Practices of “care of the self” in direct-sales organizations

Abstract

This article discusses the role of the practices of “care of the self” (M. Foucault) in modern organizations. M. Foucault describes those practices as a set of exercises, bodily and mental, which transform an individual into subject. This article describes how such direct-sales organizations as Mary Kay Cosmetics, Herbalife, TianDe and Amway use the practices of the self to increase loyalty and commitment of distributors whom they collaborate with.