Shows
D Listers of HistoryGirlbossing: A Historical PerspectiveHave you ever wondered why that girl you haven't spoken to since high school ~really~ wants to sell you essential oils/leggings/makeup/nail wraps/etc? One of the men to blame is David McConnell, the founder of the company now known as Avon. Fayge and Mazal dive into Avon's history, and how we got to that weird social media message, you don't know how to respond to.Disclaimer: These are our opinions based on publicly available information.Further Reading: (Some links below are affiliate links that earn a commission for purchases...
2024-04-151h 09
Hagley History HangoutDing Dong! Avon Calling! The Women & Men of Avon Products Incorporated by Katina MankoThe Avon lady going door to door is a part of the popular American memory. From its founding in the nineteenth century Avon recruited women to make up its direct sales force, and later its emerging middle management class, encouraging them to take ownership of their own small business and to earn an income on their own. Many women were enthusiastic to heed this call and sell beauty and household products to their friends and neighbors. In her recently published book, Ding Dong! Avon Calling! The Women and Men of Avon Products Incorporated, Katina Manko traces the origins and growth...
2021-10-0448 min
Paid by the Word: Conversations with Writers and EditorsDing Dong! Avon Calling: Writing About an Iconic Company – Katina MankoDoor-to-door selling. If you’ve ever done it, you know it’s grueling work. Throughout most of its history, door-to-door selling was considered a man’s job. That was before Avon invented the Avon Lady, a concept that revolutionized selling and opened the door for generations of women who wanted to become independent entrepreneurs.Katina Manko, an independent scholar, has written a thoroughly researched book about the history of Avon’s distributed sales force model and its lasting impact on our culture. I couldn’t help but draw comparisons between the Avon Ladies and their modern-day...
2021-07-1125 min