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FROM BERBER TO BLUEBERRIES: RHETORIC, DESIGN, AND MARTHA STEWART by MELANIE JOY MCNAUGHTON (Under the Direction of Kevin Michael DeLuca) ABSTRACT In today’s culture, it is almost impossible to think of an aspect of the home Martha Stewart is not involved with, making Stewart’s discourse and products critical texts in how we imagine and live in the home. The design of her products and publications has yet to be explored in rhetorical scholarship, despite common acknowledgement that design features prominently in her success. Working to fill that gap, this project knits together discourses on rhetoric, design and domesticity. The key question this dissertation works to answer is, What views of the world underlie the design of Stewart’s domesticity, and how is this world view manifested in MSLO’s domestic design? Using MSLO as the pivot point for an investigation of Stewart’s design of domesticity, I take up specific facets of Stewart’s enterprise, namely “Everyday” and “Collection” merchandise at Kmart and Macy’s, the Hampton Oaks Stewart- branded suburb, and Martha Stewart Living magazine. I contend that Stewart’s position in lifestyle markets is so robust and wide-reaching because she rescues domestic arts from denigration, defining homekeeping as techne. The rhetorical appeal of “Everyday” and “Collection” merchandise is located in the consumer myths offered in packaging narratives for these products. Stewart-branded homes are a new feature of Stewart’s oeuvre, which materially articulate the Martha Stewart lifestyle. Stewart’s place in North American domestic history is intimately connected to the success of Living, the flagship publication of the MSLO empire, the success of which is intimately tied to its graphic design. I maintain that the surface (typography) of communication is as important as its depth (content), and correspondingly, that scholarly analysis of typography is as important to rhetoric as analyses of message content. Tacking between broad, more theoretical analysis and close textual analysis of specific MSLO texts, this project thus collectively ties theory on design to particular practices of design. INDEX WORDS: Martha Stewart, Rhetoric, Design, Domesticity, Home, Branding, Consumer myths, Suburban life, Graphic design FROM BERBER TO BLUEBERRIES: RHETORIC, DESIGN, AND MARTHA STEWART by MELANIE JOY MCNAUGHTON B.A. Honors, University of Calgary, Canada, 2001 M.A., The Pennsylvania State University, United States of America, 2004 A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of The University of Georgia in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY ATHENS, GEORGIA 2008 © 2008 Melanie Joy McNaughton All Rights Reserved FROM BERBER TO BLUEBERRIES: RHETORIC, DESIGN, AND MARTHA STEWART by MELANIE JOY MCNAUGHTON Major Professor: Kevin Michael DeLuca Committee: Celeste Condit Thomas Lessl Edward Panetta Elizabeth Preston Electronic Version Approved: Maureen Grasso Dean of the Graduate School The University of Georgia August 2008 DEDICATION To those who enjoy nothing more on a Sunday afternoon than hunting for just-the-right- shade of teal glitter, turning long-outdated sweaters into well-loved accent pillows, making the perfect cherry filling for their father’s birthday cake, or crafting Christmas ornaments from last- year’s holiday cards. This one’s for you. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This dissertation would not have been possible without the support of my advisor, Kevin DeLuca, my committee—Celeste Condit, Edward Panetta, Thomas Lessl, Elizabeth Preston— as well as Christine Harold and Vanessa Beasley, who all encouraged me to take up Martha Stewart as my Jeremy Bentham. There are many to whom I owe an immeasurable debt of gratitude: thank you Lisa for helping me find insight and motivation when I feared there were none left; thank you Davi for offering yourself as the special dissertation support team; thank you Audrey, Jenn, Jordana, and Shawna for encouraging me along the way and always being willing to talk about absolutely anything but my dissertation; thank you Sigmund and Theowyn for reminding me that there is a world outside academe, even if it only extends as far as your purring presence on my lap, printer, and chapter notes. And last but never least, thank you to my family for offering yourselves as tireless supporters and cheerleaders. Your love makes all things possible. v TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................................ vi LIST OF FIGURES ......................................................................................................................vii CHAPTER 1 DESIGNING DOMESTICITY: AN INTRODUCTION ................................................... 1 2 OF ART AND DRUDGERY: MAKING SENSE OF MARTHA STEWART................. 24 3 COFFEE CUPS THAT WILL MAKE YOU HAPPY: PACKAGING MARTHA STEWART ............................................................................................................ 55 4 FIELD TRIPS TO AN UPPER-CLASS HOMESTEAD: OR, HOW MARTHA STEWART DOES SUBURBS............................................................................... 93 5 GRAPHIC DESIGN AND GRACIOUS LIVING: TYPOGRAPHY AND RHETORIC IN MARTHA STEWART LIVING ............................................................................ 134 6 CONCLUSIONS ...................................................................................................... 183 REFERENCES ......................................................................................................................... 193 vi LIST OF FIGURES Page Figure 3.1: “Collection” display at Macy’s .................................................................................. 89 Figure 3.2: “Everyday” display at Kmart ..................................................................................... 89 Figure 3.3: Macy’s “Collection” packaging ................................................................................. 90 Figure 3.4: Macy’s coffee cup .................................................................................................... 90 Figure 3.5: “Everyday” images from Kmart.com ........................................................................ 91 Figure 3.6: “Collection” images from Macys.com ....................................................................... 91 Figure 3.7: Vintage “Everyday” bar mops .................................................................................. 92 Figure 3.8: “Collection” packaging narrative .............................................................................. 92 Figure 4.1: US Highway 29 on the way to Hampton Oaks ....................................................... 122 Figure 4.2: Promotional imagery for Hampton Oaks................................................................. 122 Figure 4.3: Hampton Oaks street ............................................................................................. 123 Figure 4.4: Late 19th-century floor plan .................................................................................... 123 Figure 4.5: 1887 floor plan; from Mitchell and Waldhorn, Plate 9 ............................................. 124 Figure 4.6: 1920s floor plan; from Harris, McHenry and co. ..................................................... 125 Figure 4.7: 1960s floor plan; from Norris, Design no. 1007 ...................................................... 126 Figure 4.8: First-floor; Martha Stewart KB Homes Plan 2968 .................................................. 127 Figure 4.9: Second-floor; Martha Stewart KB Homes Plan 2968 ............................................. 128 Figure 4.10: Front cover of Martha Stewart KB Home promotional brochure .......................... 128 Figure 4.11: Hampton Oaks back patios................................................................................... 130 Figure 4.12: Hampton Oaks formal living room ....................................................................... 130 Figure 4.13: Decorative objects, Hampton Oaks model homes ............................................... 131 Figure 4.14: Hampton Oaks kitchen ......................................................................................... 131 vii Figure 4.15: Hampton Oaks kitchen detail ............................................................................... 132 Figure 4.16: Hampton Oaks kitchen detail ............................................................................... 132 Figure 4.17: Hampton Oaks kitchen detail ............................................................................... 133 Figure 4.18: Hampton Oaks family room ................................................................................. 133 Figure 5.1: Surveyor ................................................................................................................ 165 Figure 5.2: Archer .................................................................................................................... 165 Figure 5.3: Canadian Living serif font ...................................................................................... 166 Figure 5.4: Canadian Living sans serif font .............................................................................. 166 Figure 5.5: Good Housekeeping serif font ............................................................................... 167 Figure 5.6: Good Housekeeping sans serif font ......................................................................
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