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Martha Stewart
by
Erin Maglaque
Martha Stewart: gardener, cook, and homemaker extraordinaire. She is a fantastic, high-class craftswoman, and has an unlimited amount of ideas on how to improve one’s home, kitchen, or backyard. She has a program on television, a magazine, a website, and recently, wrote an article for The Westporter (a local newspaper that provides information pertaining to the town of Westport, Connecticut). However, this article, unlike many written by Martha Stewart, did not consist of creative ways to decorate napkins, or an age-old method of preserving fruit; instead, it was a rather violent and extreme account of the wrong-doings against her, inflicted by the town of Westport, Connecticut.
This account was not so much an article, but more of a letter; this letter was addressed to the entire population of Westport. The general idea of the letter highlighted why she was moving to New York City, and deserting the town in which she lived. Of course, being a famed homemaker who is adored by all, she could not simply pack her bags and move out; she felt obliged to explain why. So, in a very vicious and potent manner, she did.
Martha told the town that it had changed immensely since she first moved there (which, mind you, was only a few years ago). She claimed the town was unfriendly and that the neighbors refused to offer her a bowl of sugar when her pantry closet was empty. One would assume that, being a fabulous cook, Martha might have her own sugar (after all, she does cook for the viewing pleasure of millions of people a day); but perhaps it was easier to walk to the neighbors’ house than be bombarded by eager, time-savvy ladies at the supermarket. She said that once the town of Westport was quaint, simple, and reminiscent of a country village in Europe. I cannot help but wonder: if she liked this charming, small-town feeling Westport has, why is she moving to New York City?
After this malicious letter was published, a flood of responses to Martha poured into the office. A few of these letters were printed in the next edition, all of them blatantly disagreeing with Martha (who was, by one angered ex-fan, viewed as, ‘a back stabber, who has betrayed and slandered the town’). The feelings of anger and resentment portrayed in these letters even outdid the animosity pictured in Martha’s letter.
Martha Stewart, who had once been the pride of everyone in the town, had, within one column The Westporter and a phone call to the moving company, become the disgrace of Westport. A few months later, as it was reported the number of Westport-residing viewers of Martha’s show dropped by more than half. It was clear that the people of Westport were not to be betrayed. So, you may ask, what is the moral of this sad and deceitful story? Simply that, although fame and cooking skills may get one far in life, insulting those who are fervent devotees is far worse than not having the ability to plant a petunia.
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