Mary Kay Cosmetics: A Critical Look at the Pink Empire

A review of Mary Lisa Gavenas's book "Selling Opportunity" examines the rise of Mary Kay Ash and her cosmetics company, revealing the gap between the founder's myth and the reality for most consultants. Mary Kay, born in 1918 in Texas, started her company in 1963 after years in direct sales with Stanley Home Products and World Gift. The company operates as a multilevel marketing scheme where consultants earn primarily by recruiting others, not selling to customers. Average earnings are low: a 2009 study found $2,400 annually in the U.S., and in Canada, 2023 commissions averaged $211 CAD. The review highlights how Mary Kay's narrative of female empowerment masked a system that left many women with debt and unsold inventory. The company reported $2.8 billion in revenue in 2022, but the wealth concentrated at the top. The review also contextualizes Mary Kay within the history of evangelical capitalism and the exclusion of direct sellers from New Deal labor protections. Gavenas's book is criticized for its neutrality on multilevel marketing, which the reviewer argues amounts to endorsement.