A Pat on the Behind for Spanx!

Alexandra Jacobs (formerly of The New York Observer), an established features writer with a straight-forward, intriguing voice, recently composed an up close and personal piece for The New Yorker on a female entrepreneur I admittedly knew zilch about.

Before I read Smooth Moves: How Sara Blakely rehabilitated the girdle, Spanx symbolized a celebrified mega-brand, one I winced at every time I heard someone recite its magical power to slim. "I don't ever want to need that stuff," I told myself on a regular basis. But after reading about founder Sara Blakely's relatable train of thought, her short but powerful "Don't be afraid to fail!" motto, and her dog (a poodle named after Yves Saint Laurent's muse, Loulou de la Falaise), I caught a glimpse of a woman I wouldn't mind ending up like.

While winding through Blakely's many accomplishments, family relationships, trials, and current endeavors, Jacobs creates a role model for us readers who are desperately trying to make something of ourselves in a cold world overrun with technology and clichéd ambitions.

Have a look at what the Spanx Atlanta headquarters look like, below, and you'll understand what Blakely lives for. "I sat in gray cubicles long enough," Jacobs recounts Blakely saying during their visit.

If you haven't guessed yet, only 13 out of the 105 employees at the offices are male. The design is saucy and reminiscent of a boudoir--it looks like Jonathan Adler had a twin sister and she went to town. But, no...it was Bradley Hughes.

(All photos via Bradley Hughes)