WOMEN'S BUSINESS

Ilene Kantrov

Women’s business is an essay written by Ilene Kantrov, which is about some women from the United States of America who have been successful in business. The writer is feminist writer who supports the most of the ideas of the women and their notion in the essay in the modern trend of globalization. The theme of the essay is to focus on the success of American businesswomen who adopted innovative business strategy and establish themselves in respectable position in the business field as well as in the society. Lydia Pinkham and many other women of her time played different roles to promote women’s business. The businesswomen were also involved in social work for uplifting the society. However, their aim was to promote their own business on the pretext on social service for the sake of their business, they activated the society, earned money and upgraded their own position in the society. The essay also tells about different businesswomen who followed Lydia E Pinkham’s footsteps. It deals the subject of how women took part in the business and what things were produced and sold by them. “Women’s Business” differs in many ways from their male counterparts. The women combined their business with social service. They displayed their images to advertise their products. The women offered their customers more than their products. They supported women’s rights, temperance (moderation/self control), and social and economic reform. They gave advice to their customers about diet, exercise, hygiene etc. They printed reports for the women to cure physical problems, infertility nervousness, hysteria and even marital (conjugal) conflict. Some businesswomen tried to show their roles as mother and grandmother and some other developed their images as glamorous fashionable women. They advertised their products, promoted their business and earned a lot of money as well. Some women even invested some part of their profit into good works and social reform. However, women were more sex conscious. They helped only women and promoted traditional women’s skills. Lydia Pinkham, the leading American Business woman of that time advised her customers to avoid male physicians.

In 1879 Lydia appeared in the newspaper advertisement by advertising a remedy for “falling of the womb and all female weakness.” The medicine produced by her was known as Lydia E Pinkham’s Vegetable compound. She prepared the product by using traditional methods. She not only advertised for her product but also put forward women’s rights, temperance (self control) and fiscal (financial) reforms. She also opened a department of advice and suggested other women about diet, exercise and hygiene. She also printed testimonials from women reporting cures. She also advertised in courageous manner. As a result of such bold marketing, she became very famous.

In the following century some other women also followed her business pattern. Among them two were Helena Rubinstein and Elizabeth Arden. They competed not only in selling cosmetics but also in luring (attracting) publicity by their marriages to European aristocrats. Elizabeth Arden produced different facial treatments. She also practiced and advocated yoga. Her rival Helena Rubinstein also published a book explaining the benefits of eating raw foods.

Margaret Rudkin and Jennie Grossinger were other to women entrepreneurs (tycoons) that followed Lydia E. Pinkham’s business pattern. Grossinger ran hotel in upstairs New York renowned for its food and entertainment. Margaret Rudkin produced additive (flavor/chemical/colorant) free wheat bread that was very helpful to person suffering from asthma. At first she had baked such bread as diet for her asthmatic son. Next industrialist (tycoon) was Gertrude Muller who invented the “toady seat”. With her products she also enclosed her booklets about childrearing (nurturing/parenting). One of her booklets was also distributed by doctors.

Next black female capitalist Annie Turnbo Malone also cast herself in the role of social activist .Her business was on a hair dressing preparation. She developed an innovative marketing strategy. She established a school for training agents in hairdressing. Like other capitalist she also started advising other women about hygiene. Thrift and other homely virtues.

What is the thesis (theme) of the essay? How did the business women (female entrepreneur) differ from their male counterparts? In which way did they resemble the male entrepreneurs of their days?

The thesis of the essay is to focus on the success of American business women who adopted innovative business strategy and establish themselves in respectable position in the business field as well as in the society. The business women were also involved in social work for uplifting the society. However, their aim was to promote their own business on the pretext on social service for the sake of their business, they activated the society, earned money and upgraded their own position in the society.

The women entrepreneurs discussed in this essay were different many ways from their counterparts. The women were involved in earning money along with social service for upgrading their own position. Adopting the cleverest marketing techniques by rendering practical advice on various advices they activated the women of the society. They were not only involved in selling their products but also played an important role for the benefit of the society. They cleverly utilized their image of being women to upgrade their business. They were extremely sex consciousness with they revealed by serving the female only. Lydia advised her customer to bypass the male physician. Adopting new business skill the female entrepreneurs were able to introduce feminine’ role in the male dominated world of commerce in America.

The business women were similar to their male counterparts in the matters of obeying the law of the state besides their claim about their produces through misleading and lavish advertisement.