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The Graduate School and University Center of The City University of New York

Why Fight Nature? A Biography of the Early Life of Ida Rosenthal

Abstract

dc:description.abstract

<p id="x-x-x-x-x-x-docs-internal-guid-0b820880-7fff-194d-8a85-3facc3098628">From 1922 to 1973, Ida Rosenthal made women's breasts her business. As the co-creator and CEO of Maidenform, she developed the company into one of the world's most successful intimate apparel businesses. It was under Ida’s tutelage that Maidenform produced an array of innovative products that shaped women's bodies and became an American icon for their "I Dreamed" campaign. She built Maidenform into an international corporation, a famous name, and a legacy brand while living an incredibly full life with as many peaks and valleys as the company she created.</p> <p>For this study, I focused on the early years of her life, beginning at birth to the opening of Maidenform's first factory in the early 1930s. By concentrating on this timeframe, I have developed a narrative of the cultural, educational, and personal foundations that Ida utilized to become a powerful businesswoman.</p>

Degree

thesis:*
Name thesis:degree_name
Master of Arts
Level thesis:degree_level
Master
Discipline thesis:degree_discipline
Biography and Memoir
Grantor
The Graduate School and University Center of The City University of New York
Year dc:date.available
2021

Author and committee

dc:creator, dc:contributor.*
Author dc:creator
  • Holt, Sierra B
Advisor dc:contributor.advisor
  • Kate Culkin

Subjects

dc:subject × 3

Identifiers

dc:identifier.*
Repository record dc:identifier
https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/4594
OAI identifier oai:identifier
oai:academicworks.cuny.edu:gc_etds-5638

Chain of custody

source
Harvested from
City University of New York - Graduate Center
Base URL
academicworks.cuny.edu/do/oai/
Last updated
2026-07-24
Source record
OAI-PMH GetRecord
citation

Holt, Sierra B. Why Fight Nature? A Biography of the Early Life of Ida Rosenthal. Master thesis, The Graduate School and University Center of The City University of New York, 2021. https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/4594