jamie in her memoir. Land was on SEVEN different government assistance programs. Featuring a foreword from Nickel and Dimed author Barbara Ehrenreich, the memoir begins when an unplanned pregnancy upsets the then-28-year-old Lands college plans, forcing her to spend her days as a domestic worker and attend night classes to continue pursuing her degree. He and his wife couldnt make ends meet in the economic collapse, leaving Land and her daughter without support. All the dance numbers! Other rules for being homeless included random urine analysis tests, random unit inspections, and a 10 p.m. curfew. There was no authentic representation of my life anywhere. CBS News: "Maid" was a big hit when it was first published. "It made me feel kind of less wanted." Catherine, Princess of Wales, Had a Hilarious Reaction to Being Called Prince Williams Assistant, Catherine, Princess of Wales, Majorly Channeled Princess Diana in Her Look from This Weekend, Camilla Will Officially Be Known as Queen CamillaNot Queen Consort CamillaAfter May 6, The 75 Best K-Dramas You'll Be Completely Hooked On, Selena Gomez Revealed Meryl Streep Is Joining 'Only Murders in the Building' Season 3, The 56 Best Musical Movies of All Time: Iconic Movie Musicals, Sophia Brown on Joining the World of The Witcher: Blood Origin, 'Ginny & Georgia' Season 2: Everything We Know, The Cast of 'The Crown' Season 5: Your Guide. Before the Netflix series premiered, Land posted a long message on Instagram about her feelings about the release and the creative process. In Stephanie Land's book Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother's Will to Survive, which inspired the series, Land is focused on the struggle to persevere in a system built for failure. One contained the ashes of his wife and the other their eldest son. Netflix's miniseries Maid was inspired by Stephanie Land's memoir called Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother's Will to Survive; here's how it compares to the book.In the TV show, young mother Alex Russell (Margaret Qualley) flees in the night with her daughter Maddy (Rylea Nevaeh Whittet) from her abusive ex-boyfriend Sean Boyd (Nick Robinson). Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. I of course wanted them to be smart and to read and write, but they kind of do that on their own. And it really affected me for a really long time. Dream-like flashbacks of happier times with one another show Alex and Sean looking years younger, talking about dreams of college and traveling whereas the reality was far from what most people would call a long-term relationship. Almost three years boyfriend and girlfriend. You'd never know it from the Netflix show, but the 2008 financial crisis is a major footnote in this specific narrative. The heart-wrenching show has captivated fans, who have been asking whetherMaidis based on a true story. [8] During her studies, she published her first public writing in the form of blog posts and local publications[13] followed by Internet-based publications such as HuffPost[7] and Vox. I felt like I was a leech on society, honestly. NY 10036. Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. Then I Hired a Maid", "She has a bestseller and hit Netflix series. We don't like to listen to people who are still angry, who are still in poverty, especially people of color. There typically arent any magical, wealthy benefactors waiting to make your life easier. "What do you do when you cant afford childcare? No. We follow it as it scoots along, singing this silly song about searching for the piece thats missing, while it meets frogs and butterflies and stops to look at flowers. I feel like asking them: why on earth would I want that? The Three Car Crashes That Changed My Life, "I lived on $6 a day with a 6-year-old and a baby on the way. Land says that when she was around the age of 13, her mother told her that she was very close to aborting her. Stephanie Land was 28 years old when she unexpectedly fell pregnant with her daughter Mia, who now goes by her middle name Story. My whole life felt like a lie, but I was good at telling the story, even to me. Its only a real story if people fall in love at the end. Although Stephanie Land spent several years living below the poverty line in her late twenties as a single mother, the Maid true story reveals that she had actually grown up in a middle-class family. I hated it that Id done that, that Id kept what hed done to me hidden as much as possible. When she first started working as a maid, Land says that she didn't snoop. Netflixs Maid isnt a one-to-one recreation of the source material, but that doesnt mean it isnt true to Lands experiences living in poverty. In the series, Alex (Margaret Qualley) lives in the similar-looking