Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism

Montell can’t help but roll her eyes when Becca Manners, a popular girl who attended Montell’s school, hawks multi-level marketing (MLM) company Optavia’s wellness products on Facebook. MLMs, “the legally loopholed sibling of pyramid schemes,” largely target nonworking women using the same tactics as direct-marketing agencies in the 1940s, which promise women financial freedom and empowerment (157). MLMs notably prey upon women who might feel isolated or who have experienced trauma, like Montell’s best friend, Esther, who overcame Hodgkin’s lymphoma and is recruited by MLMs regularly. They sell the promise of hope, the American Dream, through financial independence and a viable alternative to the grind of traditional American employment, but instead rely on a pyramid structure that requires members to purchase a starter kit and fulfill a recruitment quota. If a member of the MLM doesn’t meet their goals, it’s seen as their shortcoming rather than anything to do with the company or product. This gaslighting and culpability of followers is reinforced by the overly positive language used. Becca Manners acknowledges that Optavia is a cult and agrees to chat with Montell.