Jacqueline Gold is a tiny, elegant, sophisticated and feminine woman who is now in-charge of running the 150 chain stores, and she is doing very well at it. She is responsible for turning this "once seedy sex shop populated with what she calls 'the raincoat brigade', into an almost all-female institution with stores a familiar sight on Britain's high streets" (View from the Top: Sex and shopping ). She started off working for her father in her early twenties and later took over his business. With the stores obvious controversy, Gold has been hit with some lawsuits and criticism over the years, but this hasn't stopped her from moving forward with her success.
Gold explains that at the start of her career she wanted to be taken seriously, so she dressed in business suits and wore glasses, until one day someone told her she looked like a politician (View from the Top). She explains that that day she realized that she wasn't a man, nor did she want to look like one. She was a girly girl and she was proud of it. So she began to dress like one. A lot of Ann Summers fame comes from Gold's image, and consequently, has helped her PR strategy. Along with becoming a successful business woman, she has become a brand in itself. She has written several books and has made several TV appearances to talk both about her success and her haunting past and sexual abuse. With all that in mind, she still comes out on top today.
What strikes me about this article and more importantly about what Gold says in it, is that you don't have to be aggressive to be successful. Movies like The Devil Wears Prada may give the wrong impression to young women trying to break into the tough business world, because they see this extremely hard woman, and they believe that they must be that in order to survive in this testosterone driven society. Gold is approachable, friendly and somewhat girly in nature, and this is far from the stereotype of an aggressive businesswoman. She is the complete opposite of the Miranda character in the film, but her way of doing business suits her just fine, and she does well. However, when it comes to the subject of inspiring women, Gold is all steel (View from the Top). Gold explains that women need to push themselves more, and that women in general are quite hard on themselves and lack confidence in many situations. "Sometimes men are more intimidated by women than we are by them" (View from the Top), she explains. "We forget as women how powerful we are - we need to be reminded of that occasionally".
Gold says that there will always be challenges that face you, but you must not be afraid of them. She believes that its these challenges that have helped her move forward, and she believes that her story can benefit women who are afraid t0 be strong.
I think a balance of both women mentioned, Miranda and Jacqueline, will make the perfect business woman. Being tough is important, but having a soft side can make a person more approachable. Soft doesn't mean weak though, there is a difference and that should not be confused.
Miranda Presly Jacqueline Gold
Which do you think fits the image of successful business woman?
"View from the Top: Sex and Shopping". PR Week 9 January 2009
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