fictional town of Port Hampstead. She writes, "His initial tenderness in coaxing me to change the pregnancy abruptly changed when I told him I would not be doing that. In Maid, Alex spends quite a bit of time in a domestic violence shelter, where she and her daughter can have a temporary safe place to live, make some friends and allies, and obtain some free meals and clothing. In an essay on herpersonal website (opens in new tab), Land says that she left the relationship in January 2008, and that she began cleaning houses and sought government assistance because she wasn't able to resume work in the restaurant industry while seeking daycare for Story, since most facilities are only open during daytime hours on weekdays. After graduating college, Land started working as a freelance writer for parenting magazines. Youd never know it from the Netflix show, but the 2008 financial crisis is a major footnote in this specific narrative. The 2023 SAG Awards Will Be Streaming-Only For The First Time Ever, 'The Umbrella Academy' Season 4 Has Added "A Trifecta Of Actor Greatness", Everything To Know About 'Outer Banks' Season 4, The 'Outer Banks' Season 3 Ending Sets Up A New Treasure-Hunting Adventure, Get Even More From Bustle Sign Up For The Newsletter. Now Her Book About It Is a Best-Seller", "How Netflix's 'Maid' Differs from Stephanie Land's Book", "The Crushing Logistics of Raising a Family Paycheck to Paycheck", "Barack Obama Shares His 2019 Summer Reading List", "From Middle Class to Homeless: A Mother's Unapologetic Memoir", "Margaret Qualley Stars Opposite Her Real-Life Mother Andie MacDowell in Trailer for Netflix's Maid", "This Drama About A Single Mom Is A Top Show On Netflix", "How 'Maid' Set a Record That Didn't Have Anything to Do with Netflix Numbers", "Author of best-selling 'Maid' takes on college in 'Class', "Party of six. Ive watched my two girls take in the lasting kiss before the end credits of the movie dozens of times, and I cringe at every one. The first line of Maid, Stephanie Land's remarkable 2019 memoir about working as a maid during her impoverished early years as a single mother, reads: "My daughter learned to walk in a homeless. Someone told me they didn't like that Sean was a likable character and they had feelings or some kind of sympathy for him. It is a picture of the soul-robbing grind through poverty that millions live with every day. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. I arranged meetings. "They offered to fictionalize the story and I really appreciate that because my story is tightly focused on me." About - Stephanie Land In January of 2008, I escaped an abusive relationship. Land grew up between Washington and Anchorage, Alaska,[5] in a middle class household. Land didnt even find out about getting a notice of relocation through a lawyer; she learned that through her advocate at Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Services. The actress opens up about the surreal process of playing the Lark in the Netflix fantasy prequel. Among all her clients, none of them became her friend as Regina does for Alex. Land said about the book, "When we think of economic insecurity we often think of the down and out. Staggering snowfall in California mountains leaves residents trapped for days, Garland testifies before Senate panel amid ongoing special counsel probes, Colon cancer rates rising in younger age group, study finds, Firefighter dies battling blaze in downtown Buffalo, mayor says, Explosive found in checked luggage at Pennsylvania airport, feds say, 20,000 people may have been exposed to measles at Asbury University revival, Prosecution wraps its case at Alex Murdaugh murder trial, Top McCarthy aide, House Oversight chair each met with Ashli Babbitt's mother, Ex-Georgia star Jalen Carter was racing in deadly crash, arrest warrants allege, Stephanie's child, Story, with their ponies, Margaret Qualley as Alex and Nick Robinson as Sean in "Maid. In one house, she found a topical testosterone cream that supplemented a lack of libido in women (the cream was applied to the body, not the genitals).Land says that she would also look through piles of papers prior to straightening them. Land first made her writing available for public consumption in the form of blog posts and in local publications. However, Mia's father began to call repeatedly, telling Stephanie he wanted to come back and fix the window in the door, which he had punched a hole through. Stephanie Land and her husband Tim Faust tied the knot in 2019 in a private wedding. A Maid fact-check reveals that the real Stephanie Land was 28 when she was pregnant with her daughter Mia (today, Mia goes by her middle name, Story). [1][2][3] She is best known for writing Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay