Yawn, who's Martha Stewart?

I admit I watch her show now and then. She is talented in many areas, no doubt. But I also agree she advocates in her recipes and projects ingredients/items that are difficult to find and often expensive. I do believe she is a perfectionist which, as we know, is never completely satisfied. Perhaps that is why she is a good entrepreneur. Still, I think it's just that people feel perfectionists are tough on others (in addition to themselves) and therefore feel judged. But, I watch her and get ideas and most of them are good ones! :)

She Polish, blond, and made a billion dollars gluing glitter to pine cones. And shes got good hips. good peasent stock, meat on her bones : She's not one of those emaciated tv chiks.I like her frumpled collar too.

I have to say I get really annoyed when I hear, "I hate Martha." Do you know her personally? Most likely none of us do, but those of us who admire her are admiring what she AND A STAFF OF THOUSANDS have created. I'm intelligent enough to know that Martha herself does not do everything for her shows, magazines, website, and her numerous homes. What I truly believe about all the Martha bashers is this...CLASS ENVY. Ha! There, I said it, now you can bash me instead!

Yes, poor, poor Martha. All she did was work hard, berate those around her to become a success and succumb to a little insider trading to get even richer. Perhaps she can do a show and let us in on all her little secrets!

Yes Martha has good ideas. Yes her show can be interesting. But how can you respect a woman who has made it her lifes work to be the perfect domestic do it all and sacrificed her husband and children in the process? What kind of example is that for the rest of us really? Sacrifice everything for the eternal search of money and fame. Martha is not as perfect as she wants the world to think. I may not have perfectly folded napkins or make a souflee which doesn't fall but I do have a family to share things with when the day is done. There is more to life then money or being the perfect domestic goddess or businesswoman. Personally I feel sorry for Martha.

What a fascinating debate. I cant decide where I stand on this issue. I like the idea of "dignity to the housewife" and in taking pride in little tasks. But honestly I couldnt be bothered to do much of the complicated/costly stuff she does. I guess I have this argument with myself a lot...what motivates us to do the Martha-like things we do? Is it to impress others? This is not too admirable a motivation.But I think we are all a bit guilty of this, like gardening to make the house look better .
I cant believe people would criticise her hair...it is fine who cares.
Does she represent indulgent wasteful materialism? I think of gardens and food and sewing when i think of her, not waste like throw-away fast food containers. On a positive note all her fortunes fuel the economy...it isnt just her making money. Anyone she features on the show/mag would benefit.
Anyhow I am still not sure where I stand as I find myslef agreeing with posts from both sides.

I like Gothic Martha Stewart instead. I would not be caught dead in beige. I also like mAlice's Gothic Gardening (she has a web site) and pale pink is not my color.

Fireraven9
The morns are meeker than they were,
The nuts are getting brown;
The berry's cheek is plumper,
The rose is out of town. - Emily Dickinson

Here is a link that might be useful: Gothic Martha Stewart

OH my gosh, Lee, I lived next door to the Gothic Martha Stewart of Mobile, Al. Even got married on Halloween.

I got married on November 1st. We have a big do every year on October 31st. I do love that time of year.

Lee AKA Fireraven9
The morns are meeker than they were,
The nuts are getting brown;
The berry's cheek is plumper,
The rose is out of town. - Emily Dickinson

Hey, no fair, I voted for Clinton, and would vote for him again.

RESENTFUL not me

I love the woman's show and magazine. She has some the greatest ideas and I for one appreciate her gift for making things beautiful and her creative ways.

Yes, she comes off snooty sometimes, but, she has something to offer that I enjoy. She makes it look so easy, Julia Childs is also one of my favorites.

Flo

Now you guys have really got me curious. Not being American (yes, dear Martha does seem to have her frontiers!) I'm totally Martha-illiterate (the name's familiar, but that's about it).
Could you point me to some web-sites where I can satisfy my curiosity (not just marthastewart.com, which no doubt exists, but some place where i could get an insight into this phenomenon)?

