She is a five-time YWCA woman of distinction nominee, she is a speaker, a writer, a dance instructor, radio host, yoga instructor, actor, and a medical Qigong therapist but Caroline MacGillivray is best known as the founder of Beauty Night Society. They are celebrating 22 years of helping women living in poverty. Their slogan is “Dignity is Beautiful”. 

Our City Tonight (OCT) sat down with Caroline MacGillivray (CM). 

OCT: Let’s talk about your cultural history. You are a very talented artist in so many different disciplines.

CM: I grew up singing, dancing, acting, as well as a lot of musical theater, and from there just out of curiosity, I explored so many other different avenues. I think I really should’ve been a cat because that curiosity helped me through life.

OCT: Beauty Night Society is probably one of the most fascinating organizations and it is celebrating 22 years of making a difference in our community. Please talk about the beginnings of helping women in need.

CM: I started volunteering because I was doing research for a short film project and I started volunteering in the downtown East side, which has been dubbed the poorest neighbourhood in all of North America per capita. One night a woman came in who had been dealing with a lot, which is probably the most polite way to put it. She didn’t want to speak. She didn’t want to eat, and I finally asked her what she would like? She said she would just like to feel clean. 

We got her some toiletries, a towel, and fresh clothing so she could have a shower. Afterwards, she was trying to style her hair. There was a curling iron in there, but her arm was so battered that she couldn’t raise her arm up. I honestly think I did what anybody would do, I did her hair. We laughed a lot because I was really bad at doing hair, and after that, she gave me a hug and thanked me for making her feel human. 

So that’s how it started. I left there that night, not really sure what to do with what I had just experienced, as it kind of blew me away. I felt very humbled.

OCT: You started this society and there are so many articles on you celebrating the founding of this organization. One of the articles is titled “The Healing Power of a Makeover” yet it’s not so much to do with make-up. It seems to be all about the healing touch. What do the women receive when they show up to a Beauty Night Society gathering?

CM: They of course, through the guise of a makeover, receive our healing touch. I think, especially since post pandemic, so many people have really needed a human touch especially in the last three years. There hasn’t been a lot of contact and many of the women I worked with had dealt with extreme violence. I know during the pandemic there was also what we call, the “shadow pandemic” where domestic violence and the opioid crisis addiction, as well as violence, increased. I think there is even more need for connection, because so many people feel isolated and alone. 

There’s also that re-introduction of a healthy touch where it’s not about control and it’s not about violence. It’s just about excepting somebody just as they are. A lot of the conversations happen when people feel safe enough to open up. We are then able to refer them to shelters, transition homes, group homes, sometimes for meals, and sometimes we end up working with other organizations to create exit strategies for those who are fleeing violence. And sometimes it’s about helping them get on a wait list when a bed comes available for a treatment facility.

OCT: You’ve done such great work over these last 22 years with Beauty Night Society. I want to ask you about your family, because in fact you come from journalist royalty here in Vancouver.

CM: I was born and raised here in Vancouver and my parents were both as well. My dad was senior assistant managing editor at The Vancouver Sun. As a kid growing up, my dad’s face was on billboards around town. A most memorable one in particular read “When Alex writes a column, readers eat it up,” and it shows him smiling at the waiter who is pouring red wine.

He used to be the entertainment editor at The Vancouver Sun and that’s where he met my mother. There used to be a nightclub here called Marco Polo, and the club used to bring in all sorts of acts. In fact, Vancouver was known as Las Vegas north, and a lot of the acts would perform a trial run here first. They had their in-house dancers and they called themselves the “China Dolls” and my mother was one of them. I know that’s not politically correct now but that is what they were called.

My dad gave them a horrible review, and my mom went to his office to tell him off and somehow, she ended up going on a date with him. Then five years later I was born.

OCT: That is a lovely story, and I know you sadly lost your father a couple years ago. Those are some great memories to reflect on.

Beauty Night Society invites our readers to support them in their mission: to build self-esteem and change the lives of women and youth living in poverty through three streams of programming: wellness, life skills development and makeovers. Find out how you can make a difference at beautynight.org