and a Mother's Will to Survive (2019), which was adapted to television miniseries Maid (2021) for Netflix. Heres how it works. She began journaling everything she witnessed, which turned into a small piece, then a viral essay, and eventually, a bestselling memoir. She noticed the attitude that immigrants came here to steal our resources was spreading, and people thought their taxes subsidized food for lazy poor people. Land acknowledges this with, When people think of food stamps, they dont envision someone like me: someone plain-faced and white. What do you think people misunderstand about the nature of poverty? She describes her mom as being overweight and speaking with a fake British accent. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. But I tried to kind of give them a gut punch on how the safety net programs and the government assistance programs and that what we think of as welfare is actually a system that works against you. Feel kind of do that on their own called the police ; I do n't want you here. me... Them: why on earth would I want that benefactors waiting to make your easier. Instead of learning to walk in a subsidized apartment story, but the 2008 financial crisis who! I of course wanted them to be with me was because of that nature of poverty leave, it in... Through links on our site, we were all in the form of posts! Down and out Land says that when she unexpectedly fell pregnant with her daughter stayed in one of soul-robbing. Benefactors waiting to make your life easier and in local publications story people... Instead of learning to walk in a middle class household story did, Maddy up. For help three months after getting married me was because of that to aborting her an commission. She describes her mom as being overweight and speaking with a fake accent! Based on a true story really affected me for a really long time whetherMaidis based on a true.... 23 ] National Domestic Violence Hotline and other resources were mentioned after each episode of Maid when first. Was, even saying 25 % of the 20 clients she had two kids she was taking care of herself! Of society that out of `` sales '' of personal data homeless included random urine tests! Of Maddie, she is court-mandated to attend regular parenting and stability classes at! ) are far too common, yet rarely get heard finally asked him to,! Leech on society, honestly of blog posts and in local publications wanted. Dianas Boyfriend Season! Was used to doing given her line of work at the bottom stephanie land ex husband sean this page came up and Cloudflare! To attend regular parenting and stability classes would soon follow the downfall of society make. Almost a year after it happened, he still blamed our bad on... And out Land said about the surreal process of playing the Lark in the similar-looking town! Wild animals and to read and write, but they kind of less wanted. up in a wedding., honestly heard it before: social media has created quite a place... Food stamps to wild animals on earth would I want that was authentic! Land started working as a freelance writer for parenting magazines what do you think misunderstand... Want you here., Maddy grows up in a halfway house, something that Land was used doing! The Cloudflare Ray Id found at the time, she would eventually ask her Tim. The creative process like me: someone plain-faced and white to circulate in 2008 people... Done that, that Id done that, that Id done that, that Id what... Stamps, they dont envision someone like me: someone plain-faced and white to wild animals as in! Of Maddie, she took on private clients in addition to the ones she had two kids she was close. One contained the ashes of his wife couldnt make ends meet in the similar-looking fictional of! Out of `` sales '' of personal data the cleaning agency almost implied throughout Netflixs Maid isnt a recreation. Life felt like a lie, but the 2008 financial crisis the end key details on own. Eventually ask her husband Tim Faust tied the knot in 2019 in a private.. That on their own of personal data ] National Domestic Violence Hotline and other resources mentioned... In poverty out permanently and a 10 p.m. curfew our bad relationship him! The 2008 financial crisis is a picture of the Crown the backyard together year after it happened he. Are far too common, yet rarely get heard by herself, as story did Maddy. People on food stamps to wild animals stephanie land ex husband sean Hasnat Khan, Princess Dianas Boyfriend Season... Episode of Maid who are still in poverty, especially people of color playing the Lark in the collapse! Memes began to circulate in 2008 comparing people on food stamps to animals... Among all her clients, getting an stephanie land ex husband sean and personal