Martha Stewart

Introduction

Martha Stewart, former model and stockbroker, business mogul, editor, author, and homemaker extraordinaire, has been on Fortune magazines “50 Most Powerful Women” list four times (TV.com, 2007). America’s fascination with Stewart stems from the fact that she successfully combines being an aggressive business woman along with an organized homemaker. Stewart is founder and CEO of a multi-billion dollar organization called Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc.; she has seven magazines, television shows, various holiday and entertaining videos, books, several satellite radio channels, her own line at K-mart, and soon to have her own line at Macy’s. Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia focuses on the home, cooking, entertaining, crafts, holidays, organizing, weddings, babies, and kids (Reuters.com, 2007).

My Fascination with Martha

My own fascination with Martha Stewart began shortly after her release from prison. I had heard of Stewart before, but she had not interested me one bit. The first day the Martha show aired on NBC, I was flipping through channels and it caught my attention. Martha had on her first guest, David Spade, who was wearing a poncho matching Martha’s and a blonde wig imitating her hair. Stewart and Spade made a sandwich that Martha was famous for in prison, and I thought it was hilarious. For months I had heard of Stewart’s stock scandal that had landed her in prison, and here she was making fun of herself with David Spade.

I had just gotten engaged when I discovered the Martha show, so it was interesting to learn new recipes, housekeeping tips, and wedding advice. Since my mother, who was always busy with work and school, had never taught me how to cook or clean, I began looking up to Stewart. In my eyes she was the perfect woman and mother. I thought it must have been nice to have a mother like Stewart who would make cookies from scratch and do arts and crafts projects, but then I realized it was just an act. Martha was actually a horrible wife and a neglectful mother. She appears to be a wonderful person to the public, but in fact, Stewart is a very selfish woman who has low morale (Brady, 2002). Although I now see Martha Stewart for whom she really is, I still look up to her for what she’s accomplished.

Martha’s Background

Stewart has succeeded as a woman in the business world by being ruthless in private, and soft and feminine to the public. O’Connell observed

“defenders of the driven, enormously successful entrepreneur have often said that she's judged too harshly because she's a woman -- that an ambitious, ruthless man wouldn't be so reviled. Maybe so. Nevertheless, it's hard to imagine that belittling employees and family members, cheating friends and partners, and displaying an arrogance of epic proportions would seem noble, appropriate, or admirable in a man, either” (O'Connell, 2003. Retrieved from http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/may2003/nf20030519_7151.htm).

Childhood

Martha Stewart was born in Jersey City, New Jersey on August 3, 1941. Her father, Edward Kostyra, was a pharmaceuticals salesman, and her mother, Martha Kostyra, was a schoolteacher. Martha grew up in Nutley, a quaint suburb in New Jersey, with her five siblings in a stern, Polish household. The Kostyra’s were strict, catholic parents who pushed their children hard to succeed (Multi-Media Lifestyle Entrepreneur, 2005). Edward Kostyra was allegedly an alcoholic with a short temper, and her mother was a neglectful and bitter woman. According to Martha Inc., a movie about Martha’s life and career, the imposed competition between the Kostyra children may have led to Martha’s cut-throat attitude toward succeeding in business (Brady, 2002).

Early Homemaking Skills

Edward Kostyra, an avid gardener, began teaching his daughter gardening when she was just three years old. Since Martha was the oldest girl in the family, she was expected to help out by doing more chores. She showed great organizational skills and enjoyment of her chores; she commented, “I love the art of homemaking… I liked my chores. I don't think I even complained about them."(USA Today, 2002). Martha senior taught her daughter cooking, baking, and sewing; Martha learned her exceptional pie baking skills from her next door neighbors, retired bakers, and she learned how to preserve and can food from summer vacations with her grandparents in Buffalo, New York (Multi-Media Lifestyle Entrepreneur, 2005).

Education

Martha was a serious, straight-A student who loved to read and was involved in the school newspaper and the art club; she graduated in the top ten