Beauty brand Mary Kay says it has cut ties with one of its most prolific Midwestern saleswomen after she was exposed for being a big old racist.
Linda Bergerson of Cedar Rapids, Iowa has been peddling products for the company ever since she quit her teaching job in the 1980s to become a full time cosmetics saleswoman.
She worked her way up within the pyramid scheme, becoming one of its top sellers and earning 19 of Mary Kay’s signature pink Cadillacs along the way.
Ironically, it was one of those pink Cadillacs that ended up leading to her downfall.
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Earlier this month, she and her husband, Tom, were spotted getting out of their car and tearing down a Black Lives Matter sign in Grand Marais, Minnesota.
The sign was on the private property of resort owner Andy DeLisi, who saw what was happening on his security camera and called the cops.
When they arrived, the Bergersons told the officer they took down the sign because they’re racist to “send a message.” They were let off with a warning.
But after images of the Bergersons went viral on social media and Linda was ID’d by her car, Mary Kay issued a statement saying she’d been dropped by the company:
The Golden Rule, respect, and making others feel important are founding values here at Mary Kay and are expected from every independent beauty consultant that represents our brand. After looking into this situation, we will be severing our relationship with this individual.
Though the company says Bergerson is no longer an independent contractor, her profile remains active on its website.
City Pages, the local media outlet that first broke the story, notes, “This extremely preschool teacher-y statement doesn’t quite condone (or even acknowledge) the more problematic aspects of needing to take down a Black Lives Matter sign. So… good on Mary Kay for doing the absolute bare minimum of ass-covering?”
Related: Maskless, racist Karen goes viral after protest meltdown
ThinkPIease
I love Mary Kay products. Glad they fired her.
Cam
If her profile is still up, then they didn’t fire her. If the profile is active people can still order, and she’ll get money for those orders.
Mack
I agree. Just because they “said” they parted ways, doesn’t mean it happened.
Creamsicle
Doesn’t her success with Mary Kay just mean she’s good at roping other people I to pyramid schemes? Meaning she’s an awful person all around anyway.
frapachino
BLM is a Marxist , terrorist and racist organization!
Den
BLM was founded to address the well documented systemic racism found within both law enforcement and the criminal justice system.
Please provide actual proof of the organization being “marxist. racist and terrorist” or be acknowledged even more completely as the ignorant buffoon you are!
And by actual proof, I do not mean the contents of your (or others’) imagination.
Mack
You believe too much Trump BS.
Cam
Translation: The right wing troll account supports police having immunity to murder black people without consequence and anybody speaking out about that enrages them.
Kangol2
@VonFrapp, you prove yet again that you are a racist who supports a traitor, Don the Con, who is wreaking terror on the American people!
curiobi
Oh look, the trash bag is here. Shut up racist, you have been warned not to troll repeatedly.
mailliw110
Oh.
missvamp
just like peta, the organization may be trying to do good work, but the leadership is batshit crazy. if you haven’t seen some of the statements made by the leadership- look it up. the female leader has made terrorist threats, racist statements, & sounds like a dictator. sorry- i agree with frapachino. saying white people need to take black people’s prison sentences. that white people need to give up their homes for black people- that’s utterly insane. & yes- those statements were fact checked.
Granny Spoth
the comparison to Peta is really good.
I will use it in the future.
#BlackLivesMatter is a horrible organization for Black people, and society as a whole.
read further than a slogan, people.
don’t fall for neoliberal cultural polarization.
Cam
Except she wasn’t making a statement about the leadership, she was attacking the idea behind it because of her racism.
sonic_source
THAT thing sells makeup?!?! Physician, heal thyself.
skyboy63
Nice to see racism rearing its ugly head here.?
blackhook
Linda is a Plump Trumpanzee, that’s for sure! Why are they all morbidly obese? Sad!
DawnTrans
14 hrs later the profile is down and it seems MKay has parted ways. But Im sorry so many here need to fat shame. Then there are those of you who need to wake up black and live it for a few years to see what its like to be stripped of your lispy white privilege.
Cam
So many here? There is one comment that made a comment about her weight.
But I would like to point out, that in the second sentence you attacked people for “Fat Shaming” yet finished off your comment with a bigoted anti-gay comment “Lispy”.
I would suggest instead of your first instinct being to police other’s behavior, you may want to take some time to do some self reflection on your own attitudes.
ScottOnEarth
God….it’s hard to imagine that someone who looks like that is in the beauty business…..or WAS in the beauty business.
mlo88
OMG1! Mary Kay is absolute sh$t cosmetics! It’s a Pyramid type set up. The founder Mary Kay was an ardent conservative I’m truly surprised they would fire someone for this. Clearly they are just doing damage control