‘Martha,’ Tradwives, and the Duality of Domestic Labor
Documenting domestic despair and the paradox of feminine perfection
As someone who loves documentaries, I’ve been excited by the many films that have premiered recently. These documentaries highlight women who have overcome personal struggles and faced public scrutiny. In the past few weeks, I’ve watched documentaries about everyone from Megan Thee Stallion to Martha Stewart and followed the social media discussions surrounding each of these films.
Although I hadn’t planned to write about Martha’s documentary, I was unexpectedly drawn in by the early critiques of Martha Stewart’s media empire and public persona. Specifically, the founding editor of Martha Stewart Living, Isolde Motley, stated:
“I’ve always been baffled by the degree of hatred that people have. I sometimes think it’s because she does something that all of us theoretically could do. She just does it way better. It seems to drive people up the walls.”
This quote surprised me because, while I remember Martha Stewart’s media empire, I didn’t realize the public had such strong negative feelings toward her. The quote was accompanied by clips of people like Oprah Winfrey, political commentators, and everyday women critiquing Martha Stewart for the implications of her…
