A Pink Expose!

They almost had me!


I was just one step away from signing up to be a Mary Kay lady.

Granted I couldn't sell anything if my life depended on it. And it's true that I do not usually wear makeup - and when I do it's too much. And I can't be bothered with a 'skin care system' when I have a perfectly good bar of soap. So why would I even consider signing on? Is it because their people are just that persuasive?







Not really. I can say no to anyone. In fact I have a secret formula for saying no that I will share with you at a later time. The reason Mary Kay almost got me in her clutches is that she whispered two little words in my ear: Pink Cadillac.







I may not be a Mary Kay kind of person but I am definitely a pink Cadillac kind of person. Here is a review of a Cadillac by some chap over in Britain:

. . . Its gas guzzling must be phenomenal. Still I like it, it is trashy and gaudy and too big but wow! . . .

Sound like anyone we know?




Until the Team H.O.P.E. ladies kidnapped me I never cared much for pink - except for pink Cadillacs. Even when I was a die hard Ford girl I still had a soft spot for Pink Cadillacs. Seriously - what's not to adore:









A Cadillac would be cool for cruising around town - but because they tend to have beefy engines, we could even use it when we went camping:







This one I really like because, even thought the fins aren't as big as they would become in later years, the front end is a work of art. This is the same year as my car and I never tire of looking at that eyebrow shaped fender.








Hello? Clint Eastwood? Cool Car? Handcuffs? (May have said too much there. Instruct the jury to disregard last comment)












So I was in a blissful state thinking that all I had to do was sell a few bottles of cream or lotion or whatever this is and I would have my very own Pink Cadillac!



My mentor saw what I was thinking and reminded me that the Cadillacs are not 50's models - they are new cars. That's okay - I can do new.








Then she showed me the pictures:








Oh my. Okay. So maybe Mary Kay isn't for me. Even though everyone I ever met that sells it adores the company. (And they don't seem brainwashed!)





So why the Mary Kay obsession today? Because as I was tripping along the web I came across a book that I guess uncovers the evil side of Mary Kay. Yawn.


By the way - even if you are not a fan of the Mary Kay business model - you've got to love their Satin Hands collection. I can't post a picture here because the tubes are orange and not pink. But trust me - it's good stuff!



Anyway - it occurred to me that Mary Kay shares alot in common with the breast cancer charity folks. The most obvious of course is the relentless pink. The other is the world wide domination thing.



Now when a company or an organization gets really truly fantastically big - they make truly big targets for anyone and everyone with a grudge.



I have no doubt that some of the complaints people have with Mary Kay and with Susan G. K. are legitimate. But because I am a cynic deep down under my PollyAnna persona - I can't help but wonder whether all these people are seriously trying to improve the world or if some of them are jumping on the very bandwagon they are denouncing.



If you don't find the MLM structure profitable and satisfying, don't join. Go get a job at a company with cubicles and stop whining! Think more breast cancer money should go for finding the cause and less toward the cure, (or visa versa - I've heard very good arguments for both sides) then write letters to the people who make these decisions or start your own charity.



One of the odd things I've noticed about the anti-MK and the anti-SGK people is that they accuse the people at the top of exploiting the people at the bottom. A valid enough criticism in many ways. But then these same people do not hesitate to direct their scorn and disdain at these so called victims. Nice.



Are we here at Team H.O.P.E. capable of being exploited? Well, many of us are cub scout moms so yes - we have been known to work long hours for no tangible reward. Some folks call that exploitation - some call it nurturing.



This is supposed to be a happy happy happy blog so I will climb down off my soap box now and leave you with a fun little diversion: