Martha Stewart became a household name after she grew her little catering business into a mammoth enterprise. She became one of the most influential American women of the 20th century.
A lot of people thought her popularity would decline when she went to jail for 5 months, but it seems she is staging a comeback…
She was born on August 3, 1941, as Martha Helen Kostyra. Her New Jersey upbringing in a Polish American household was quaint. She was taught practices her parents thought were traditional and partook in themselves such as cooking, sewing, canning, housekeeping, gardening, and more.
Even as a young woman her prowess at party planning was immaculate and she would often be tasked with organizing birthday parties for children in her neighborhood when she was still in school. After finishing high school, she would take up modeling jobs in New York to help make money to pay her college tuition.
In 1961, she married law student Andrew Stewart and together they began a family. At the start of their marriage, Martha had her own Wallstreet career that she gave up when her family moved to Connecticut. After the move, she set her efforts into restoring a farmhouse.
In 1976, she partnered with Norma Collier and started a catering business. Her attention to dating and penchant for innovation led her to be incredibly successful and grow her roster of celebrity clients.
After that she authored several successful books on cooking and everyday living. She started her magazine ‘Martha Stewart Living‘ in which she was featured heavily as well as being the editor-in-chief. She followed the success of her magazine with a television show.
All of this led her to start her company Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, and in 1999, the company was listed on the New York Stock Exchange which briefly made Stewart a billionaire but the success was shortlived as her company struggled to make a profit for the next ten years.
In December 2001, things took a turn for the worse for Stewart. She decided to sell 4,000 shares of ImClone Systems, a biomedical firm owned by her family friend Samuel Waksal. Her decision was made only a day before information about ImClone came out publicly which made stock prices plummet. Her timely decision to sell stocks sparked rumors that this move was due to insider trading.
Due to the speculation, in 2003 she stepped down as the CEO of her company so she could focus on absolving herself from the accusations and to save her brand from her tainted image.
She was sentenced to five months in prison and five months under house arrest in 2004. After her sentence, she was only given an editorial role at her company.
Later on when she was finally allowed to leave her home, she restarted her television career, and obtained a more active role in her company till she eventually became chairman again in 2012.
Recently, she has begun opening up about her Instagram profile and her posts on it. In her eighties, Stewart still remains a scandalous figure but this time because of what she is posting!
She appeared on The Drew Barrymore Show recently where she was very candid about her posts. Drew asked the media personality about her recent posts where she is only wearing an apron, asking her where she gained the confidence to do that.
Stewart had a very straightforward reply, she said, “I practiced the day before to see if I looked OK…and I looked good, so.”
Her video where she is only wearing an apron caused a lot of people to talk about Stewart’s new direction. Her Instagram account is filled with the media mogul pouting at the camera or wearing just her robe as she poses with a sultry look on her face. A lot of people are commenting about whether he behavior is age appropriate. But to her, she thinks it is just right!
She further said in the interview, “I think I look fine and I’m in good shape. I’m healthy, I’m vibrant, I’m energetic and I’m still the curious person I’ve always been. [Posing in only an apron] didn’t faze me one iota.”
She added, “I walk around in a bathing suit, so if I can walk around in a bathing suit or a strapless dress and feel good, I can walk around in an apron.”
Earlier this year, Stewart gave an interview where she talked about her health. She said, “I do take very, very good care of myself. I have my regular checkups; they’re on the calendar at least six months in advance. I eat extremely well. I’m not a vegetarian, but I do eat a lot of good fish and very little meat. I eat fantastic vegetables that I grow myself, and delicious eggs right out of my chicken coop. I live on a farm, which I think is one of the healthiest lifestyles there is because when I get up in the morning, I can go outside and breathe fresh air.”
She went on to add, “I can plant some flowers or pick some vegetables and make a green juice that is utterly delicious, which really helps with the maintenance of good skin, good hair and strong bones.”
At the core of all her ventures, Stewart has always preached the importance of living a holistic and healthy lifestyle. And it seems her decisions are doing her well because she is thriving even at this age!
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