Oral history addiction

Over the summer, I took a class with Dr. Debra Lattanzi Shutika and the Library of Congress' American Folklife Center on cultural documentation and fieldwork, largely in preparation for my Mary Kay project.  During the field school, we students were paired up and sent out to Arlington, Virginia's Columbia Pike neighborhoods to interview residents about their lives, the Pike's history, current changes along the Pike, and anything else they cared to talk about.  All our recorded interviews, photos, and fieldnotes are being archived in George Mason's folklore archive and the Arlington County Public Library. 

Over the last few weeks, I've been listening to recorded interviews that my fellow students did and creating ~ 3-minute clips that the Arlington County Library can put on their web site.  Everyone has such interesting stories to tell!  I had no idea there was an airfield where the Pentagon is now, and there you could catch a blimp ride to see DC from the air.  Afterward, you could walk down to one of the Potomac's public beaches and go for a swim.  I've listened to people talk about Cuba just after the revolution, people talk about their time in Kenya in the '60s, in New York City during segregation, in Hiroshima less than 10 years after the bombing. 

My second major is history (it's my first major when I'm talking to a history professor :), and I think it's always important to remember that history isn't about dates and wars, it's about people.  The History Channel presents history as this black and white linear narrative that's totally factual, and reality isn't like that.  Oral histories like this give us an insight into the world of every day people.  They give a texture and artistry to history.

I have a transcript coming in the mail any day now from the University of North Texas' oral history library of the pink lady herself, Mary Kay Ash, taken in 1974.  I only wish they offered audio files!

I'm really looking forward to sitting down with my new Mary Kay girlfriends and getting their stories on "tape."  I like to picture their grandkids or great-grandkids sitting down on the hover-couch in 100 years to listen to how grandma earned her first car and got herself out of debt and helped other women do the same thing.

"Mom, what does 'Shut it down! Done!' mean?"

"I don't know, Billy, it's just something grandma used to say."

On any given Tuesday...

All over America there are conference rooms of sharply dressed ladies applauding each other for their successes since the previous Tuesday.  For calling leads: applause.  For signing a new team member: applause.  For booking a class: applause.  For even thinking about opening their store: applause. 

One of my ladies, Cathie, commented to me a few weeks ago that she's been involved in many women's groups over the years, and none of them have been this positive.  From what I've seen in the last couple of months, she's right — even apart from all the applause!  Even when a couple of consultants are talking to each other, it's to be supportive, and not to be catty about someone else.  Nobody rolls her eyes when someone else is talking or whispers to her girlfriend about the speaker. 

When I was at the last meeting in September, Jenny had just bought the inventory for her new store — she's been Roya's assistant for some time, and finally decided to join in the fun.  I missed the two weeks after that, and the next time I was back (10/18), Jenny had already qualified for her red jacket!  As of last night, she is one team member short to hit qualification for her first free car.  She's excited, and everyone's excited for her.  I'm sure she'll be cruising around in a Chevy Malibu by springtime.

First meeting, and first cold

The weather here changed virtually overnight from warm days with highs in the 80s to cool days with highs in the 60s, and my immune system welcomed fall with the first head cold of the season.  I literally emptied a new box of kleenex in less than 24 hours.  It was like my nose was replaced with a faucet.

Sorry.

So, in the midst of this malady fell the first unit meeting of my fieldwork: Tuesday, September 13.  I had been up until 7:00 a.m., unable to sleep because of coughing, and I felt like my brain had been replaced with something less thinky.  But I had to go.  It was the 48th anniversary of Mary Kay Inc!  I had been promised a preview of limited edition holiday products!

My own Mary Kay consultant, Devon, who usually attends these and who was going to introduce me around, was unable to attend at the last minute.  My couch and blanket and kitties looked even more appealing, but I persevered.

Roya and all her ladies were super welcoming.  I'm not completely sure I was speaking coherent English or just kind of rambling, but everyone I talked to seemed excited that I chose to write about Mary Kay.

I'm looking forward to heading back tonight -- without the cold!

Why folklore and Mary Kay?

When you hear the word "folklore," what comes to mind? Folktales about Paul Bunyan or Johnny Appleseed, urban legends about vanishing hitchhikers, fairy tales like Snow White, "old wives' tales" involving terrible-tasting concoctions to drink when you're sick, superstitions about black cats crossing in front of you or not walking under ladders. All that is definitely folklore. So are riddles, songs and games children learn on the playground from older kids, old family recipes, jokes, proverbs, folk crafts, personal narratives, and more.

What do all those things have in common with each other – and with Mary Kay – that makes them folklore? You don't learn folklore from school (although you might learn it at school) or from a book or from church; you learn it from other people. Your family, your friends, your social groups: you all exchange pieces of folklore and – importantly – create new folklore. You create your own culture that's individual to your own folk group.

When I was growing up, Santa Claus came in the middle of the night on Christmas Eve and left presents for my brothers and me around the tree unwrapped. If anything needed to be assembled, Santa assembled them for us. We also received wrapped presents from family members, but we always knew that Santa was going to bring something special in the night. I had serious problems with Santa leaving wrapped packages a week or two before Christmas at some of my friends' houses instead of making night visits! This is an example of how folk groups can express themselves differently.

Anyone who knows anything about Mary Kay knows that it's definitely a folk group with its own unique culture!

In April, I went to a weekly meeting with my friend Devon, who had just started her own Mary Kay business. I had used Mary Kay products before … 20 years ago – okay, I'd bought some mascara from Devon the week before. I'd certainly never been to a Mary Kay event before, so I didn't really know what to expect. I'm not sure I can compare it to anything I've been to before, either. We had motivational speakers come to AOL when I worked there – and we had motivational leaders; I love me some Steve Case! – but this was a room full of amazing enthusiasm and welcome.

On my drive home, I knew I had to learn more. At home, I regaled my partner with descriptions of the event – eleven diamond bee pins! – while he furrowed his brow, worried that I might turn into a Mary Kay lady. I developed a mini-obsession about discovering the difference between the lady who had to wear the blue jacket and black skirt and the lady who had to wear the black jacket and blue skirt.

A week later, I approached my folklore professor, Dr. Debra Lattanzi Shutika, and proposed this project. The culture of Mary Kay – more than just the meaning behind the pins or the black/blue, blue/black outfits – has a narrative behind it and within it, and consultants are making that narrative and culture evolve every day. I'm going to spend the next four months immersing myself in that culture to find that narrative, and I am super excited to be doing it!