My Unorthodox Life
By Martin Brown,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Fashion mogul reality show discusses religion, sex.
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My Unorthodox Life
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What's the Story?
MY UNORTHODOX LIFE is the story of Julia Haart, the self-made fashion entrepreneur and CEO of Elite Modeling. Haart lived in a strictly religious Orthodox Jewish community until she was 40 years old. Her divorce and break from there dramatically changed her life and the lives of her four children, Batsheva, Shlomo, Miriam, and Aron. My Unorthodox Life follows Julia as she navigates fashion and family, free from the deeply religious thinking that controlled her for so long.
Is It Any Good?
While it follows the same patterns as a typical reality series, Julia Haart's story does offer a unique perspective that can't really be found anywhere else on television. My Unorthodox Life is compelling both because of the force of Haart's personality and because it broaches the complex relationship between comformist religion and contemporary life. Subplots revolve around one Haart daughter's bisexuality and another's marriage to a man who expected to live in the same Orthodox community for the rest of his life. The show offers mostly unsurprising, superficial takes on the topics, but the fact that the discussions are happening at all is intriguing.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Julia's background. How did she build her career? What is her current life like? How does her experience in an Orthodox Jewish community inform her work and home life?
How do Julia's children's views on Orthodox Judaism differ from hers? How did her exit from that community change their beliefs? What are some differences in beliefs between the sisters and brothers? How do they deal with these differences?
What are the skills and attributes that make Julia successful? How does she apply these skills in each episode? Does her demeanor change around her family? Does she seem to have good relationships with her children? Why or why not?
What do you think drove Julia to be on a reality TV show? How authentic do you think the show is to her life? Does the series paint her in a good light or a bad light? Does it matter how "real" the show is? Why or why not?
TV Details
- Premiere date: July 28, 2021
- Cast: Julia Haart , Batsheva Haart , Miriam Haart
- Network: Netflix
- Genre: Reality TV
- TV rating: TV-MA
- Last updated: February 18, 2023
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