Bobbi Brown’s Perfect Response When Told to Be Less Soccer Mom, More Businesswoman

Bobbi Brown built her career on not following trends. In the 1980s, when bright, bold colors dominated the beauty world, she gravitated toward a natural, subtle look. And she stuck with it, despite plenty of criticism.

On the latest episode of “Nice Talk”, Brown shares the bad advice she received during her early career, including the perfect response she had to one critic who told her she needed to be less “soccer mom”.

“I tried to do makeup that was popular. I tried to do multicolor eyes and pale faces and contour and all of that. And I just thought everyone looked terrible,” Brown tells editor-in-chief Nikki Ogunnaike. “It wasn't my aesthetic. So, I started to do things that were revolutionary, like finding a foundation that matched the skin. Duh! I thought it looked so much better.”

And as she found her signature style, she bumped up against some unsolicited advice.

One “suggestion” came from another prominent makeup artist, who she doesn’t name. He told her she was “never going to work if you can't do the makeup that's popular right now,” Brown recalls. “I just didn't listen. I didn’t, like, intentionally not listen, but when I went to the next job, I continued to do what I thought was right for that job.”

Brown stood out not just for her aesthetic but because she didn’t subscribe to the lifestyle others in the industry seemed to expect.

“I had hairdressers say to me, if you don't cut your hair into a style, no one's going to want to work with you in fashion,” Brown says. “My long, straight hair parted in the middle, I guess wasn't a proper style. I had a stylist that told me she wanted to take me shopping in the East Village to get me some fabulous clothes to kind of help my style. And I went with her, spent stupid amounts of money, ended up throwing all the leather pants and all the other stuff I got in the garbage—I probably donated it—and I didn't listen to that.”

Even her choice to live outside the city drew commentary. Brown lived with her husband and children in a New York City suburb, not in Manhattan like many in her field.

“Someone said, ‘Get a pied-à-terre in the city, because nobody wants to take makeup advice from a soccer mom,’” Brown says with a big sigh. “By the time I got that advice, I was smart enough and confident enough to just say, ‘Yeah, right.’ And I did. I answered back. I said, ‘Guess what? Soccer moms buy makeup.’”

Brown’s hugely successful makeup line, Bobbi Brown Cosmetics, is proof that she knew what she was talking about. The company was bought by Estee Lauder in 1995, and Brown continued to work with the brand until 2016. Today, she’s the creator of a second successful makeup line, Jones Road, has authored 10 books, and continues to prioritize what matters to her most, both at home and at work.

“There is no such thing as work/life balance,” the 68-year-old says. “And, you know, especially at this point in my career, I get these opportunities, and they're interesting, they're fun, but then I realize, do I really want to be away and do these things? Do I really want to go into the city and show up at some fabulous dinner and then my husband's going to eat by himself? I don't really always want to do that, unless it's something that really matters to me.”

For more from Brown—including choosing family over everything, and why she never thought she’d make lipstick again—check out this week’s installment of Nice Talk. The episode is available everywhere you listen to podcasts.