13A Reading Reflection No. 1

1) Although I have a deep interest in fashion and design, I've never read up on the uprisings and history of many designers. Reading Coco Chanel an Intimate Life, almost all of the information surprised me. Her impact on the culture and industry as a whole was revolutionary. I admire her confidence and her willingness to take risks and be controversial. Her strength and rebellious attitude shaped couture. She faced a ton of adversity. Taking masculine clothing and wearing them in an elegant, classy, feminine, way put power into women's hands. Furthering my research I definitely don't admire all aspects of her perspective. Her political views and affiliations with certain groups are not something admirable. But, solely for the fashion industry she broke boundaries. Being different comes with tons of negativity at the start. People are scared of change because it offsets the balance they are comfortable with. She had a lot of negative views surrounding her but what she did set a domino effect on the fashion industry striving for looking out of the ordinary and pushing boundaries that wouldn't normally be pushed.

2) She was a trend setter, confident, bold, iconic. Her competencies came from within. She liked being a contrarian. And was good at it.

3) One part of the reading that was confusing to me were the chapters about war and exile.

4) If I could ask her 2 questions they would be:
- Were you ever scared?
- Did you ever regret anything you've done?

5) I think her opinion of hard work is strength. Everything meticulously thought out. All things done had to be evaluated in a way where both the negative and positive attitudes put you on the map. I admire her contribution and her attitude. Being a powerful woman comes with a lot of comments and people become envious. The resilience of powering through no matter what comes your way is something I remind myself all the time and I think she really encapsulated that.