The Woman I Wanted to Be is the life story of the incomparable Diane Von Furstenberg.
She starts with her parents’ harrowing early life in war-torn Europe and continues through her own tumultuous love affairs and child-rearing years.
After a personal first half, the second half of her book is dedicated to how she entered and eventually became a living icon in the world of fashion.
I really enjoyed this book.
In an era where the media glorifies women who show off their bodies, cling to powerful men, and descend into drug addictions, Diane personifies the empowered woman who shows what she can do and build rather than living on how she looks or scandal.
That’s not to say that Diane hasn’t had a wild life, she has, but she owns it, has evolved from it and built it into an empire.
There are many moments in The Woman I Wanted to Be where Diane failed to be that woman. But instead of becoming mired in failure (she had to sell her business two separate times to avoid bankruptcy), she persevered to become a household name.
At another point, she gave up her identity and her business to spend time with a man who wanted her to be a blank slate. He ended up leaving her for someone else.
Diane didn’t crawl into a hole and wilt then either. With grace and dignity, she re-entered life and the fashion world. Diane went on to experience an even greater level of success than she had before her exit.
Diane provides some great general advice for life such as: when bad things happen, they can actually be good things.
Also, never play the victim- take responsibility for your life.
Embrace your age, whatever it may be.
These philosophies have enabled Diane to rise above any obstacles that have appeared in her path. She is an excellent role model and it was such fun to read about her incredibly exciting and almost unbelievably successful life.
Readers who enjoyed Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail and She Got Up Off the Couch: And Other Heroic Acts from Mooreland, Indiana may enjoy this memoir.
It’s far more glamorous than either of those two selections, but the underlying themes of female empowerment and reaching for the life of your dreams despite all the odds, are the same.
I received a free copy of this book through Goodreads First Reads. FTC guidelines: check! Thanks for reading!
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