I heard an interior designer say that while she infringed upon their business, she was one of the first women to empower others to use simple items for decoration and to say "you can do it yourself." This encouraged production of items for the marketplace that could be purchased by the consumer and did not have to be sourced through a designer. She made it ok for our homes to look like an extention of ourselves and our families. It no longer had to look as though it was done by an interior decorator, and she taught us we could break the rules. For that reason alone I appreciate her efforts.

Marthas a hotty I would be her live in gardner any day. Can you say "sugar momma"?

I love Martha because she has given so many of us so much information, and has make it "a good thing" to be a homekeeper (her term) again. For so many years there, if you were not in law school, or CEO of some company, you were considered by some to be, in Helen Gurley Brown's words, a "mouseburger" -- whatever the heck that means. I don't know about her temperament, which is reportedly *not* a good thing, or her finances. But I do appreciate her for what she has done for me in my home.

Don't hate her too much - she just named Gardenweb.com in her list of seed exchanges. It was in her column of the Star Magazine this past Sunday. I can imagine our exchanges boards will be lighting up big time after our name is seen by millions.

I also am not a MS fan. Several years ago our charity group in central California gave a lunch with her as a guest speaker in order to raise funds for local children. She insisted on so many things, first class airfare for her and a friend, First class hotel accomaditions. She only signed a limited number of books.Her talk was booring and just showed slides about her in the garden She then went around to all of the produce ranchers and wanted fresh produce sent to her home back east. It was to be free and sent air overnight. She invited some local decorators to attend, they never paid and we wrote to her to ask for the money---no response! After 2 days we were all so tired of her and she wanted a dinner to be held in her honor . We had trouble filling 3 tables and those that did attend would not sit at the table with her. My daughter and I finally did. She was nothing special and was not interested in us, only herself! Wall Street can have her, I refuse to buy any of her products just as she refused to pay for her table of friends at our charity fund raiser.

No, I am not.

The best things about Martha Stewart: she showcases plants, gardens, gardeners, nurseries and garden writers.

The worst thing about Marth Stewart: she makes everything look too perfect and projects it in a way as if her way is the only way.

I think she is great. I think making home pleasant and "ideal" is a good thing. I think anyone watching any how-to show must know that behind the scenes there is a crew doing a lot of work. Why would it be any different for her show -- DUH?

I don't really care one way or the other. She is a celebrity and if she has something useful to say, I will listen. Unfortunately her life has come under a microscope and a black cloud has been cast over her. Nevertheless, she (or her team) does have some great gardening tips and products and if they benefit me and my gardening efforts I will use them. I try not to get caught up in all of the hoopla surrounding her.

Nope, I go by the theory...take what you need and leave the rest. Life's too short to waste being aggravated by someone I don't even know. I have plenty of people I do know to be...um... interested in.:0)
San

Resent her ... how can I(or rather, how can't I?)? She's the creation and mirror of my generation. The female baby-boomer deluxe.

She stands for an archetype we never saw in the 50s and 60s -- the competent, able, smart, independent woman mixed in with some earth mother country dwelling hippie do it yourselfer then flavored up with a dose of yuppie, class-obssesed, get out of my way, business shark.

Frankly I love her for her competence, her hips, her hair but mostly of all for her magnificent "I can do anything if I set my mind to it, just give me the information" attitude. Ah yes, just like so many of us, even the less perfectionsitic ones. Shes the goddess of the home, the hearth and the boardroom. If she only had a heart(or let it show or pretended to have one) she'd be truelly perfect.

Till then, she's flawed enough to make a much more than adequate celebrity

Springcherry, a darn competent woman herself

Really funny story, which I overheard. A foursome was at the table next to ours (dinner at at inn on the Delaware, in Bucks County), and one of the guys told the following. (I'm paraphrasing a bit, because I don't recall word for word precisley, but I've got a good memory, and this is pretty darn close.) Oh yes, and the reason he knew this was because he knew the store owner--read on.

