VOA新闻杂志2025--Mary Kay: A Leader in the Beauty Product Industry

Mary Kay Cosmetics¹ is an international company that sells beauty products.

One woman started the business in the 1960s with an investment of $5,000.

Mary Kathlyn Wagner was born in the state of Texas in 1918. For much of her childhood, she cared for her sick father while her mother worked long hours at a restaurant.

Mary Kay married Ben Rogers when she was 17 years old. They had three children before he left home to serve in World War Two. When he returned, their marriage ended. Mary Kay looked for a job so she could support her children.

She began selling different kinds of products. One night, Mary Kay was showing products at the home of Ova Heath Spoonemore. Ms. Spoonemore began giving her guests some homemade skin care products. The products were developed by her father, J.W. Heath, in Arkansas. Mary Kay tried the skin care products and liked them.

She bought the rights to Heath's skin care products and started her own company. She paid $500 for the legal rights to the products. And in 1963, The Mary Kay Cosmetics company began operating in Dallas, Texas.

The idea was to sell skin care products through demonstrations² in homes and offices. Independent sales representatives bought beauty products from the company and sold them at higher prices.

Mary Kay decided³ that each representative who brought other saleswomen into the company would receive part of the new person's earnings⁴. That way, experienced sales representatives would be willing to train new ones.

By 1965, the company was selling almost one million dollars in products.

Mary Kay Cosmetics became one of the most successful direct sellers of skin care products in America. It continues to have sales offices and representatives in many different countries.

Mary Kay aimed to grow sales based on the idea that it is best to compete against yourself. That means every individual is trying to beat their own sales records. Prizes for high sales marks included special paid holidays and jewelry⁵. Until a few years ago, a pink Cadillac was a top prize.

After her third husband, Mel Ash, died of cancer in 1980, she wanted to help find a cure for the disease. At first, she helped organizations raise money for research.

Later, she started the Mary Kay Ash Charitable Foundation, a nonprofit group that provides money to support research on cancers affecting women. In 2001, the company and foundation expanded their goals to help prevent violence against women.

Mary Kay Ash also wrote three books. She worked in her business until she suffered a stroke in 1996. She died in 2001.

Sales representatives say Mary Kay developed a way for women to earn money and still spend time with their families.

I'm Anna Matteo.

Nancy Steinbach wrote this story for VOA Special English. Anna Matteo adapted it for VOA Learning English.

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Words in This Story

stroke –n. A problem with one or more blood vessels that prevents the brain from getting enough blood

1 cosmetics   

n.化妆品

参考例句：

• We sell a wide range of cosmetics at a very reasonable price. 我们以公道的价格出售各种化妆品。
• Cosmetics do not always cover up the deficiencies of nature. 化妆品未能掩饰天生的缺陷。

2 demonstrations   

证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威

参考例句：

• Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
• The new military government has banned strikes and demonstrations. 新的军人政府禁止罢工和示威活动。

3 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

4 earnings   

n.工资收人；利润，利益，所得

参考例句：

• That old man lives on the earnings of his daughter.那个老人靠他女儿的收入维持生活。
• Last year there was a 20% decrease in his earnings.去年他的收入减少了20%。

5 jewelry   

n.（jewllery）（总称）珠宝

参考例句：

• The burglars walked off with all my jewelry.夜盗偷走了我的全部珠宝。
• Jewelry and lace are mostly feminine belongings.珠宝和花边多数是女性用品。