Martha Stewart: America’s perfect woman turned criminal, on Netflix
Martha Stewart, the billionaire and icon of American popular culture, is featured in a documentary on Netflix.
Loved and criticized, this businesswoman built an empire around the art of living, defying codes and making her mark. The documentary looks back on her tumultuous career, from humble beginnings to her re-conquest of public opinion. Martha Stewart’s Secrets Revealed on Netflix is a must-see.
A modest childhood and big dreams of independence
Martha Stewart grew up in a modest New Jersey family, one of six siblings. Her authoritarian father forced her to follow strict rules. Her mother, on the other hand, taught her the cooking, sewing and domestic arts that would become the pillars of her future empire. This apprenticeship forged her rigorous, even ruthless character, a trait she carried with her into her professional life.
In her teens, she began modeling to finance her studies. On a scholarship, she attended Barnard University in New York, where she studied architectural history. Shortly afterwards, she married Andrew Stewart and ventured into the world of finance, becoming a Wall Street broker. In this male-dominated environment, she made her mark, gaining confidence and developing skills she would later exploit in her business.
From passion to empire
The 1970s marked a turning point: Martha Stewart bought a farm in Westport, Connecticut, and completely transformed it. She created a huge garden, complete with vegetable patch and animals, in perfect harmony with her love of nature and strong need for control. After leaving Wall Street, she moved into catering, organizing dinners for prestigious guests. She became the world’s leading caterer.
She then published her first cookery books, which met with immediate success. Her recipes, inspired by old-fashioned dishes such as roast chicken and homemade jams, seduced with their authenticity and meticulous aesthetics. These books transform the art of cooking into a real trend, reviving American culinary and domestic traditions. A far cry from the tins of food available to housewives at the time.
One thing led to another, and after her divorce, she launched a magazine for which she posed for the covers. A phenomenal success in the United States at a time when the print media sector was shrinking. Her success led her to invest in television. This made her the first multimedia company to focus solely on one person: herself. “The only product of this company, in other words, is Martha Stewart herself,” wrote Joan Didion in a New York Times article.
Martha the criminal
Martha Stewart may be an icon of the art of living, but she is also at the center of several scandals. Her high-profile insider trading trial showed her impeccably dressed and cool despite the accusations. The affair, which unleashed the passions of the media, underlined Martha Stewart’s strength of character, but also her cantankerous, unappreciated side, often mocked in other shows. After her conviction, she slowly managed to restore her image and relaunch her empire.
Today, Martha Stewart is a benchmark in lifestyle and an icon of American pop culture. A symbol of the feminine American dream.
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