Imagine living a life where no one ever gives to you. No emotional support, no encouragement, no help, no human contact - not even a hug. Would you have any self-confidence? Would you believe that the world is a safe place? Would you know where to go for help or support – or that there is such a thing as help?

Beauty Night Society believes that everyone deserves to be given to.

Beauty Night’s life-makeover program creates a safe space where the participants are able to be themselves, make friends, and experience healthy touch. Health care, wellness, and beauty professionals offer services such as relaxation massage, manicures, makeup application, haircuts, and more.

Many women in the downtown east side have only experienced touch in the form of sexual abuse. Because of this, some women are reluctant to go for regular medical check-ups. Beauty Night reintroduces human touch in a safe, healthy way, and serves as a front door to health care. For example, nursing students will volunteer at the life makeover sessions, and will use the pedicures as a way to check for abscesses on the feet, which is an early indicator of Type II Diabetes.

Beauty Night also aims to build community by providing a safe place where women can relax, be themselves, and form friendships, and in turn learn to support each other.

Testimonials

From a long time volunteer with the WISH Drop-In Centre Society

Ms. MacGillivray began (and continues) as a volunteer at WISH and, after working with us a few months, recognized that most of our participants only experienced personal touch as part of an exploitative or abusive process. Acting on the accepted belief that everyone needs some physical nurturing for emotional health, she conceived of Beauty Night and single-handedly courted and enlisted the help of hair stylists, manicurists, masseuses, healing touch therapists, and foot therapists. With the blessing and gratitude of the WISH Board of Directors, Ms. MacGillivray presented her first Beauty Night in December, 2000. It is now a registered non-profit society.

It is difficult to find words that adequately describe the overwhelming success that Beauty Night has become and how much it means to the women who participate - both as volunteers and recipients. For a few hours one night, several times a year, Vancouver’s most disadvantaged women can briefly put aside their problems and enjoy what the rest of us take for granted: a good hair cut, some pampering and, most important, the chance to be carefree and frivolous. The all-too-rare glimpses of excitement and pure joy on women’s faces make these evenings unforgettable.

Ms. MacGillivray and her volunteers offer their services in conjunction with those agencies in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside that offer emotional support, hot meals, pre-employment training programs, health care, and shelter from the streets. The fact that not only WISH Drop-In Centre embraces Beauty Night but also agencies like the Downtown Eastside Community Health Clinic, DTES Women’s Centre, Carnegie Centre, Positive Women’s Network, Dr. Peter’s Centre, and Union Gospel Mission - to name just a few - speak volumes on the benefits offered by this wonderful organization.

It should also be noted that it was WISH who nominated Caroline MacGillivray for Flare Magazine’s Volunteer of the Year Award; we feel that Flare should be commended for its wise choice in presenting her with this honour.

From a physician coordinator

I am the physician coordinator of the Women’s Initiative at the Downtown Community Health Center. Every Tuesday night is Women’s Night. The purpose is to provide a safe environment where women in the community can access health care. As you know, many of the women are socially isolated and face multiple other life barriers such as addiction, homelessness, and poverty. In the waiting room, a (donated) minimal hot meal is served, after which an (donated) activity is offered such as raffles, games, yoga, meditation, health forum, movie, etc.

Several times, I have asked Caroline MacGillivray to put on a Beauty Night. On a routine Tuesday evening, approximately thirty women come to the clinic, whereas on Beauty Night we have had one hundred and fifty women.

How do I interpret the numbers? As a physician, I have always been impressed by how much an individual’s spirit affects their health. On Beauty Night, the women enjoy themselves without anything being asked in return. [Besides food and shelter,] one important thing that is vital to every human being, disadvantaged or not, is pleasure. Perhaps most importantly, for many of these women who have experienced forms of abuse, Beauty Night is also a way of reintroducing touch in non-threatening terms.

Caroline MacGillivray does much more than philosophizing about the needs of women. She has taken action in a direct way. She has come up with an original concept that has struck a chord with the women in the Downtown Eastside. With unending optimism, enthusiasm, and integrity, she coordinates a group of dedicated volunteers to come to the Downtown Eastside and give the community of women something they want.

Success Stories

In Spring of 2003, Beauty Night paid for Beauty Night participant Jennifer J to take esthetic and makeup courses through VSB. In the Summer 2003, Jennifer J, now clean and sober, started offering makeovers to women in exchange for food. With the food, she made sandwiches and started her own outreach, feeding survival sex workers on the stroll: Jen’s Kitchen.