Event Title
The Problem Has a Name: Feminism, Domesticity, and Martha Stewart
Location
Hart 217
Start Time
13-5-2010 1:00 PM
End Time
13-5-2010 1:30 PM
Description
In many ways, Stewart is an archetype of feminist achievement. But instead of being recognized for this achievement, Stewart is often vilified because the work she valorizes is homekeeping - which feminism has traditionally defined itself against. The tension between Stewart’s success and opposition to her message makes accounting for the rhetorical force of Stewart’s message a complicated endeavor, as does accounting for Stewart’s message itself. Stewart traffics in discourses of domesticity, yet does so from the position of a self-made billionaire. In this essay I recover the feminist history of domesticity, pushing back against the idea that domesticity is the ruination of women’s independence, and position Stewart’s discourse as more in line with the pre-feminism of the 19th century. To further explore and contextualize Stewart within feminist theory, this essay presents the first quantitative study of Martha Stewart fans, assessing where and why fans place Stewart within feminist traditions.
The Problem Has a Name: Feminism, Domesticity, and Martha Stewart
Hart 217
In many ways, Stewart is an archetype of feminist achievement. But instead of being recognized for this achievement, Stewart is often vilified because the work she valorizes is homekeeping - which feminism has traditionally defined itself against. The tension between Stewart’s success and opposition to her message makes accounting for the rhetorical force of Stewart’s message a complicated endeavor, as does accounting for Stewart’s message itself. Stewart traffics in discourses of domesticity, yet does so from the position of a self-made billionaire. In this essay I recover the feminist history of domesticity, pushing back against the idea that domesticity is the ruination of women’s independence, and position Stewart’s discourse as more in line with the pre-feminism of the 19th century. To further explore and contextualize Stewart within feminist theory, this essay presents the first quantitative study of Martha Stewart fans, assessing where and why fans place Stewart within feminist traditions.