Martha Stewart is an Unshakeable Force

One could call Martha Stewart the original influencer.  This a woman who took the art of bing a homemaker to a whole new level creating a icon in that arena that still no one can hold a candle to. Yet, I found myself curious as to how a Connecticut housewife ultimately joined forces with Snoop Dogg.

Director R.J. Cutler , with his new Netflix doc Explores the breadth of her life through intimate interviews with Stewart herself, who opens up her personal archives to sharing never-before-seen photos, letters and diary entries.

To state that she is a force to be reckoned with would be an understatement. It goes without saying that most women this powerful struggle with their personal lives and the need for control overwhelms their professional space and everyone who infiltrates it. As an audience member, we gain a lot of insight into Martha’s life – the good and the bad. While it’s utterly fascinating to see her many accomplishments, at times, one will garner sympathy for her time spent in jail. However, as her ruthless side rises to the surface, one’s perspective may or may not shift.

Cutler’s use of music is cleverly strewn throughout. When young Martha Kostyra takes up modeling, we hear Etta James’ Good Lookin’, as a stockbroker, we hear Nancy Sinatra’s These Boots Are Made for Walkin and she she emerges into the lifestyle guru we have come to know beats of Depeche Mode’s Just Can’t Get Enough fill the screen.

One the most revealing moments was witnessing Steward angrily express about how Andy cheated on her. When Cutler notes she also cheated on her husband. Her answer? “Yeah, but Andy never knew about that.”  It is these sort of back-and-forth revelations that actually assist in humanizing Stewart, revealing a more humanistic side to a woman most would view as a little on the icy side.

At the same time, if a man exhibits this same sort of behavior he is not called names or judged at any given moment.

Cutler’s greatest strength in cinematically capturing a life like Martha Stewart is that it’s done with the curtains wide open for a life well lived and not the shades being drawn to hide anything or anyone.

If anything, one walks away with immense respect for a woman that could have easily let life live her – but instead lived life her way on her own terms