How a divorced mom-of-three became the first woman on the NY Stock Exchange

A new biography of Mary Kay — the big-haired, bleach-blonde and perpetually pink-clad cosmetics titan — reads more like a juicy Judith Krantz novel. In “Selling Opportunity” (Viking), journalist Mary Lisa Gavenas tells her rags-to-riches story.With Dolly Parton’s hyper-feminine pluck and the glitzy showmanship of Liberace — a friend of hers — she created one of the biggest direct-selling companies in the world. “It’s a Texan tall tale of second chances and self-invention,” Gavenas writes.Born in 1918 in Hot Wells, Tex., Mary Kay Ash was the fourth and final child born of Alexander Wagner and Lula Hastings, poor itinerant farmers who had lived and worked all over the Lone Star State.

The family eventually settled in Houston.Lula ran a greasy spoon.

Alexander suffered from tuberculosis and couldn’t work.As a child, Mary cared for her sick father, rushing home from school midday to prepare his lunch before running back to her classes.

She did all the housework, too, since Lula was at the diner 16 hours a day because, as Mary would later put it, “she couldn’t make as much money as a man.”Despite her responsibilities at home, Mary was a top student known for being a crackerjack debater.Most of her family didn’t make it past eighth grade, but Mary got straight-As and finished high school at 16.Six weeks later, she eloped with a local musician she thought was the “Elvis of Texas.” Sadly, he was not, and she soon found herself working the waffle iron at her mom’s restaurant — with a deadbeat husband and a child on the way.

It was the Depression, and jobs, particularly for women, were hard to come by. Eventually, Mary began selling cleaning Stanley Home Products door-to-door to other housewives.Direct selling had its drawbacks, mainly no salary and no security, but Mary had a knack for it.

Plus, it was one of the only decently paying jobs available for women at the time — even if only men got promoted to manager.She ditched t...