This is the true story which inspired Netflix’s Maid

Maid is Netflix’s latest drama series telling the story of a young single mother raising her daughter in poverty and it turns out it was actually inspired by the true story of one woman and her daughter.

In the Netflix series Alex, played by Margaret Qualley, leaves her abusive partner and begins working as a maid in order to provide for herself and her daughter. The series highlights the injustices, hoop jumping and gaps in the social care system.

It’s full of powerful portrayals of all different types of women and the problems they face. There’s Paula, Alex’s mum, played by Margaret Qualley’s real life mother Andie MacDowell, who has bipolar disorder. And then there’s the rich Regina, played by Anika Noni Rose, whose house Alex cleans. She has everything except a baby and a happy marriage.

These women’s stories form part of the series which is at times frustrating, funny and incredibly heartbreaking to watch and it was all inspired by one woman’s best-selling memoir.

This is the true story which inspired Maid on Netflix:

Maid on Netflix is based on the best-selling memoir Maid:Hard Work, Low Pay and a Mother’s Will to Survive by Stephanie Land.

Stephanie is a writer in her early 40s who wrote the book after her own experiences of living below the poverty line and raising her daughter as a single mother.

She originally grew up between Washington and Alaska in a middle class household. She suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder after a car crash at 16 years old.

In her late 20s she found herself raising her daughter alone, struggling with PTSD and relying on social welfare programmes in order to get by as well as working as a maid.

She spent six years working before using student loans to get a BA in English and creative writing from the University of Montana. During her time at university she was able to start writing freelance pieces for Huffington Post and Vox.

After graduating she was able to work full time as a writer and give up food stamps. She released her memoir in 2019 to critical acclaim and a spot on the New York Times bestseller list.

Stephanie is still writing and is married and has three children.

How similar is Maid to the book?

The show appears to be quite faithful the book. Alex is in her mid twenties, has a young daughter and is obsessed with writing. The show is also based in Washington and uses names very similar to where Stephanie was actually living. During her 20s Stephanie and her daughter were living in Port Townsend and in the series Alex and Maddy are living in Port Hampstead.

Stephanie Land has spoken very highly of the series on her Twitter and has shared a number of moments which inspired parts of the series.

The ferry trips, the Little Ponies scene and the birthday party scene are all inspired by real moments in Stephanie’s life and she has shared images of her daughter Story during those moments.

Maid is available on Netflix now. For all the latest Netflix news, drops and memes like The Holy Church of Netflix on Facebook. 

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