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Start Date
25-6-2022 12:00 AM
End Date
25-6-2022 12:00 AM
Abstract
Mary Kay and Glossier, founded in 1963 and 2014, are cosmetic empires driven by brand community and beauty as a pursuit of individualism. Both companies were started by women dissatisfied with the beauty industry’s corporate nature, disconnected from what women really want. Mary Kay Cosmetics uses a direct sales model; customers purchase its products through registered beauty consultants at home parties where attendees receive free facials and skin care lessons. Glossier traces its origins back to founder Emily Weiss’ blog Into the Gloss, whose community is the “inspiration and information,” for Glossier manufacturing products women “wish existed.” Glossier uses direct-to-consumer approaches through website sales, reps chosen to be Glossier affiliates, and pop-up stores.
Glossier and Mary Kay appear to operate on different strata of the beauty industry; the companies’ model consumers differ based on socioeconomic status, geographic location, and personal ideologies. This reflects each company’s ethos and public persona of the founder. However, both companies rely heavily on women’s networks of communication— from more traditional networks like church groups and family to highly interactive blogs and beauty influencers.
Through comparative analysis, we explore Mary Kay and Glossier as postfeminist formations that, despite their differences, commodify and construct femininity as a process of self-making premised on choice and the neoliberal imperative to “have it all.” Utilizing a range of materials, from blogs to recruitment videos, we demonstrate the longevity of cosmetic capital and beauty as success offered by companies founded 50 years apart.
Think Pink: Cosmetic Capital from Mary Kay to Glossier
Mary Kay and Glossier, founded in 1963 and 2014, are cosmetic empires driven by brand community and beauty as a pursuit of individualism. Both companies were started by women dissatisfied with the beauty industry’s corporate nature, disconnected from what women really want. Mary Kay Cosmetics uses a direct sales model; customers purchase its products through registered beauty consultants at home parties where attendees receive free facials and skin care lessons. Glossier traces its origins back to founder Emily Weiss’ blog Into the Gloss, whose community is the “inspiration and information,” for Glossier manufacturing products women “wish existed.” Glossier uses direct-to-consumer approaches through website sales, reps chosen to be Glossier affiliates, and pop-up stores.
Glossier and Mary Kay appear to operate on different strata of the beauty industry; the companies’ model consumers differ based on socioeconomic status, geographic location, and personal ideologies. This reflects each company’s ethos and public persona of the founder. However, both companies rely heavily on women’s networks of communication— from more traditional networks like church groups and family to highly interactive blogs and beauty influencers.
Through comparative analysis, we explore Mary Kay and Glossier as postfeminist formations that, despite their differences, commodify and construct femininity as a process of self-making premised on choice and the neoliberal imperative to “have it all.” Utilizing a range of materials, from blogs to recruitment videos, we demonstrate the longevity of cosmetic capital and beauty as success offered by companies founded 50 years apart.
Bio
Caroline N. Bayne is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Minnesota in critical media studies and media history. Her research and dissertation focus on domesticity, television, and the southern United States. She currently serves as the managing editor of Television & New Media.
Zosha Winegar-Schultz is a Ph.D. candidate in the Cultural Studies and Comparative Literature Department at the University of Minnesota. Her dissertation, “Motherland: Gender and Popular Media in Post-Soviet Russia” focuses on the intersections of pronatalism, reproduction, and popular media ranging from television dramas to influencers. When she isn’t obsessing about niche internet trends or binge watching shows, Zosha can be found studying emergency and trauma medicine as an EMT.