In what can only be seen as increasing economic desperation on the part of Americans to raise cash any way they can, Tupperware, Mary Kay Cosmetics and Avon are having a banner year:

NEW YORK, July 31 (Reuters) - The Tupperware party is back and Avon is calling again, ushered in by the U.S. recession.

In the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression of the 1930s, women are selling everything from eyeliner to food containers to make extra cash—boosting profits at companies such as Avon (AVP.N) and Tupperware (TUP.N).

The flexibility of such work means that women, even with existing jobs and kids to care for, are taking on direct sales work in increasing numbers.

Food container-maker Tupperware, whose latest quarterly profit beat expectations, said its sales force rose 4 percent this quarter year on year.

Tupperware’s popularity exploded in the 1950s as women of the post-war generation sought empowerment and independence through selling, and the recession has rekindled the spirit of the Tupperware party for a new generation.

Tupperware parties and Avon ladies are back in US by Edward McAllister