12. Heritage of Words (Women's Business) - Ilene Kantrov

 

Women’s Business

-Ilene Kantrov

The essay “Women’s Business” was written by an American writer Ilene Kantrov. In this essay, the writer portrays a picture of a pioneering businesswoman of USA Lydia E. Pinkham and describes several other business women of the following century who tried to follow the footsteps of Lydia E. Pinkham.

Lydia E. Pinkham was the pioneering businesswoman of America who produced herbal medicine, Lydia E. Pinkham’s Vegetable Compound and advertised it in a newspaper in 1879. She claimed that her product to be the greatest remedy in the world for all types of female weaknesses. She used her image as a kind woman to promote your business.

She tried to introduce social activism into her marketing efforts. She claimed that she was offering something more to her customers and the society besides her product. She also claimed to support women’s rights, fiscal reform, and temperance. Along with her products, she offered her customers some suggestion of diet exercise and hygiene. Because of her gold marketing strategy and social activism she was able to establish herself as a model in the world of American business.

The businesswoman of the following century tried to follow the footsteps of Lydia E. Pinkham in many ways though they departed away from her model in some respects. The businesswomen like Helena Rubinstein and Elizabeth Arden promoted their business of cosmetics, hairstyling and readymade clothes using the image of a glamorous socialite.

Two other businesswomen Margaret Rudkin and Jennie Grossinger ran an incorporation and resort hotel. Jennie Grossinger used her image as a grandmother to prosper her business of resort hotel.

Another businesswoman, Gertrude Muller invented “Toildey Seat” besides writing booklets on progressive philosophy of child-rearing. The last businesswoman included in the essay was Annie Turnbo-Malone, who established “Poro College of hairstyling”. She also claimed to uplift the economic condition of black women.

All the businesswomen after Lydia E. Pinkham tried to carry on their business and social services side by side but they were not as successful as their model. The business of all of these businesswomen grew out of the traditional skills and catered to the needs of the women.

They understood the taste of women and went on producing the goods to match their taste. Some of the businesswomen like Annie Turnbo-Malone, Helena Rubinstein and Jennie Grossinger were both philanthropists as well as business executives. The advertising claims of some of this businesswoman were extravagant, even misleading. Some of this businesswoman though they claimed to be social activities were found practicing the business against the ethics of the social service. For example, Businesswoman who supported temperance was selling a product containing a high level of alcohol and another businesswoman, Jennie Grossinger was also against the sale of alcohol, was selling alcohol in her hotel.

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. It tells about other business women who followed Lydia’s footsteps. It deals with the subject of how women took part in the business and what things were produced and sold by them.

At the beginning of this essay, the writer describes the business method of Lydia E Pinkham. In 1879 she 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, and fiscal 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 a 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 also produced different facial treatments. She also practiced and advocated yoga. Her rival A Helena Rubinstein also published a book explaining the benefits of eating raw foods.

Margaret Rudkin and Jennie Grossinger were other to women entrepreneurs that followed Lydia.E.Pinkham’s business pattern. Grossinger ran a hotel in upstairs New York renowned for its food and entertainment. She had also hired a public relations man Margaret Rudkin produced additive free wheat bread that was very helpful to a person suffering from asthma. At first, she had baked such bread as a diet for her asthmatic son. Next entrepreneur was Gertrude Muller who invented the “toilet seat”. With her products.S he also enclosed her booklets about childrearing. 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 hairdressing preparation. She developed an innovative marketing strategy. She also established a school for training agents in her poor system of hairdressing. Like other capitalists, she also started advising other women about hygiene.T hrift and other homely virtues.

 

Women’s Business Summary
– Ilene Kantrov

The writer Ilene Kantov 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. She portrays a portrait of Lydia Pinkham and she goes on to tell about other business women who follow her footsteps. Lydia Pinkham combines her business with social service. She supports women’s rights, temperance and their social as well as economic reform. Her kind and beautiful face shines in the pages of papers to advertise her medicinal products to cure the diseases of women. She expects a militant feminist would support the business policy of Pinkham. She would certainly support women’s rights, independence as well as social and economic upliftment. She would react positively to Lydia’s advertising to champion women’s rights, temperance and fiscal reform. She would equally support the women’s advice on nutrition, exercise, hygiene and child rearing. She would, thus praise the activities of Pinkham and other women who tried to make the women race socially aware and economically independent. Lydia Pinkham and many other women of her time played different roles to promote women’s business. They competed with their male counterparts and didn’t hesitate to go to the court of law like male businessmen. A militant feminist would no doubt praise and support all these activities of women in this essay.

