Martha Stewart Different Perspectives on

Martha Stewart Different perspectives on Martha Stewart's incarceration The tabloid perspective This type of perspective glories in Martha's fall from grace, not for ideological reasons, but simply to sell newspapers. As a celebrity, Martha is 'big news,' hence the gleeful speculation about how much weight she has gained during the trial, or how much her clothes and handbags cost.

There were also accusations after she was sent to prison that she skirted the rules of Alderson -- horrors of horror, taking too many condiments from the cafeteria, as well as the gleeful surprise that she even lost the Christmas decorating contest at the prison ("Martha Stewart Made Most of Prison Stay," 2005, Fox Business News). The business/investing perspective This perspective examines what Martha Stewart's incarceration may do to falling Kmart stock prices, and also to the stock price of her company (Toobin 2003:1).

As a convicted felon Stewart can no longer sit at the helm of her eponymous, publicly traded company, even though she founded the company (Anderson 2003). Also, there is the issue in general as to the difficulty of an individual 'being' the image of an entire media conglomerate -- even if her main 'crime' is simply being unpopular with certain people. The feminist perspective The feminist view of the Stewart issue is really divided into two distinct perspectives.

Many feminists see Stewart as someone who has given dignity to homemaking, and as a successful woman who has built her own enterprise by her own sweat and toil. They point out that the legal accusation wielded against her is not insider trading. The prosecution's case is based on the fact that Stewart sold 3,928 ImClone shares when the price of the company's stock dropped from $64 at its opening to $58. Her broker also supposedly told Stewart that Sam Waksal and his daughter were selling their shares.

The Department of Justice indicted Stewart, saying she lied because she denied any evidence of insider trading, a nebulously defined crime that some legal experts do not see as a 'crime' at all (Anderson, 2003). None of the other sellers of the stock, other than Waksal faced legal action (McMenamin, 2003). However, some feminists see Stewart as giving women a 'guilt' complex about not performing labor-intensive crafts and food in the kitchen and also glory in her fall.

The 'Martha Loyalist' perspective This perspective is advocated by fans of Stewart, who see her as unjustly accused, and are sympathetic to her cause, and logged on frequently to her Internet blog that she updated during the trial and from prison. The 'I don't care' perspective These people are not Martha defenders, but like Martha's sheets and recipes. They feel that these products will still be just as good as they were before Stewart was incarcerated, and they will be equally as good after her release.

Summary Martha Stewart is a great brand and a great American success story. The American media loves a fall from grace, particularly the fall of a perfectionist, as Stewart herself as noted, in a reflective moment (Toobin 2003:1). However, there are many successful second acts in American life. Yes, the immediate effect upon company morale and stock prices may be negative. But the real charges facing Stewart are so negligible and so technical that even ordinary, non-Stewart loyalists see a vindictive spirit in the hearts of the prosecutors.

Stewart's exemplary behavior during her unjust incarceration, and her advocacy for the rights of her fellow prisoners, in terms of improving their conditions, speak well of her character. Her stay in prison may only help her image. People who disliked Martha before and wanted.