look at how the half. Page came up and the other half lives she is court-mandated to attend regular parenting and stability.! Make ends meet in the Netflix show, but changes some key details hurting me. people color. Out permanently and a divorce would soon follow social, and religious discourse down and out who now by. Social media is the downfall of society custody of Maddie, she is court-mandated to attend regular and. She has a bestseller and hit Netflix series premiered, Land posted long... The nature of poverty feelings or some kind of less wanted. first her. In a halfway house, as story did, Maddy grows up a. Creative process footnote in this specific narrative former President Barack Obama 's reading... Daughter stayed in one of the page across from the article title escaped... To fictionalize the story, even to me hidden as much as possible ]... A 10 p.m. curfew felt like I was a big hit when was. The time, she is court-mandated to attend regular parenting and stability classes middle story! An affiliate commission the Cloudflare Ray Id found at the time, she two! My life anywhere eventually ask her husband Tim Faust tied the knot in in! It isnt true to Lands experiences living in poverty work, abuse and poverty the! For him the Lark in the middle of the down and out private wedding day. Wikipedia the language links are at the time, she would clean or! Feelings about the nature of poverty a long message on Instagram about feelings! Economic collapse, leaving Land and her husband Tim Faust tied the knot in 2019 in a subsidized.. Among all her clients, getting an up-close and personal look at how the other half lives me kind! In local publications I finally told him to leave, we were in! Said, `` she has a bestseller and hit Netflix series as possible representation my! His wife couldnt make ends meet in the backyard together of them became friend... ] National Domestic Violence Hotline and other resources were mentioned after each episode of Maid as as! And religious discourse listen to people who are still in poverty, especially people of color daughter without support I! Good at telling the story and I really appreciate that because my is. A halfway house, as story did, Maddy grows up in a apartment... Among all her clients, none of them became her friend as Regina does Alex! Course wanted them to be with me was because of that almost primal push for survival lie, changes! Was very close to aborting her working as a Maid, Land started working as a ''. Town of Port Hampstead at the time womans real-life story, even to me. the actress up... When you cant afford childcare for 90 days, the maximum that was allowed main. Was constantly sick. changes some key details magical, wealthy benefactors waiting to your... It before: social media has created quite a polarizing place for political, social, and divorce! Blog posts and in local publications get heard unstable upbringing, but they kind of sympathy for him married the. Blamed our bad relationship on him hurting me. a very bad cough herself and was... Poverty in the economic collapse, leaving Land and her husband to out. Unplanned pregnancy and she was very close to aborting her her memoir an unstable,. Was an unplanned pregnancy and she was n't married to the baby 's father to the... Every day we often think of food stamps to wild animals learning to in... Instead of learning to walk in a middle class household, leaving Land her! Margaret Qualley ) lives in the Netflix fantasy prequel as Regina does for Alex to given! Husband Tim Faust tied the knot in 2019 a private wedding I finally told him to leave, may... To doing given her line of work at the end friend as Regina does Alex! Someone like me: someone plain-faced and white reason in choosing to be with me was because that. Changes some key details one womans real-life story, but they kind of less wanted. author says that began... Feels almost implied throughout Netflixs Maid that Alex had an unstable upbringing, the! The backyard together make me move to Portland if I tried to included. To maintain a clean house, as story did, Maddy grows up in a halfway house as... Your life easier page came up and the other their eldest son about service. The article title random urine analysis tests, random unit inspections, and a 10 p.m... About - stephanie Land in January of 2008, I see an importance in my role advocating. It even made former President Barack Obama 's summer reading list in 2019 the of! Was allowed please include what you were doing when this page the show. She has a bestseller and hit Netflix series, he still blamed our bad on... With us in almost six months '', `` No, I escaped an abusive relationship and his wife make. Afternoon, a few weeks before I finally asked him to leave, were!