However; there are some debatable statements of the writer which are not digestible for a militant feminist. Lydia Pinkham suggests her women customers not to go to the male physicians. A true feminist wouldn’t support such idea. She also wouldn’t support the altitudes of Helena and Elizabeth who attracted women to use cosmetics in the hope of getting married to European aristocrats. She would object the idea of limiting women’s business within their own race. A true feminist may think that men and women are interdependent. In the absence of either men or women, the world will not run. Thus, the business women should focus on the equality of men and women.

“Women’s Business” differs in many ways from their male counterparts. The business 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, 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 conflict. They used their images as women to promote their business. Helena and Elizabeth, for example, took advantage of their images as women to promote their business of cosmetics. Some business women 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 the realities of the market place, some business-women didn’t support feminism.

 

Important Questions and Answers:

1. Which of Lydia Pinkham’s business methods did later women capitalists adopt for their own enterprises? In what ways did they depart from Pinkham’s model?

Ans: Like Lydia Pinkham, the other capitalists sold their products and wanted to show their customers they were doing activities to raise their social and economic life. Most of the customers were mostly women. Lydia Pinkham’s methods were practical. For example, she used her advertisements to champion women’s rights, temperance, and fiscal reform. She also encouraged women to seek guidance from women physicians and gave practical suggestions about diet, exercise and hygiene. Similarly, Arden sold make-up products but also gave advice on nutrition and exercise at her salons. Helena Rubenstein also did the same: she sold cosmetics like Arden but she also expounded the benefits of eating raw food. Thus, these two women like Lydia thought they were providing other women with something more than a product. Most capitalists also used their image cleverly in their marketing activities. Jennie Grossinger, like Lydia, managed to remain the ‘grandmother’ in the eyes of her clients. Her hotel business was very successful. Another woman, Margaret Rudkin built a successful career in the food industry by making additive-free wheat bread to supplement her husband’s income much like Lydia did when she started making herbal preparations to supplement her husband’s real estate business.

However, Lydia, unlike Arden and Rubenstein, did not put on a glamorous outlook. She did not marry any aristocrat(s). Rubenstein and Arden, on the other hand, developed their image of glamorous fashionable women. Lydia, through her product and clever marketing campaign, became a pioneer woman in the history of American business. She claimed herself to be the “Saviour of her sex”, which was extraordinary as other women like Grossinger, Annie Turnbo-Malone and Helena Rubinstein were philanthropic and showed more concern to women cause than did Pinkham. Pinkham sold alcohol while she was advocating against alcohol use. Thus, Pinkham combined marketing with socio-economic transformation in the most successful manner of all female entrepreneurs. However, there are more similarities among these entrepreneurs than there are differences.

2. How did the businesswomen the writer introduces in her essay differ from their male counterparts? In what ways did they resemble male entrepreneurs of their day?

Ans: Women differed in many ways from their male counterparts in many ways. The first difference was in their approach: the male contemporaries were more motivated by profit and their business had no room for social service, whereas women cleverly complimented profit motive with service motive. Women like Lydia E. Pinkham, Helena Rubinstein, Jennie Grossinger and Annie Turnbo-Malone were exemplary in their social drive. Similarly, women capitalists did businesses that catered to female tastes, and these businesses grew out of traditional women skills. Thirdly, women entrepreneurs cultivated a certain image in order to advance their businesses and establish their position among fellow women. Thus, Lydia Pinkham, Margaret Rudkin and Jennie Grossinger acted like grandmothers in their respective businesses. Helena Rubinstein and Elizabeth Arden created an image of glamorous socialites, and Turnbo-Malone that of a social activist. Thus, women entrepreneurs had two roles in society. One was businesswomen and the other was mothers or grandmothers or fashionable women. However, there were many similarities between these women entrepreneurs to those of their male counterparts.

Although women entrepreneurs aimed to serve as well as sell, however, these businesswomen frequently put profit ahead of altruism, and like male counterparts, they made extravagant and misleading advertisement claims about their products and services that regulating bodies like FDA and FTC had to intervene or take stern actions against them. Rubinstein was forced to withdraw some medical claims she made for her products. Also, the feminine ideals they loved so often did not go very well with the realities of the marketplace, where they acted as a businesswoman, not as ladies.

3. What is the thesis/main idea of the essay?

Ans: The thesis of the story is that businesswomen in the USA tried to help women, as well as make money by selling things to them. Often, their methods of helping women, for example, through advice, helped them sell more products. They combined a clever marketing effort with strong social activism.

