Mom, Churchgoer and Sex Toy Lady?
Patty Brisben is a churchgoing mother of four who has made millions selling sex toys at private in-home gatherings not unlike Tupperware parties. On Super Bowl Sunday, Ms. Brisben will star in Mother Knows Sex, a TLC reality show about Pure Romance, her Cincinnati-based family business that now employs 30,000 consultants across the United States.
Ms. Brisben spoke to The Globe and Mail about the school-bus bullies who teased her son about his “dildo lady” mom, her husband’s role and what’s selling.
How did you get into the sex biz?
In 1983, I was home on maternity leave with my youngest daughter, Lauren. I was watching the Phil Donahue show and there were these four women on that had started an in-home party plan [called Fun Parties]. They were like your Mary Kay people but they weren’t selling makeup; they were selling, you know, bedroom toys and lubricants. I was just taken aback by how empowered they were, not only being able to take control in the bedroom, but also financially. I was working a lot of hours [as a pediatrician's medical assistant] and I wanted to have more quality time with my own family. When the show was over I decided to call the 1-800 number and I became a consultant. I was going into people’s homes and I was taking my store with me. Then I started [Pure Romance] out of the basement of my home in 1993.
What do your kids do in the company?
My oldest son, Chris, is my right-hand man and the president. Nick is concentrating on the managerial part of our business. The next one is Matthew, and he is doing daily operations for the warehouse and Lauren is working in the training department.
Photo from Pure Romance.
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