Becoming The Avon Lady
/“Ooooh, is this like Avon?”
I was surprising a client up with a free lip gloss after school when the dad next to her said, “ooooh, is this like Avon?” And in that moment I was an insecure 14 year old girl again. A dork. Being made fun of. Insecure. Wanting to hide under a rock.
In all fairness, the dad probably just thought he was being funny. What else was he going to say to a couple of women looking at makeup? And yes, I’m super sensitive. But it crushed me. My throat closed up, I had to fight the tears that were welling up in my eyes and all I could do was answer him with a defensive sounding, “NO”.
What I wanted to tell him (but didn’t, because our best comebacks occur to us after the fact, right?) was that these lip glosses were safer. Unlike 61% of the popular lipsticks on the market today that contain lead, these were 3rd party tested and didn’t include 1,500 ingredients that are known or suspected to be toxic to the human body compared to the 30 ingredients that the United States bans.
I wanted to tell him that these lip glosses were just a small piece of a huge movement to get safer products in the hands of everyone. That in the past 6 years, this movement has made more than 10,000 calls, sent more than 100,000 emails and attended more than 1,000 meetings with lawmakers in an effort to get safer regulations passed to protect us all.
I wanted to tell him that I work for a Certified B Corporation which means that we meet the highest standards of how we treat our workers, how we control our environmental impact and how we work with underserved communities.
I wanted to tell him that I had been lonely. That, like a lot of moms, I felt isolated and had lost my sense of self worth because it had always been tied to an income and career. But joining Beautycounter allowed me to connect with other, equally passionate, (mostly) women and feel a sense of connection that we’re so tragically missing in our lives today. It’s also made me some money. I now know that my self worth can’t be equated with a dollar amount, but boy does it feel good to be able to contribute to the family’s bottom line again.
It’s a terrible photo, but yes, that is Dave Matthews getting a kiss from my dog.
I’ve always had a “cool” job. Surf shops, radio stations, natural dog boutiques. My identity was always tied to where I worked and how others perceived me. Becoming a Consultant for Beautycounter was a bold move for me. I knew why I loved it, but sometimes I was reminded that not everyone else felt the same way. I remember when a good friend didn’t invite me to a gathering because she didn’t want me talking to her other friends about what I did. She closed her crushing message to me with, “I just want everyone to have fun and not feel like they’re being sold to. You understand, right?” REALLY?! After more than 12 years of friendship, I was “that” person? What did she think I was going to do? Have makeup and skincare hidden in my purse, only to pull it out and slap it on her unsuspecting friends? Did she also not invite her friend who recently started their own dental practice because she was afraid they were going to hand out self-promoting toothbrushes to everyone?
Deep breath. Rant over. Sorry, this still really hurts me.
“We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give”
I’m proud of what I do. I’m even prouder of what it allows me to do. I can educate and advocate for safer products. I can also raise awareness about and money for other organizations that I feel passionate about. This month, I’ll be at my local rock climbing gym with Stand for the Silent, an anti-bullying suicide prevention non-profit.. I’ve raised money and awareness for countless cancer organizations, animal rescues, women’s and children’s causes and more.
I wanted to tell him all of this. But, not being very clever and quick with comebacks, I had some time to stew in it, reflect on it and move forward with the confidence that the 14 year old me didn’t have. Hell, the 47 year old me didn’t have it. But the importance of valuing oneself is finally sinking in. We are all worthy. Who the hell cares if others think your job is cool? Does it inspire you, fulfill you and make the world a better place? Then your job is pretty cool. And one final thought...lose the judgement. I’m talking to me here. I was crushed when someone called me the Avon Lady. But who am I to judge the Avon Lady as uncool? For over 60 years, Avon has made a difference in the lives of thousands of women and been a driving force behind educational, charitable and humanitarian work. Pretty cool, huh? And for all I know, this guy’s mom was the Avon Lady and to him, she was the coolest lady ever!