OR

Women’s business presents the main idea that businesswomen were much successful in America. They are much popular too. Their production and business benefited many people in different ways. Businesswomen were involved in producing some useful things to women like cosmetics. They produced not only useful things to women but they also suggested and helped to cure womanly problems like nervousness, hysteria, barrenness, and so on. In America, businesswomen like Lydia E. Pinkham, Elizabeth, and Jennie Grossinger were very much successful and they earned a lot of money by selling their products by means of advertisements, suggestion and inspiration. So, in conclusion, the essay Women’s Business expresses that women can do as good a business as men can, and they can get success in business with the help of media and their own ingenuity. tools.

4. How would you expect a militant feminist to react to this essay? Are any of the writer’s general statements debatable?

Ans: A militant woman is someone who shows a fighting disposition without self-seeking. She would express great satisfaction at the way the women entrepreneurs of America combined social activism into their marketing effort. She would support their innovative marketing techniques to make a profit but she probably wouldn’t like extreme claims like the ones made by Lydia E Pinkham, who made extraordinary claims of Vegetable Compound of being “the greatest remedy in the world.” She would appreciate the effort of Lydia Pinkham and Margaret Rudkin who started their businesses as support to complement or support their husbands’ income. She would be inspired by their effort to market their homely skills to great profit in the marketplace. She would support social marketing efforts like temperance and fiscal reform as well as advice on nutrition, exercise, hygiene, thriftiness, and diet, however, she would hate marketing techniques like the Department of Advice that encouraged women to seek medical attention from female physicians only. She would consider this as a sign of weakness, and an impediment to the greater goal of female independence from the psychologically imposed barrier. Likewise, she wouldn’t appreciate Elizabeth Arden’s facial treatment system that used painful procedure to get glowing feminine skin. She would be happy with the skin she has got, and not bother to get an extraordinary one to show it to a male. She would find it all right to create a certain image to further her business. She would praise Turnbo-Malone’s effort to uplift black women’s lives and to make them economically independent so as to create a discrimination-free society, but she wouldn’t like the publicity stunts of Elizabeth and Helena who drew attention to themselves through their marriages to European aristocrats. She would marry a man who understands her rather than looking for a man from an aristocratic background. Finally, she would like women to go beyond the businesses they are good at traditionally and make a foray into all kinds of businesses, especially those that have been traditionally male’s territory.

5. What was Lydia Pinkham’s cleverest marketing technique?

Ans: Lydia set up the Department of Advice, and then encouraged women to bypass male physicians and seek guidance from woman. She also gave practical advice on diet, exercise and hygiene. She endorsed her herbal medicine too.

6. What does the writer’s use of the slang word booze contribute to the essay’s conclusion?

Ans: Booze refers to any alcoholic beverage, like whiskey, and this word is used in informal setting. Also, this word is a popular slang word used very often by alcoholics. Even, (non-) drinkers refer to people who consume alcohol boozer. Traugot’s essay is based on social science research, and she has included real facts, statistics and case studies. Her reference to Lydia Pinkham in the start of the essay serves to provide a serious purposeful tone, and as we read through the pages we learn more about Lydia – how she started a business with her brother and how she made $200,000 by 1881. Lydia E. Pinkham’s advertised and sold her herbal product, Vegetable Compound very aggressively. She became a folk heroine: the subject of popular songs, jokes, and bawdy jokes. Marsha Traugot is trying to take us back to that time and stir some memory of her time by referring to the same product as booze. Indeed, Lydia had added 40 proof alcohol to her home-made untested product. By giving this fact, Kantrov also succeeds in telling the readers the marketing adaptability of women entrepreneurs and dissolve the ladylike quality much associated with women.  Kantrov may be trying to lighten the mood of the essay. She wants to end the essay on a comic note so the tone is comic and satiric. Also, because she started with Lydia in the beginning, she wanted to end with her. Thus, organic unity is maintained. In the first part Lydia’s clever marketing innovations and her success are mentioned, but, in the end, we see the scheming and profit-driven businesswoman.

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

Ans: The thesis of the essay is to focus on the success of American businesswomen who adopted innovative business strategy and establish themselves in a respectable position in the business field as well as in the society. 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 women entrepreneurs discussed in this essay were different in 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 devices 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 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 businesswomen 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.

Important Questions :

8. 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 businesswomen who adopted an innovative business strategy and establish themselves in a respectable position in the business field as well as in 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 in 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 advice 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 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.

 

9.How did the businesswomen the writer introduces in her essay differ from their male counterpart ? In what ways did they resemble male entrepreneurs of their day?

