‘Shark Tank’ Entrepreneur Mikki Bey Defends Crying Despite Criticism From Barbara Corcoran
When Mikki Bey appeared on Shark Tank last week, a potentially embarrassing moment might have actually helped her business. Bey, who runs a very successful eyelash extension studio in Los Angeles, was overcome with emotion at one point during her presentation. The waterworks didn’t sit well with panelist Barbara Corcoran, who said women in business have to learn to cry in private. But as She Knows pointed out, despite the tears, there was no mascara running down Bey’s face. Her lashes looked perfect, demonstrating the superiority of eyelash extensions over traditional makeup.
But Corcoran’s words about women and crying caused a stir on social media. As She Knows documented, Twitter users said Corcoran’s views were sexist. Others said tears from both men and women had not prevented entrepreneurs from getting Shark Tank deals in the past.
The show seemed ready for the controversy as the episode aired. The Shark Tank official Twitter account made an image out of part of Corcoran’s comments, and the real estate mogul herself seemed to reinforce her words during her live-tweet of the program.
.@BarbaraCorcoran knows what is best. #SharkTank #MikkiBey pic.twitter.com/RV9USKZRxf
— Shark Tank (@ABCSharkTank) October 3, 2015
As women we often have this awful obstacle because we are considered “weak”. Never prove anyone “right” with tears. #MikkiBey #SharkTank
— Barbara Corcoran (@BarbaraCorcoran) October 3, 2015
Although he did not discuss gender, shark Kevin O’Leary also chimed in on Twitter with his oft-repeated quote that money and tears don’t mix. He made a similar comment on the program, after Bey had left without a deal.
I’m with @barbaracorcoran! Cut the water works in the tank. Money doesn’t cry for you. Don’t cry for it! #SharkTank #MikkiBey
— Kevin O’Leary (@kevinolearytv) October 3, 2015
Television blog CarterMatt expressed support for Corcoran, saying that crying in the Shark Tank doesn’t always come across well. As viewers, the blog’s writers expressed frustration at those times when emotion seems to sway the sharks in favor of a deal.
You can have a look at part of Bey’s exchange with Corcoran in the YouTube clip below. In it, Bey says it takes strength to show vulnerability and despite some wetness around the eyes, seems to pull herself together quite quickly.
On Wednesday, Bey wrote an op-ed in The Huffington Post defending her tears. She brought in big guns to do so, noting that Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg has said she’s cried at work and Arianna Huffington has said she loves crying. Presidential candidate and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton teared up while discussing gun control, Bey noted.
Bey outright rejected the notion that women should cry in private, and called the idea that women should not show emotion in business “outdated.”
“To diminish a woman’s capabilities strictly based on whether she is able to control her tear ducts in the presence of men is preposterous.
“Gender bias is a problem that is no longer perpetuated only by men, but also by the women who fought so hard to get into the ‘good ole boys’ club’ that they have forgotten with whom their allegiance should lie. Often, men are praised by the same women who berate other women for being vulnerable enough to show emotion. If there is going to be a hard-and-fast rule, it must be applicable to everyone. We all have tear ducts.”
According to her business’ official bio, Mikki Bey is a former news producer, celebrity makeup artist, and Executive MBA student at Pepperdine University. Her business had revenues of $69,000 in 2012 and $130,000 in 2014. As Inc. recalled in its episode recap, the sharks balked at investing because they saw the business as a service that was not scaleable. Bey had been seeking $300,000 for 20 percent.
[Main image via Business Insider]
