Meet the Couple Who Live Like It's 1890
Saying the Chrismans aren't your average married couple is kind of an understatement. Their alternative lifestyle isn't just turning heads — it's shaking up the Internet. And not for the reason you may think.
Sarah, 35, and Gabriel, 37, have dedicated the last six years to living similar to the way people did during the English Victorian Era. Why, you ask? Well, it all started with Sarah.
"It's always been my favorite time of history, and for a long time, I had heard a lot of the stereotypes that people say about the Victorian Era," she told ABC News' Nightline. "And I just assumed they were true because they were what everyone said. It never occurred to me to question them."
And question them, they did. The couple has traded in every modern convenience for more 19th century gadgets and modes of transportation, including retro versions of the bicycle (yes, they're bringing back the high-cycle).
Eschewing food processors, microwaves, washing machines, and dryers, they also choose to do everything by hand, including sewing their clothing.
"A woman in the 1880's would've already considered me old-fashioned for doing everything by hand [because] they had sewing machines," Sarah told ABC News' Nightline.
While their Washington state home is filled with antique appliances such as a wood-fired stove and an ice box, the pair does make some modern compromises. Although they've never owned cell phones, they do have a landline.
They also own a computer. Gabriel, who currently works at a bike shop, used it to study for his graduate degree in library sciences, while Sarah uses it to blog and write about their lifestyle. She even has a Facebook page promoting her new book, which was released today.
"There's no editor in the world who will accept a handwritten manuscript anymore, so even though I write them [by hand], I still have to type them up to turn them in," she explains.
But not everyone is buying Sarah and Gabriel's "vintage" existence. There was a lot backlash when Sarah wrote an article about their lifestyle for Vox.
Commenters noted that women did not have the right to vote in the 19th century, to which Sarah responded: "Actually, [women] had a lot more power than they do now in many ways, and the thing is that the power that women had back then, they've lost. What is so important about a vote? … I think that voting in general is overrated for everyone."
Additionally, the couple says they've received death threats and Sarah is often harassed in public. Regardless, they say they're content with their lifestyle and aren't trying to force it on anyone.
"We've built this interest into something that we do together," explained Gabriel.
[via ABC News
Sarah, 35, and Gabriel, 37, have dedicated the last six years to living similar to the way people did during the English Victorian Era. Why, you ask? Well, it all started with Sarah.
"It's always been my favorite time of history, and for a long time, I had heard a lot of the stereotypes that people say about the Victorian Era," she told ABC News' Nightline. "And I just assumed they were true because they were what everyone said. It never occurred to me to question them."
And question them, they did. The couple has traded in every modern convenience for more 19th century gadgets and modes of transportation, including retro versions of the bicycle (yes, they're bringing back the high-cycle).
Don Willot via This Victorian Life
"A woman in the 1880's would've already considered me old-fashioned for doing everything by hand [because] they had sewing machines," Sarah told ABC News' Nightline.
While their Washington state home is filled with antique appliances such as a wood-fired stove and an ice box, the pair does make some modern compromises. Although they've never owned cell phones, they do have a landline.
They also own a computer. Gabriel, who currently works at a bike shop, used it to study for his graduate degree in library sciences, while Sarah uses it to blog and write about their lifestyle. She even has a Facebook page promoting her new book, which was released today.
"There's no editor in the world who will accept a handwritten manuscript anymore, so even though I write them [by hand], I still have to type them up to turn them in," she explains.
But not everyone is buying Sarah and Gabriel's "vintage" existence. There was a lot backlash when Sarah wrote an article about their lifestyle for Vox.
Commenters noted that women did not have the right to vote in the 19th century, to which Sarah responded: "Actually, [women] had a lot more power than they do now in many ways, and the thing is that the power that women had back then, they've lost. What is so important about a vote? … I think that voting in general is overrated for everyone."
Additionally, the couple says they've received death threats and Sarah is often harassed in public. Regardless, they say they're content with their lifestyle and aren't trying to force it on anyone.
"We've built this interest into something that we do together," explained Gabriel.
[via ABC News
From: Good Housekeeping US
By Anna Zambelli
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