Assignment 13A: Reading Reflection No.1
Coco Chanel – An Intimate Life
What surprised you the most?
I didn't expect that Coco (Gabrielle) Chanel grew up in very poor circumstances. Her mother died when she was really young and her father left the children behind. Coco and her sister grew up in a monastery, she was abused there because she was beaten for example when something didn't work to the nun's satisfaction
What about the entrepreneur did you most admire?
I admire most Coco's strength and the belief in herself and her talent.
I also admire her emancipated behavior although it was very uncommon and offensive during that time. Furthermore it was not accepted in society.
When someone told her she could not do something, for example work because she was a woman, it gave her even more the incentive to try it and work successfully
What about the entrepreneur did you least admire?
There is nothing that I didn't really admire about the entrepreneur herself. But I don't admire her for the circumstances she grew up
Did the entrepreneur encounter adversity and failure?
She didn't have any funds to found her own business. Starting it was a really long and hard way, because she grew up in those bad circumstances and the chances for being successful have been quite low. In addition to that there were only a few people supporting her and her plans.
It was also very hard to survive in the fashion industry while it was dominated by men
What competencies did you notice that the entrepreneur exhibited?
Identify at least one part of the reading that was confusing to you
The aspect that she couldn't admit herself that her father left her and the rest of her family behind without ever becoming a successful business man in America. Even when she already was successful and popular she couldn't. It is like she stuck in a bubble concerning this topic.
If you were able to ask two questions to the entrepreneur, what would you ask?
What surprised you the most?
I didn't expect that Coco (Gabrielle) Chanel grew up in very poor circumstances. Her mother died when she was really young and her father left the children behind. Coco and her sister grew up in a monastery, she was abused there because she was beaten for example when something didn't work to the nun's satisfaction
What about the entrepreneur did you most admire?
I admire most Coco's strength and the belief in herself and her talent.
I also admire her emancipated behavior although it was very uncommon and offensive during that time. Furthermore it was not accepted in society.
When someone told her she could not do something, for example work because she was a woman, it gave her even more the incentive to try it and work successfully
What about the entrepreneur did you least admire?
There is nothing that I didn't really admire about the entrepreneur herself. But I don't admire her for the circumstances she grew up
Did the entrepreneur encounter adversity and failure?
She didn't have any funds to found her own business. Starting it was a really long and hard way, because she grew up in those bad circumstances and the chances for being successful have been quite low. In addition to that there were only a few people supporting her and her plans.
It was also very hard to survive in the fashion industry while it was dominated by men
What competencies did you notice that the entrepreneur exhibited?
- Strength and Power
- Tenacity
- Fixity of purpose
- Progressive and innovative thinking
- Ambition
- Revolutionary thinking concerning the fashion industry
Identify at least one part of the reading that was confusing to you
The aspect that she couldn't admit herself that her father left her and the rest of her family behind without ever becoming a successful business man in America. Even when she already was successful and popular she couldn't. It is like she stuck in a bubble concerning this topic.
If you were able to ask two questions to the entrepreneur, what would you ask?
- Did you feel like not belonging to that era?
- It would be interesting to know, because I had the feeling that her thinking was too progressive for this era. She was very independent and strong. Women haven't been educated like this during that era especially not when they grew up in a monestary
- Would you describe yourself as a revolutionist of the fashion industry?
- Most of the people see her like a revolutionist, it would be interesting to know how she saw herself
What do you think the entrepreneur's opinion was of hard work? Do you share that opinion?
Hard work was a kind of passion for Coco Chanel. She hated Sundays because it was the day where people normally didn't work. She was never resting and worked until her death. She wanted to be independent. Working was her only chance to earn money, to survive and to live the life she was always yearning for
Laura,
ReplyDeleteI think it is amazing the amount of things some people go through, such as coco, and yet still succeed. It is very motivational and inspiring to me because often times I think my childhood was bad until I realize that so many people had it worse than me. All entrepreneurs need strength and passion to succeed, some are born with it and some develop it as they go through tough situations. Either way, it is one of the major keys to success.
Laura, before reading your post, I was very unfamiliar with the life and history of Coco Chanel. However, I think that the things she went through can teach a lesson to every entrepreneur, and reinforce the concept that anybody can succeed as long as they try hard enough. Also, I thought it was very interesting the extent to which the culture and society of the time period in which she lived influenced her life and work.
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