There's apparently one general store on Mount Desert Island, Maine. Martha marches up to the counter and demands to use the store owner's phone, immediately.

Store owner, "You can't use the phone in here, but there's a pay phone outside."

Martha again demands to use store owner's phone, saying, "Do you know who I am?"

Store owner, "Yes, I know who you are. If you want to use a phone, there's a pay phone outside."

At which point, the man standing in line behind Martha taps her on the shoulder and says, "Do you know who I am?"

Martha, "I haven't the faintest idea who you are." Imagine a snotty tone of voice.

Man behind Martha, "I'm David Rockefeller. Now, here's a quarter; the pay phone's outside."

From what I've read, that's vintage Martha. Apparently the world revolves around her, or at least it should.

I know this is an old thread - but I've just come across it and wanted to get my two cents in. I admire Martha and love her shows. Materialistic? What? Is that what you call people who work hard and succeed? That kind of work ethic used to be admired! As far as "not liking animals", mary3, I can tell you that she certainly does love animals and animals love her. One day she happened to have been shooting something for her show in our neighborhood. She was just leaving as I was returning home with my dog. My dog is a 120lb German Shepard - most people are intimidated by her appearance. Martha caught a glimpse of my dog, got out of the car and walked nearly a block over to pet her. I know a dog lover when I see one - so does my dog. Martha didn't hesitate for a second to hug and hold my huge dog. She never said who she was - wasn't "throwing her name around"; she talked about how she was missing her dogs, and she was very gracious. As she walked away, my dog whined for her to come back - and she did. Gave the dog one last pet and left. She laughed when I pointed out that she was covered in dog hairs - said she is "used to it". Seemed like a thoroughly decent person to me. I cannot, for the life of me, figure out why people want to hate this person who has done nothing to harm them.
P.S. who wants to bet that bjorna3,atrypa3,and gordia3 are all the same person - and a person with a huge chip on his/her shoulder, at that?

Resentful of Martha? Not really!Well maybewhen she suggests
using some exotic ingredient or tool,I could never afford.
The person who said she's only doing what our grandmothers did was partly right.Making a home for our family is probally the most rewarding job there is.I have a job outside the home,bake my own bread,make homemade soups from scratch.Cook dinner from scratch almost every evening,sew and knit things for my grandchildren and have a garden that is the envy of all my friends.My daughter is a mirror of myself.We both had four children,are happily married(39 years for me and my fantastic husband)PS we also have six cats and dogs between us.My daughter was up at dawn this morning making a dress to wear for her college graduation
on tuesday.( she returned to school at age 38)
I guess what i'm trying to say is that Martha can't do anything the rest of us can't.We just have to get our priorites straight.Just do what makes YOU happy.spend less time in front of the TV watching someone else.tell you how to do things and get out and do them.

Well I ran across this old thread while dealing with the 5th straight day of rain here in good ol Maryland.

Poor Martha! That's my statement when ever I hear her name come up in any conversation. It's a statement that has gotten much attention from most of my male friends, and quickly gotten attention from my female friends.

For numerous years, I have stated that if poor Martha was a male, she wouldn't get the bad rap she get's. Forget everything else about her for a moment, likes or dislikes rights or wrongs are not the issue here. If she were a male, people would not think the same of her. Well guess what. The recent tv show about her (and the review in the Washington Post) made the very same statement.

I see her situation as very clear cut. First. There are a lot of females out there who are threatened by her. No one can argue (even if you hate her guts) that she is very good at what she does, and she has been very successful at it. The majority of women who hate her, simply can't do what she does. They might make an attempt at it, but they just can't do it. These women are very busy trying to run a house, and their situation makes it impossible for them to tie ribbons around a sheet before putting it on the neatly lined shelf. IF however, you are a very successful woman, you can see where she is comming from, and you know instantly that she has her issues to deal with, just because she is a woman.

