Sisterhood, supremacy, and MLMs: the lies behind it all

Hey, Hun — Emily Lynn Paulson

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Hey, Hun: Sales, Sisterhood, Supremacy, and the Other Lies Behind Multilevel Marketing by Emiy Lynn Paulson

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Content warnings included in the footnote of this newsletter.¹

What It’s About

This week’s headline came straight from the subtitle — I could not have said it better.

Emily Lynn Paulson had it all: the suburban family, the nice lifestyle, the beauty. But she was lonely. And this is exactly what MLMs look for. Emily became a rep for a popular skincare line (never explicitly mentioned, but easy enough to google if you’re interested) by being told it was a “sisterhood,” that “she wasn’t alone,” and that she could have her own business while making lifelong connections. But only if she recruited other women to the sisterhood.

Soon, she found herself hosting her own events, telling other people about her business, all while putting on a front and silently drowning behind closed doors. The trips, the meetings, the lifestyle was far more expensive than she let on, causing marital and family problems and, soon, substance abuse issues.

Turns out, selling the dream isn’t all it’s made out to be.

Why You Should Read It

I loved this look from a former top-percenter on why she started, why she stayed, and why she left. Paulson did a good job highlighting how MLMs prey on the vulnerable, and how they know those in Black and Brown communities will never succeed like the white Christian women who are at the top do. There were a few repetitive ideas and topics that could have been more concise, but the mix of facts among Paulson’s own personal story worked well for this format. (Highly recommend the audio if you’re a listener!)

ARCs of The Chair and the Valley, The Love of my After Life, The Swan’s Nest, and The Anthropologists.

By popular request, here are some ARCs I’ve received recently that caught my eye! I love getting book mail, and these upcoming releases all seem very interesting, from a comedic afterlife love story to a memoir of mental health and healing after trauma. (Thank you to the publishers for the free review copies! My decision to include them here is entirely my own.)

Can’t get enough, or looking for a different recommendation? Browse the archives, or check out some popular past recommendations: 

• A woman turns a passion project into a book and knits the ugliest sweater ever

• Read a 1970s historical fiction about a logging town and mothers fighting for their children

• Read about a crime through the lens of women surrounding it

I also love hearing from readers! Let me know what kinds of books you’re looking for that you’d like to see featured, or send in your most recent five-star read (or two) and get a recommendation just for you. You might be featured in an upcoming newsletter! Reply to this email to get in touch!

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1. Content warnings include MLMs, alcoholism (along with scenes of blacking out), drug addiction, attempted suicide, marital strains and challenges, white supremacy, anti-vaxxers, homophobia, MAGA supporters, cancer.