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1960s Gymnastics for Housewives |
Imagine for a moment an isolated town somewhere in the Midwest. It's one of those places where the phrase "you can't swing a dead cat without hitting someone you know," just goes without saying. And, if you can't find something you want at Walmart, you can't find it at all. Now picture the women in the community -- mostly high-school educated, married and with kids by their early 20s. The women deal with children all day. Admittedly the kids make them a little crazy. Some of them even take care of children of working moms. So, they find adult conversation and sympathetic shoulders to lean on at church, at moms' luncheon groups (if they got the invitation and will sign a form that says they're
Christian) and the library. These are the threads that hold these women together: children, housekeeping, self-care, God, shopping, stories, and food. Occasionally, a stay-at-home dad joins the mix, but he is prohibited from joining the "MOMs group," not because he wouldn't sign the form, but because it's for moms, of course. He is particularly lonely.
Now maybe the families fall on hard times, or maybe the outside stimulus of the church, etc. just isn't enough, so the women start to look for other ways to keep busy. They go online and research how to be a better house cleaner, or a more frugal coupon snipper, and give a presentation about it at one of the luncheons. They, and all their friends, join list-serves like
Flylady.net and
krazy coupon lady. They get weekly emails about how to shop without spending money, or which room they'll clean next, and feel good about their spotless kitchen sink and extra cash. And they will never again want for Crest or Suave. But some of them need to
make a little money to boot. Working from home is the only option, really, because getting a job in this small town wouldn't be profitable after paying for child care. There is a vast array of options for women who want to work from home. They can sell
cosmetics,
fragrances,
jewelry,
scrap-booking supplies,
cookware,
candles,
children's books,
Christian products,
food kits, and
on and
on. And they have a perfect target audience! All those sympathetic moms they met at church, etc. You know, the ones who are also working from home, selling products that were made for women to sell to other women. Products that focus on children, self-care, housekeeping, God, shopping, stories, and food.
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1960: Sales representatives in "spacettes" costume pose
before the rocket entranceway of Tupperware Home Parties Inc.
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Now, we're getting somewhere. After some initial purchases, the income starts flowing. House parties are booked, and the women are seeing each other more frequently, and making profits off of one another. If a woman started out lonely, she is suddenly finding ways to get people out to her house (which is spotless after all that help from Flylady). Emails go out to
every female in her address book: friendly ones that encourage a blessing be shared, and business invitations. She might even pretend to be someone's friend, just to get her to come over and buy something. There's no obligation, of course, but everyone feels a little sorry for her and spends more than they intended. She baked those brownies, after all. The stay-at-home dad may feel ostracized, but at least he is parasite-free.
The intended goal wasn't parasitism, but that's the effect. Not soon enough, they realize (or do they?) that they have alienated some people. An entire room of their tiny home has been overtaken by this product, and they are spending more time on sales and less time on socializing and community. Some of them even bring their products to the moms' luncheons. The diminishing returns must be dealt with: either turn up the heat or get out of the kitchen. Some find that they can make a small profit from a few clients who were once considered friends, but who are now more interested in talking to them about the next fix than about their problems. And, what they really need is someone to talk to. Someone who wants to sit down and just talk about children, self-care, housekeeping, God, shopping, stories, and food.
