Women’s Business – lleve Kantrov

Theme:
Illene Kantrov's essay Women's Business depicts the business activities performed by women. She presents her logic that Women's business was related with cosmetic items and the techniques applied for the production of goods by them were traditional. She presents Lydia Pinkham as the precursor of women's business. Other women entrepreneurs also followed the path she showed. Though they followed her path, they could hardly become as successful as Lydia.

Summary:

Ilene Kandrov in her essay Women’s Business paints the portraits of Lydia E. Pinkham and other business women who have been successful in American business world. The women discussed in the essay were not only business women but also involved in social service particularly in educating people about issues and problems related to women. However it was clear that their interest in making money was more important than their interest in improving society.

Most of the business women used lavish and misleading advertisement for improving their business. For example, Lydia E. Pinkham who was in favor of stopping people in drinking alcohol sold her products that it was very alcoholic. She put steps into the business field with self invented machine called Lydia E. Pinkham’s vegetable compound. She claimed that her machine was complete remedy for all kind of diseases faced by women. She also took advantages of woman weakness to improve her business. By using different new techniques she activated the women in America and established herself in very respectable position in American business and secured a place for a lady in male dominated world of commerce.

Like Pinkham her followers also successfully utilized their images of being woman to promote their business. Helena Rubinstein and Elizabeth Arden who were rivals used to sell cosmetic products. They arranged their managers with European aristocrats with wide publicity in order to promote their business. In addition to skin care products and cosmetics, they ran salon (beauty parlour) sold readymade clothes and render advice on nutrition and exercise. Rubinstein published a book describing good food habit to keep own self beautiful and healthy which she distributed with her products.

Jeeni Grossinger owned a resort hotel famous for its good food and entertainment and served more than one lakh fifty thousand customers per year. Mergaut Rudkin, considering the need to support her husband’s income began to sell additive free breads was able to establish herself in good position of American business and earning a lot of money. Gertude Muller sold entire line of child care products and distribution pamphlets on child rearing with her products. Doctors and home economy instructions supported her in distributing the pamphlets which help her to get wide publicity and to earn money securing respectable position in the society. Annie Turnbo Malone, a black American lady sold a hair dressing preparation making hair look nice. She also develops a new business strategy by forming a network of authorized agents. She established a school for training her agents in her Pro System of Hair Dressing and claimed that the school was for the upliftment of black people.

Many of the business women utilized their profit for the benefit of the society Turnbo Malone, Helena Rubinstein and Jenni Grossinger were noted philanthropists who contribution Lavishly to school, hospital and cultural organization. Because of the misleading publicity of business women about their products the government was compelled to regulate agency FOA and FTC to control such practices. The writer says that the American women were able to introduce feminine role in the male dominant world of commerce. They are also able to establish themselves in respectable positions in American society.

Questions Answers:

1. 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’s 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.