Second. Most "successful" men loath her. It's a male thing. I'm sure you have heard the statement that "all men are pigs but we still like to eat bacon". Well, this really hits the nail on the head. Most successful males can't stand the thought of a woman being more successful than they are. It's a threat that out threats anything males can think of. If you are an unsuccessful male, you could eat her bacon raw. Unsuccessful males see her as this person who has become a tycoon making flower pots out of cement. So poor Martha get's a double wammy from males.

So, I do get into lot's of conversations with both my male an female friends about poor Martha. It's always interesting to see reactions from people. If they are successful at what they do, and are comfortable with it, they usually don't have an issue. BUT if they don't take comfort in their situation as it it, they usually hate her.

Mike

Well Mike, it's raining here now, so are you open to an opposite opinion? Regardless of business venture and male v. female, this woman certainly does not practice what she preaches. She has gardeners, cooks, decorators and craftspeople on staff whose only job it is is to make her look good. Now, personally, ,I don't have a problem with that at all, it's marketing and pr and that's how her business runs. It's simple why people despise her...it's because she's a fake...she does not live the life she portrays, it's all "put on" and she expects us to believe that's how she lives. She is, I think, basically a mean spirited self loving person. So is Donald Trump, but that's a different thread! ha ha. Do you know she took her gardener at Turkey Hill to court. He was suing her for unpaid overtime, approxm $50,000 as I recall and she had her lawyerswork overtime finding a loophole that said since Turkey Hill is in a farming zone, technically the gardener was a farmer and farmers do not get paid overtime. The poor gardener was out his overtime, not to mention the legal fees he had to pay and the kicker? She paid her legal team probably twice as much as she owed the poor gardener. She just had to win! She comes across as judgmental and a "Jones" person. I can't say I either like her or not, but I do like the ideas her staff comes up with...I'm their fan, not hers.

I think she is a marketing genius; and I do like some of her craft ideas, though they tend to be on the expensive side. I do believe sheer greed has got the best of her re the stock mess, I don't think it was a simple misunderstanding. What I wouldn't give for that Turkey Hill garden though!

ok - i have to add a bit of my 2 cents here as well - like her/hate her it's your choice - but calling people that like her "chumps" is silly. you don't HAVE to be on either side of this fence if you don't want to be but insulting the other people isn't necessary either........

and as for clinton - yes he was a louse, yes he did a lot of un-moral things in office but the budget was balanced by the time he left office. where are we now? in the worst budget crisis of our nations history in less than a full presidental term.

i'm with mike on this martha thing - if she was a man she'd be called a genius - since she's a woman she's not, she is bashed and belittled.

oh well - i watch her, i may get a few tidbits of info from her everynow and then, but i don't make recycling bins that need to be stained and i don't tie little ribbons around my sheets. and besides - there is nothing better to watch on tv - jerry springer is still on the other channels and we could probably start a WHOLE new thread on him!

:)
Friz

MS?!?!......HATE HER!!! Anyone that is that phoney as tries to tell eveyone how to do there house, garden, what colors to do this WEEK does not deserve admoration! Will NEVER buy anything with her name on it, and HATE shopping Kmart because of it. Even her family has gone public and said shes a fake. Cherokee county is FINALLY getting a Wallyworld and CANT WAIT!!! Then I can buy some mothballs! (yes her names on them too...tell me she "invented" them)

