Dixie Longate, the Jell-O shot–swilling alter ego of actor and “Tupperware lady” Kris Andersson, delivers plenty of dirty zingers in her raucous show, which runs in Orlando at the Dr. Phillips Center through March 27th. But she also adds a big dose of female empowerment to her performance, highlighting the role of Detroit housewife Brownie Wise in the company's success. As Dixie says, “Who could have imagined that a single mother from the middle of the country could take a plastic bowl and make it an iconic piece of Americana?”
Tupperware wasn’t the first to train housewives to treat their friends as sales leads, but when Earl Tupper hired Brownie Wise, his little Orlando-based plastics company took off. The home sales model was a smashing success, not just for the company but for the women now earning their own money.
Tupperware parties also functioned as a sort of pre-Internet social network. Dixie says Brownie “looked past the bowl, and found women that were lost, who needed help. … These parties not only provided creative food storage solutions, they also provided opportunities for women to step up and in a small way, take charge of their lives.”
You’ll have to see the show to hear the whole story of how selling “the fantastic plastic” changed Dixie’s life, but one thing you’ll learn for sure: The most important part of a Tupperware party isn’t the Tupperware, it’s the party.