I just discovered this site today after having been to a Mary Kay meeting with my neighbor a few days ago. After about 5 minutes I realized something was off. Just thought I’d post my experience here.

My neighbor is always a very nice woman who has helped me out with my garden and brought food over and she had mentioned a few times that she sold Mary Kay and that I should go with her for a free makeover. I used to sell Avon products a few years ago, which I really liked, and figured Mary Kay was roughly the same thing except without a catalog. So, a few nights ago I had nothing to do and decided to go along with her.

We arrived at the restaurant where the meeting was being held and immediately found out it was not a Beauty School night as my neighbor had thought. So, I received my facial and makeover in a restaurant bathroom, and calling it a facial is off because I did the washing and make-up application. Afterwards, I was wearing tons more makeup than I normally do, but I looked exactly the same. My neighbor mentioned my gorgeous eyes and skin many, many times. I’ll admit I have pretty good skin; but I know when I’m being buttered up, it’s not worthy of a half an hour’s discussion.

Afterwards we went into the reception room for a meeting about this girl becoming a director. It lasted 3 hours and was dead boring. There were speeches from everyone in the entire world and they all were littered with such corny catchphrases I almost died. One thing I noticed was that aside from myself and 3 other young women who were there as guests everyone wore a skirt or dress. There were a lot of Christian references which annoyed me because I am not Christian, and even if I had been I would have found them offensive.

I’ll list here a few of the catchphrases I had the chance to hear:

God wants you to be rich.

 If a woman is successful, her family is. We hear of a lot of men leaving their families, but not women. If you find yourself without your husband, you owe it to your children to have a financial source.

Mary Kay is an angel with one wing; we need to embrace each other to fly.

Put God first, family second, and business third.

I ordered the starter kit and didn’t tell my husband because it is better to seek forgiveness than ask permission.

Along with many other clichés I read on this site.

I’m very happy that I realized it for the scam it is right away. As someone who has a Bac. In Women’s Studies, I was offended by their claims of empowerment. I’m glad sites like this exist! I would like to think my neighbor has good intentions but I now feel I have to doubt her sincerity in all the things she has done.

I forgot to mention. A woman from there gave us a ride home (She had a red jacket and a million tacky pins on it) and at one point she said "You're a really sharp girl" I thought this was hilarious because she hadn't spoken to me at all that night, so had no idea wheather I was smart or not. If you're going to give fake compliments, at least have them make sense! And then I read all the stuff on this site and the word "sharp" keeps coming up - I couldn't beleive it!

I am now really tempted to attend more meetings to see how much of this happens when they try to recruit people.

YOu know, Zratha, sadly, your neighbor might be sincere. She may have even been embarassed by her "mistake" in the type of meeting, etc.
I was always very forthcoming w/ my guests, and really only had guests w/ me when there really was something fun going on- but an event like that, I never had a guest. Well, I don't think I would have stayed for a 3 hour event even when I was in mk and a director, that wasn't how we did things- but anyway, she prob. is just so captivated by the idea of what she could achieve because of how it's talked up, that she doesn't see it all for what it really is.
Maybe she'll find this site somehow...??

Hi Zathra!  wave

Welcome... Glad you found us!!  How did you found us? I am curious.....

Wow! I can't believe that they have a definition in Wikipedia.... Creepy...

So glad you found us!

Hehe yup, read a bunch of its archives. I'Ve been doing a lot of research on the whole topic of Mary Kay, as this is the kind of thing I like investigating. As I stated before, i am very tempted to attend another meeting and take notes.

Zratha, if you can go to a success meeting without building up your neighbor's hopes too much, I'd love to hear what you think of the experience! I must say this would be a fascinating topic for a thesis/dissertation/class presentation if you're continuing your education in Women's Studies or something similar!

I am just toatlly in shock from all that I am reading.  What is wrong with these directors....the girl that recruited me is now a director. She used to be really cool....she used to work with my husband...she is totally a rah rah freak now...brainwashed....