Assignment 27 - Reading Reflection No. 3

• For my third and final reading reflection I chose to read something that I knew I would be interested in, so I read Coco Chanel: An Intimate Life by Lisa Chaney. I have always been interested in fashion and the people who create what we wear every day, so this was a natural book selection for me.

• What surprised you the most: Although I have always loved Chanel fashion, I had never questioned how Coco Chanel came to be, and what her early life was like. I was surprised to know that she was basically illiterate, and went through much struggle with her family life growing up. In a way knowing that she went through these things really made me admire her all that much more as a person and a designer.
• What about the entrepreneur did you most admire: Like many of the entrepreneurs that we have read about this semester, Coco had an intense drive and would not give up on her dream. I find this extremely admirable and inspirational.
• What about the entrepreneur did you least admire: The behaviour that I least liked about Coco Chanel after reading this novel was how she seemed to treat men throughout her lifetime. Often times I feel like men get a bad reputation for using women, but that seems to be exactly what she did with men.
• Did the entrepreneur encounter adversity and failure? If so, what did they do about it: Coco had a very hard life growing up by normal standards. Her mother died when she was very young and her father abandoned her, leaving her to be raised by nuns. She used her charm and beauty as well as knowledge as resources to pull her out of the situation. She had a lot of drive as well, which she definitely needed throughout her life.

• What competencies did you notice that the entrepreneur exhibited?
• I would say that Coco Chanel had many competencies. She always had amazing foresight with fashion, but I think after reading this I would say that she was extremely resourceful and cunning as well.

• Identify at least one part of the reading that was confusing to you.
• I did not feel like any part of the reading was particularly confusing, but I do question why Coco Chanel pushed her siblings away after losing her parents at such a young age.

• If you were able to ask two questions to the entrepreneur, what would you ask? Why?
• Coco Chanel clearly led a very interesting and abnormal life in the limelight for a good portion of her life due to her own success. I guess I would ask her if she regrets any part of how she got to where she was? Also, did she ever want to reveal her true self to the world and stop living under a facade? I feel like it must have been exhausting.

• For fun: what do you think the entrepreneur’s opinion was of hard work? Do you share that opinion?
• I think it is clear that Coco Chanel had true ambition and drive with the vision that she had for fashion. I think that to her, hard work would consist of doing whatever it took to reach the goal in mind. I do not necessarily share this same opinion, as I do not agree with certain actions such as using people (such as men) to become more successful.