Domesticity: 21st Century Style

Time for a piece of humble pie. It is true that at one time I opposed the women's suffrage movement.  In fact, I have been accused of being a mass of contradictions:  a champion for the education of women yet resistant to the right for women to cast their vote. It was my belief  that women were predestined to home and family life where they would be protected from the evils of politics. I see that perhaps my view was a bit narrow-minded and now I am very grateful to be so mistaken.  Once the 19th Amendment was ratified in 1920, the doors of equality flung open (although the growing pains of feminism were long and arduous). Educational opportunities for women flourished, resulting in physicians, attorneys, scientists, pilots, accountants, politicians, entrepreneurs and a myriad of other honorable professionals who were and continue to be the impetus that moves our country forward. My former opposing views, education and suffrage, have turned out to work in unison to propel women to the unlimited positions they hold today.

Upon learning of the advancements for women, I feared that domesticity may have suffered a slow, quiet death. To my delight, I could not have been more wrong (another piece of humble pie, please!) It seems that the cult of domesticity is alive and well.  In fact, America is drowning in it at the moment.  Everywhere you turn, you will find magazines, television shows, books and stores that focus solely on all things house, garden, cooking, sewing, knitting, do-it-yourself, decorating, crafting. I love it!

Let's take television for instance . . . there is a network dedicated entirely to domesticity-- Home and Garden Television. I cannot get enough of it, having already exceeded the memory limit on my DVR because there is just so much to view and to learn! (Warning:  this paragraph is apt to have a lot of exclamation marks--I'm that exhilarated!) The program guide includes: House Hunters, Design on a Dime, Curb Appeal, Holmes on Homes, ColorSplash, Real Estate Intervention and my personal favorite, Property Virgins. And, if you must leave home (but why would you?), there's an iPhone app . . . HGTVtoGO!

Having published a bestseller recipe book, "Domestic Receipt Book" (1846), I must admit my personal vice is that of collecting cookbooks (another vice: newbie media addict), however I have had to demonstrate a certain amount of temperance lest I spend my entire pittance on orders from Amazon. So to counter continued temptation, I tune into a cooking show hosted by a sweet, peppy Italian girl named Rachel Ray. She blends cooking demonstrations with celebrity interviews, which brings me to the woman I hold in highest esteem--Martha Stewart.

Martha is the queen of home and family life and thankfully has carried forth the torch of domesticity into the 21st century. The daughter of a homemaker/school teacher, Martha developed a passion for cooking, gardening and homemaking and has cultivated her own brand known as Martha Stewart Living. Martha is a shrewd and successful corporate female competing the the male world of business and finance, while at the same time exhibiting the grace and elegance of a gentle woman. She has written about the history of domestic advice in America, and I am honored at the recognition she has bestowed to me and my early domestic initiatives which have played a role in the staying power of homemaking in America.

Thank you Martha Stewart.