Women power

Karen E. Laine and Mina Starsiak

Anyone who loves spending their weekends in front of the TV may have been at some point hooked on HGTV channel. We can’t blame you.

We, too, have found ourselves spending hours on end while looking at house options in different corners of the world, deciding whether we like the kitchen backsplash chosen for the house being renovated, or if the couple looking for a beachfront property is being realistic with their wish list.

Quite a number of HGTV shows feature women at the forefront. They put in a lot of elbow grease, from stripping dilapidated houses of rotting wall panels to renovating bathrooms, showing the world that if men can do it, women can, too.

Karen E. Laine and Mina Starsiak “Good Bones”

The mother-daughter duo of Karen E. Laine and Mina Starsiak is transforming their hometown in Indiana, US, by rehabilitating one house at a time.

The mother-daughter duo of Karen E. Laine and Mina Starsiak

Prior to rehabbing houses, Laine was a lawyer and her daughter Starsiak was a real estate agent. In an interview with Indianapolis Monthly, Starsiak said that most of what they do now, such as putting of light fixtures or changing the flooring, they just learned along the way. To learn how to tile, she watched YouTube.

Being successful in the property industry, however, hasn’t spared Laine and Starsiak from encountering sexism from their male contemporaries.

To get through it, Starsiak told Indy Star, “You’ve got to be real, not afraid. You’ve got to get your hands dirty along with everyone else.”

Gaines has gained many fans with her modern farmhouse style.

Joanna Gaines “Fixer Upper”

With her contractor husband Chip, interior designer Joanna Gaines has gained a cult following especially with her modern farmhouse style.

She makes giving home makeovers so easy breezy but says it wasn’t like that at all in the beginning. Gaines was a communications major and had no interior design background which meant there was much for her to learn along the way. In an interview with PopSugar, their first home’s rooms had different clashing looks.

Proof that practice, indeed, makes perfect.

Joanna Gaines

Sources: hgtv.com, thelist.com