April 15, 2002

1:50 PM

Why it's a Good Thing (tm).I can't resist. I just got my copy of the new "tell-all" on Martha Stewart, and it's a great book. Being a fan of hers, I keep hearing people call her a bitch for dominating her sphere of the business world, and making what appear to be some sound business decisions, even if she makes the mistake of neglecting some of the social niceties. Is that a double standard? Probably so. I say more power to her - my MSO stock goes up, and I always enjoy reading "behind-the-scenes" business books. Anyone else reading this?
posted by ebarker (17 comments total)

I read the review in the NYT on Sunday, and liked the detail that back in the 60s, when she was a stockbroker, Martha Stewart used to come to the office in hot pants. This was clearly a woman who was determined to succeed by any means.
posted by Faze at 2:02 PM on April 15, 2002

See also: Just Desserts : Martha Stewart the Unauthorized Biography
posted by girlhacker at 2:38 PM on April 15, 2002

The NYT article is here, hmmm....Martha Stewart in hot pants, me likee.
posted by patrickje at 2:39 PM on April 15, 2002

Didn't she pin a contractor who was hired by a neighbor to a fence with her truck? I think she might have the 'bitch' rep for more than just dominating her business world.
posted by srboisvert at 2:46 PM on April 15, 2002

from thesmokinggun.com:

This magnificent report from the East Hampton, N.Y. police memorializes worker Matthew Munnich's account of his run-in with Stewart.
posted by yerfatma at 2:52 PM on April 15, 2002

Nothing on the rumors regarding bisexuality and pre-fame Connecticut yuppie orgies a la The Ice Storm, though. Haven't read anything about either of those for years and years. What's an unauthorized bio without juice?
posted by dhartung at 3:34 PM on April 15, 2002

I think this statement sums it up for why people are Martha fans.

"They're working-class people. These people don't even have gardens," he told Martha.

Martha looked at him coolly, "Yes, but they want them."

She sells dreams and fantasys of the homemaking kind!
posted by redhead at 3:53 PM on April 15, 2002

My first exposure to Martha came via late 80's issues of Spy magazine. One of the stories always stuck with me. It was something to the effect of incidents involving angry "real chefs" who were disgusted with Martha. Apparently there were multiple incidents of entire book store's stocks of Martha Stewart books being liberated from the "Cooking" section only end up placed in the "Comedy" shelf space of said stores.

It's a good thing...
posted by sharksandwich at 4:47 PM on April 15, 2002

Oh, by the way, I seem to remember reading something about Martha single-handedly driving up the market of Jadeite Fireking dinnerware. Apparently she had an episode with a segment of a relative showing off her antique collection of the stuff. Instantly the plates, bowls, cups and saucers received the blessings of Martha, suddenly became "collectible", and prices shot up.
posted by sharksandwich at 4:53 PM on April 15, 2002

Christopher Lowell should kick her ass.
posted by Settle at 7:06 PM on April 15, 2002

"They're working-class people. These people don't even have gardens," he told Martha.

Martha looked at him coolly, "Yes, but they want them."

She sells dreams and fantasys of the homemaking kind!

So, it's kind of like economic decor porn, then?
posted by jonmc at 7:13 PM on April 15, 2002

Plushie or non?
posted by y2karl at 2:18 AM on April 16, 2002

I can think of a lot of worse things to covet -- both for yourself and for the world in general -- than a garden.
posted by jfuller at 6:03 AM on April 16, 2002

Hear hear, jfuller, there's nothing like digging in the dirt, planting seeds and watching them grow--I only wish I could garden where I am now. Some English wag once said the chief illusion of tobacco was that it made you feel like you were doing something when you were doing nothing. Gardening trumps that, you're doing something when you're doing something, and it's healthier, too. One needn't aspire to Martha standards to enjoy it, either. I miss my hollyhocks and snapdragons already...
posted by y2karl at 6:13 AM on April 16, 2002

Rainy season gardening in the subtropics is practically an aerobic exercise. The stuff grows faster than you can cut it back.

Now, did someone say something about Martha in hotpants? I want pictures.
posted by groundhog at 7:08 AM on April 16, 2002

One of my friend's is a Mr. Mom with the hots for Martha--I must tell him about this.
posted by y2karl at 7:44 AM on April 16, 2002

My favorite Martha anecdote is one she (for some reason) told on herself in a magazine column some years back: when her daughter wrote letters home from camp, Martha used to correct them with a red pencil, and send them back.
posted by LeLiLo at 10:40 PM on April 16, 2002