Who on TV doesn't have writers or staff who come up with the next week show ideas?
What famous person is always friendly and out going to every person they run into?
I have never seen a MS show which tells everyone they must do their garden, house color or cook anything a certain way.Lighten up you guys, they are only ideas,some will like them some won't. Nobody is told they won't be acceptable if they don't do what is shown on a show.
As far as making coments about her hair? Whats up with that? She has nice hair. I would like to know what those who commented on it think it should look like? Should it be permed,ratted, hair sprayed?
As far as the comment about her weight and tummy size? I would love to see a photo of you, that is if your her age and not 28. Jezze she looks better than 75% of females her age. American or not.
As far as Americans being materialistic......Give me a break. Most humans are. Don't tell me because your not an American you are not.There are Americans who are and American who are not. The only diffence between Americans and non Americans is it is easier to become succesful in the US than most places if you put your mind into making money.
The comment about how she gave up her family for money and fame? I would love to know how you know what caused her divorice? Maybe you were watching one of those Movies made for TV. They are certinally full of facts.
I also am amazed how so many know she really doesn't like animals?? How?
The way I see it,so much of the public reacts to her same as so many react to Bill Gates.None of these people really know either of them. Base their opinons on rumors and continue t spread the nonsense around. For example Bill Gates was quoted in a magazine saying there is no scientific proof of the human soul.OH boy sent people over the edge. He must be a evil devil person.In real life he wasn't saying he didn't believe in the human soul(and big deal if he did) he was just stating that there is no scientific proof of it.If anyone out there know different I would love to know the facts.I myself strongly believe that human and animals have souls but I sure don't have any science to back it up.
I guess I am just amazed what examples so many folks use for HATING MS.
Heck I wish I had her chicken coop,her gardens,even one of her homes and of course I would need and want a crew to help mantain them. Who could do it all by themselves? Life is too short to HATE MS.
Just change the channel if you are so offended by someone who doesn't have to work 9 to 5.
Just my 2 cents

Kate1 thanks for saying what I wanted to say and saying it so well.

I love to watch Martha Stewart. I love all the segments and the show is photographed so lovely.

Another thought about all the those who call her fake and complain about a staff of people doing the work. I guess all the chefs on FoodTV are doing all the chopping and prep work. I guess they are going to Williams and Sonoma and picking out the tools, linens and flowers. I guess Bob Villa is doing all the work on the houses and all the HGTV hosts are doing all the remodeling themselves. Get Real!

Faye

i cant decide if i like "her" or not, but i do like all the kitchen items and linens in her line at kmart...

Jackie/STROBE

ok...first the system rejected my message saying i had already replied to this thread. i looked back and couldn't a post from me so here is my "new" post:

i cant decide if i like "her" or not, but i do like all the kitchen items and linens in her line at kmart...

Jackie/STROBE

Several years ago I heard someone say: "I hate Martha Stewart." When I asked why, she replied that it was because she had muddled speech. There are a lot of negative things said of Martha which may have some validity, but her speech is something you cannnot criticize. It is loud, clear, and well articulated. Being a fan, I became curious as to the real reason people resented Martha. I conceived a hypothesis, and developed a short survey to test it out. I administered the survey to dozens of professional women, a few men, and a number of Smith College graduate students. I simply asked if they liked or disliked Martha Stewart, and why. My hypothesis was that aging successful women are resented by many, and that Martha Stewart epitomized that group. I judged the responses by what I felt to be the validity of the replies (very unscientific). The woman who said that Martha's speech was muddled clearly didn't like her for other reasons. Begonia scorns her because she has a "menopause belly." Some who didn't like her didn't even know who she was, they just didn't like her. One of the most interesting things to come out of the survey was the discourse. Like her or not, everyone seemed to have a strong opinion, and this was long prior to the recent scandal. Why do I like her? I admire strong, intelligent, interesting or unusual people of any age. I admire Martha's tenacity and success, and don't look for and dissect her shortcomings. I generally don't have the opportunity to watch her TV show, but when I do, I am amazed at the number of diverse and useful things I learn in areas like carpentry, pet care, and cooking. A regular viewer can get an incredible and useful education. Some of the Smith College graduate students, and many of the professional women I interviewed taped the show so as not to miss anything. Another reason for liking Martha is her interest in people who practice unusual crafts and skills. She not only provides a forum for viewers to learn about these interesting and unusual experts and their crafts, but each person she features is treated as very special, and allowed to showcase their expertise. I suggest re-reading some of the above entries in light of my hypothesis...