Ans: ‘Women’s Business’ written by Ilene Kantrov introduces the businesswomen differs from their male counterparts in many ways. The writer focuses 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. However, their aim was to promote their own business on the pretext on social services for the sake of their business, they activated the society, earned money and upgraded their own position in the society. They were involved in earning money along the 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 social welfare. 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, as well as child too. Lyndia advised her customer to bypass the male physician. Adopting new business skills 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 products through misleading and lavish advertisement.

In conclusion, the writer confronts the innovative marketing strategies of American capitalists than that of male counterparts.

10. What methods do the women capitalists imply for marketing their products in the essay?

Ans: Women’s business is an essay written by Ilene Kantrov which supports the most of the ideas of the women and their notion in the essay in the modern trend of globalization. She portrays a portrait of Lyndia Pinkham and she goes on to tell about other business women who follow her footsteps. The essay deals the subject of how women took part in the business and what things were produced and sold by them.

In the beginning of this essay, the writer describes about the business method of Lyndia E. Pinkham. In 1879 she 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 Lyndia 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 and fiscal 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 Rubistein and Elizabeth Arden. They competed not only in selling cosmetics but also in luring (attraction) publicity by their marriages to European aristocrats. Elizabeth Arden also produced different facial treatments. She practiced and advocated yoga. Her rival Helena Rubistein also published a book explaining the benefits of eating raw foods.

Margaret Rudkin and Jennie Grossinger were other two entrepreneurs that followed Lyndia E. Pinkham’s business pattern. Grossinger ran hotel in upstairs new York renowned for its food and entertainment. She had also hired a public relations man. Margaret Rudkin produced additive 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 entrepreneur was Gertrude Muller who invented the “toidey seat”. With her products, she also enclosed her booklets about childrearing. 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 also established a school for training agents in her ‘porosystem’ of hairdressing. Like other capitalist she also started advising other women about hygiene, thrift and other homely virtues.

In conclusion, the American women capitalists adopted innovative and skillful marketing strategies to their products. They not merely be profit motive but also combine their business’s to social reforms too.

11. Write a newspaper article about a success story of a Nepali business woman.

Ans:

A MODEL AGRO-BASED ENTREPRENEIR

-MS.JANAKI CHAUDHARY

Nepali women entrepreneurs have not broken the glass ceiling but they have already made the first cracks. Women entrepreneurs have come far but they still have long way to go. In this men’s domain, women entrepreneurs are increasing inspite of hurdles and apathy from their family and the society. Among these, Ms. Janaki chaudhary has been exemplar to other women’s to be capitalist.

Ms. Janaki Chaudhary 35, is a dwellers of Rajhena Village Development Committee (VDC) of Banke district situated in mid-western part of Nepal. She belongs to a poor joint family without sufficient land for cultivation and access to any source of income.

While struggling economically and socially, she rays of hope when there was support of European Union in bringing Community Peace Building program through Women Group Empowerment. She received several capacity building opportunities including 5 days mushroom farming training provided by the agriculture service centre of banke district. She still remembered this insightful experience “It was my big life time opportunity “overwhelmed Ms. Chaudhary.

She felt very confident on herself. It was first time in her life where she believed that she can do something. With lots of hopes and confidence she decided to take a courageous step of investing Rs. 500 (euro 4.95) in mushroom cultivation with technical support of the Agricultural Service Centre and was able to earn Rs, 3000 (euro 29.70) that is almost 6 times out of her investment.

It was the first time; she could contribute her husband in sharing cost for children’s education and other household expenses. As a household cooker and mother, she felt proud when she could serve fresh mushroom to her kids and family members. In this way, it was brought change in the level of calorie in-take in poor family like her.

This mushroom farming earning was her first income. She expressed “I wonder, why EU supported program was not there earlier to make us aware about women friendly economic opportunities like mushroom farming to change the way we deal with our life.”

Her pride being the first Chaudhary lady from her community to practice and gain success from mushroom farming had influenced other women from her community and beyond by networking with the agriculture service centre. Working together with other women in the group helped in building trust and mutual co-operation by spreading message of peace.

“Engagement in this program supported by EU is the key milestone for my economic and social empowerment so that I am able to contribute in promoting my family and social harmony” recalled Ms. Chaudhary proudly.     

 

Sources

https://krishnarm.com.np/class-12/heritage-of-words/womens-business/

https://dotnepal.com/womens-business-summary/

https://thepronotes.com/womens-business-summary-and-important-questions/

 

https://www.merospark.com/content/33/womens-business/

 

https://tyrocity.com/topic/womens-business-heritage-of-words/