Person of the Week: Martha Stewart

Martha Stewart from her modeling days
in the 1960's.
Martha Stewart Omnimedia

Many words come to mind when we think of Martha Stewart. Two of them are: “talented” and “fearless.” No matter how you may feel about Miss Stewart, one thing that can’t be denied is that she has made a tremendous influence on American culture. Her efforts to continue traditions of graciousness and beauty have been among the most far-reaching of the last two decades.


Through her tremendous media empire, Miss Stewart has brought a little extra beauty into the homes of millions of people. With her television program, books and magazines, she’s introduced many of us to ways to make our homes, diets and lifestyles far more attractive.

What I find most interesting about Martha is that she doesn’t deny the path she’s taken in life. A look at her Web site’s online photo galleries shows photos of an infant Martha, a teenager in homemade clothes, chronicles her brief modeling career and, also, most surprisingly, shows her going to court for her much-publicized trial and being released from prison. While many celebrities—especially those upon whose shoulders large empires rest—would try to have us forget their past troubles, Miss Stewart owns her history.

Martha Stewart Omnimedia

We’ve got a lot to learn from Martha Stewart, and not just about gracious living and “good things.” We can learn a few things about dignity from her as well.

This is the last week to submit your nominations for “Person of the Year.” Voting will begin in December.