The Lebanese family that made culture go viral

What started as a young couple taking a risk on love and a beauty salon has grown into one of Australia’s most recognisable Lebanese-Australian online households.

Today, The Haddad Family, led by husband and wife Alex and Belinda, boast a combined audience of nearly 400,000 followers across Instagram and TikTok, with viral videos that regularly clock up millions of views — all built not on trend-chasing, but on culture, faith and family.

“When we first started sharing our life online, we genuinely had no vision of it becoming what it is today. There was no strategy meeting,” Alex said.

“There was no business plan for social media. It was simply us living our life and sharing parts of it.”

Long before brand deals and airline collaborations, Belinda and Alex were simply running a beauty salon together.

“Back when we were just boyfriend and girlfriend, we opened a beauty salon together. That alone was a huge risk. We were young. If the relationship did not work out, we honestly did not know what we were going to do with the business,” Belinda said.

But that is how we have always operated. We take risks together. We back each other. We build instead of waiting for permission.

The pair began posting small, unfiltered moments from inside the salon — eyebrow feathering, sweeping floors, everyday conversations.

Slowly, audiences grew. Then came the engagement. The wedding. Parenthood. Three boys. A household.

“We never tried to become influencers. We never changed how we speak for the camera. You could put us in any room and we would speak exactly the same way,” Belinda said.

“We have always been very raw and very real. I think people could sense that there was no performance. That authenticity is what built the foundation.”

However, they said what truly set them apart was leaning fully into their Lebanese identity.

“We started leaning more confidently into our culture. Arabic music blasting in the kitchen. Lebanese food being cooked every single day,” Alex said.

“Conversations were in Arabic between us and our parents. Church every week without fail. We did not water any of that down.”

“That is when the messages started coming in saying this feels exactly like our house. That is when we realised it was not just friends and family watching anymore. It was community. It was culture. People saw their own upbringing reflected in ours, and that created connection on a deeper level.”

Their content now resonates far beyond Sydney — particularly across the Middle East.

“One of the most unexpected highlights has been the recognition in the Middle East from Lebanon, Dubai, Saudi Arabia,” Alex said.

Seeing that our content resonates there as much as it does here in Australia is powerful. It proves that authenticity travels. Culture travels.

But public life also comes with a cost.

“The hardest part has definitely been the scrutiny and negativity,” Belinda said.

“Sometimes it comes from strangers and you can brush that aside. But when it comes from people who once knew you personally, that is harder.

“We have lost friendships along the way. You question it. You pray about it. You try to understand it. Eventually, you trust that God removes people for a reason. Sometimes it is protection. Sometimes it is growth.”

Despite the cameras, boundaries are firm.

“We are extremely intentional about boundaries,” Alex said.

“Protecting our children comes before views, engagement or partnerships. Every single time.”

Now, as their digital presence continues to grow, Belinda is stepping into a new chapter, launching Theodore’s HQ, a one-stop beauty space co-founded with Lebanese woman Sharon Taouk.

“After having our three boys, I stayed home for a period of time and I loved being fully present as a mum,” Belinda said.

“But eventually I felt a pull to create again. I missed beauty. I missed doing eyebrows. I missed building something.”

“Sharon and I both shared the same frustration as busy women. It is hard constantly driving from one appointment to another just to feel put together. We wanted to create something that solved that problem. A space where women could walk in and get everything done in one place, in one environment, without stress.”

For Belinda, it is more than business.

“The journey between Sharon and I has been built on trust, shared vision and understanding real life,” she said.

“Theodore’s HQ is not just a beauty business. It is built from lived experience. It is built for real women with real schedules.”

Balancing content, business and parenting remains relentless.

“The reality is that we are often working late at night once the kids are asleep, answering emails, editing videos and planning the next shoot. It does not switch off,” Belinda said.

“But faith plays a massive role. Without that foundation and that belief that everything we have is a blessing, the pressure would feel heavier. Faith keeps us grounded.”

“Our culture also shapes everything we do. We raise our boys proud to be Lebanese Australian and proud Maronite Christians.”

And looking ahead, their ambitions stretch across continents — but not at the expense of their core values.

“We would love to potentially live between Australia, Lebanon and Dubai one day. Expand our businesses across borders and continue building globally,” Alex said.

“But more important than expansion is impact.

“At the end of the day, we want to stay exactly who we are. Grounded. Faith driven. Family first. That is the legacy.”

From a risky salon venture to a cross-continental digital platform, the Haddad family have built more than followers — they have built a reflection of home for thousands navigating identity between cultures.

And now, with a new business chapter unfolding, that story is only expanding.