Three days ago, Martha Stewart was released from the women’s prison in Alderson, West Virginia, after having served five months. She has another five to go in at-home surveillance, which means she wears an electronic anklet monitor that records where she goes and what she does. In essence, Martha is under house arrest but with various provisions that enable her to go beyond her flowerbeds and privacy fences and return to the business world.
I’ve read that Martha has returned a changed woman to her $16 million home in Katonah, New York. Which, by the way, she arrived by private plane in the middle of the night. I’ve read she has a new commitment to the plight of her fellow inmates and she wants to share this newly found viewpoint with the rest of us. I understand the word on the street is that Martha is returning in full force. That her company’s stock, which has suffered of late, is once again a good buy.
Personally, I never particularly liked Martha’s style. She seemed condescending at best and overbearing at the very least. Her idea of decorations for any particular holiday dinner couldn’t possibly be relevant to families who were struggling to put dinner on the table in the first place.
But I have grown to respect Martha Stewart during her past five months in prison. Not once did we hear a whimper or a whine from the Domestic Diva. Not once did we learn that she expected special favors or linen with dinner. Rather, she took it on the chin; in fact, she went to prison before she actually had to report, perhaps in the spirit of getting it over and moving on. This is more than I can say for others executives in the same legal position.
So if Martha decides to discuss her time behind bars, I’m willing to listen. As long as she doesn’t say it was a “good thing.” And if she really takes up the plight of imprisoned women, I’m willing to cut her even more slack. In fact, I might even decide to shop at K-Mart.
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