The above post is very well written and I am also a fan. I love the attention to detail and the variety of subjects that she covers.

Some favorite episodes have been when she brought in experts or visited experts on such subjects as vintage floorcoving, vintage frames, bread artisans, heirloom seedsavers, and orchid growers.

Have you noticed that in Wal-Mart in the kitchen aisle, that the merchandise is a look-alike of the MSL brand?

Faye

Martha's tops in my book. She has put homemaking right up there with so-called professional occupations, while proving all the while that she is a capable of creating and running a business. I appreciate Martha and what she has done for all women.

I agree. That's one of the things that I appreciate about her, the fact that she values the everyday things. Home and family is the most important thing that we have. They should be valued and are worthy of time and trouble.

Faye

I remember seeing Martha on TV showing how to plant a Japanese Maple into a container. What sticks in my mind is her reference to the tree as a "Palm Maple". Yeah, she's thorough alright.

Note to bjorna 3:

I don't think our society "has sunk so low into materialism that earning your money off others" is a negative thing. That is the way our free enterprise system works. Martha Stewart has provided jobs to more than 500 people. Her TV show, which has given a wealth of information to all of us, is free. Yes, she has made money because she is great at marketing. But then, so has Bill Gates, who has given all of us this great communication tool.

While reading the local paper here on Mount Desert Island, I saw where Martha Stewart had recently donated $5,000 to the community, I believe to help out the Northeast Library...the next little town over from where Martha has a summer home here.

Never met her though, I have spoken to her gardeners, a few house keepers and personal staff members...some like her alot, others have issues about her.

Iam glad there is a Martha Stewart out there, I hope someday to meet her!

I recently purchased a MSL picture frame at KMart and it has received more compliments than any other frames that I own. And it was so reasonably priced. I will definitely be going back and looking at other merchandise.

Long live the free enterprise system.

I have also wanted to try the MSL roses, but couldn't find them this year at our KMart. I hope I can find them next spring.

Only 3 more posts and this thread can go away!

I guess the answer to the original question is no.

Hmmmmm, whatever else you say about the lady, she picks up things very quickly and performs even very complicated tasks with ease. She makes you feel like you can do the same. I admit, I am impressed by that.

I am always amazed at the strong reactions of people who say they don't like Martha. I have to agree with previous posts, that I don't think these people have actually seen her show or read her magazine, because many of the reasons they give for disliking her are simply not true. For those of you, I'll tell you a little about her show. On her show she features guests as well as her own experts (employees), who show HER and her audience how to. That is what she is about - if you WANT to, you can do it yourself. You don't need to eat at a 5 star restaurant, you can have the 5 star chef show you how to do it at home. That is why she has guests do something they have never done before, or are not necessarily comfortable doing. To show that you can do it, and do not need to feel intimidated. Her show/magazine also features EXPERTS in their field give advice on health, gardening, taking care of your pets. Great tips, practical tips, inexpensive and expensive tips. Why is this so offensive, I'll never know. Obviously, if you aren't interested, then don't watch it/read it! I don't need to think she is the most personable woman in the world to like what she does. And who cares what she does with her money? Calling her materialistic is ridiculous. What about the billionaires who spend their money on solid gold faucets and million dollar parties? She is frugal by comparison and created a center devoted to geriatrics. If you ask me, she can spend her money as frivolously as she wants, she made it, what she does with it is none of my business, besides, I don't care, I have better things to get angry about. I'll save my anger for violent criminals, animal abusers, child abusers. As for her being a poor example for our daughters, I can think of worse, namely the Paris Hiltons and Lindsey Lohans of the world. I believe those who dislike her are INSECURE. They somehow believe that others feel they should "be like Martha". I don't feel I should to be like Martha, but I sure have gotten some amazing recipes from her website. I have a blackberry mint julep recipe that is out of this world. And shame on you for your rude remarks about her hair, my 6 year old knows better.

I see there wasn't much resentment while she was in jail...

and OMG this discussion is old. How cool!