30-year-old Katrina Holte of Hillsborough, Oregon, felt stressed in her payroll department job. So, she chose to exit the rat race and slow things down a little. In fact, she slowed them so much, she went back in time, choosing to live her life as a 1950s housewife. What do you think of this type of lifestyle choice?
Together, with her husband Lars, she transformed their home in the suburbs into a working ‘50s-era model, where she spends her days cooking, cleaning, and sewing dresses from patterns of the time. She listens to records by period artists throughout the day while completing her chores, and has supper on the table for her husband when he comes home. “I feel like I’m living how I always wanted to. It’s my dream life and my husband shares my vision,” she told the New York Post.
Photo: Instagram/katrinaariana
“It is a lot of work. I do tons of dishes, laundry and ironing, but I love it and it’s helping to take care of my husband and that makes me really happy,” Holte explained to the New York Post about her housewife lifestyle. She added that her closet is filled with 1950s-style dresses that she made herself. Her living room and bedroom sport 1940s-style furniture, but she noted that her house isn’t intended to be a museum; she simply attempts to make as close to the era as she can. Holte said that she feels as though she were born in the wrong decade and notes this feeling is particularly strong when she looks at the events of the world today. The Daily Mail quoted her as saying, “I feel like I belong in a nicer, more old-fashioned time. But I know everything happens for a reason and it is God’s will that I’m here now.”
In the evenings, the couple relaxes by watching old television shows and playing board games of that time period. Her activities throughout the day consist of vintage exercises, doing laundry, getting the dusting done, sweeping, and general cleaning. After lunch, she does her sewing, starts to cook dinner, and has everything ready when Lars gets in. She even cooks recipes from the 1950s, including meals with all the necessary food groups. (In 2010, the Houston Press posted an article defining the most popular recipes in the 1950s. From the Texas perspective, these consisted of things like Deviled Eggs, Baked Alaska, Tuna Noodle Casserole, Meatloaf, and even Swanson Frozen Dinners!)
Photo: Instagram/katrinaariana
With respect to her choice to live this way, Holte spoke to the Daily Mail of her 1950s housewife role: “My husband is very appreciative of what I do. He grew up in a house where he helped his mother with the cooking and the cleaning, so he is not domineering in any way… I think a man needs his wife to make him feel spoiled every once in a while. He would never expect this from me, though, it was entirely my idea to live like this. It’s always been my dream since I was a little girl.” And although she admits the 1950s were anything but perfect, its values speak to her. What are your thoughts on having the option to live this way? What are your thoughts on the era that Holte selected and the mindset one would need to have to enjoy this lifestyle?
