27A – Reading Reflection No. 3

COCO CHANEL

An Intimate Life

By Lisa Chaney

Before reading this book, I did not know much about where the brand Coco Chanel came from. I was astonished to learn that Gabrielle Chanel, the creator, had such a troubling childhood. At a young age, she and her siblings were abandoned. Their mother died while they were still relatively young, their father never returning or keeping in contact with his children. The rest of her family not really taking responsibility for the children after her mother's death. Soon Gabrielle and her sisters were brought to an orphanage to grow up. Even when her mother was alive, Gabrielle was neglected and seen as the bad "egg."  Her mother is too busy running after Gabrielle's father and too sick to adequately take care of her children. Her childhood had a lot of effect on her work in the future and how she carried herself. I just did not expect such a tragedy for the youth behind such a successful and influential brand. 

What did I most admire?

Her unconventional come up. First off, as I mentioned before, she came from an awful background. Not much family or wealth. It is hard to move through social classes, especially in her time and as a woman. Secondly, everything she did was deemed as unconventional. Her living with men as a mistress unmarried, working, how she dressed, never getting married, and so on. She paved her own path and followed it, no matter the hurt it brought her. I admire this because sometimes we are taught not to question the status quo and do as told. Gabrielle is an example that without new ideas and walking an original path, lives stay stagnant. 

What did I least admire?

It felt though at times that Gabrielle didn't let herself get into deep relationships with many people and as if she kept most of them at arm's length. She sometimes came off as cold and distant, like she did not enjoy being around very many people. While throughout the book, Gabrielle had many relationships, most of them, to me, felt surface level with a few exceptions. 

Adversity? 

Gabrielle met adversity early on in her life. She had no real upbringing and love from her parents, she was abandoned at a young age. How she was brought up had a direct effect on a lot of her insecurities, her actions, and relationships. The way she dealt with it was by working hard on her artwork, having affairs, and always trying to become more renowned. 

What were the competencies?

One of her competencies was just her view of the world. The way she looked at the world was just different from those around her. She saw opportunities in areas that others saw nothing. She was always looking forward and looking for new modern ideas without trying to attack the culture she was in. 

What part confused me?

The part of the book that confused me the most was just all the different people in the book. The book often switched back and forth between the story of Gabrielle Chanel and the people she would become acquainted with. It was sometimes hard to keep up with who did what and why they were essential in the story of Coco Chanel. 

What two questions would you ask?

1. Do you think that your childhood had a large impact on your craft and how built relationships? It would be interesting to hear her opinion as many artists say that their work comes from their experiences. It makes me wonder if that extends to fashion. 

2. If there is anything related to how you ran your business that you would do differently? There are many aspects to how her brand was started, sometimes we have regrets or thoughts on how we can do better next time. 

The entrepreneur's opinion of hard work:

 I would argue that Gabrielle Chanel believes that hard work is essential but can be fun when you do what you love. Throughout the book, Chanel only seemed to pick up speed and increase her load work. She was always on the go, to me, she seemed to get a rush out of hard work. After all, hard work (with some help) is what changed her life forever. She was no longer just the poor orphaned girl but a force to be reckoned with. Hard-work gave her freedom in a world where women didn't have that very often. Working hard also seemed to be an outlet for her during times of great peril in her personal life.