If you're on social media, you've seen them by now — people you know who are suddenly selling a shampoo that promises miracles, or organic makeup that you just have to have. They're also trying to tell you that you, yourself, can sell these products and make so much money that you'll never need another job again. This is called multilevel marketing — and statistically, most people involved in them lose a lot of money.
They also have the potential of fracturing friendships and relationships, especially if these sales pitches become unbearable or uncomfortable. And that's what happened to one Redditor who admits that she may have crossed a line with her sister. "My sister falls for pyramid schemes and multi-level-marketing companies a lot," she wrote on Reddit's famous "Am I the [expletive]" thread. But she may seem more vulnerable of a target right now to her sister, as she's pregnant.
"I'm currently pregnant with my second baby, who is both an accident and a miracle (my first was extremely hard to conceive.) I ballooned up overnight around week 22," she said. "I'm currently at 32 weeks and frankly, I'm huge."
"Sis hops from scheme to scheme determined to make one work," she said. "I don't buy any of her stuff even though she complains that she supports my husbands business but we don't do the same for her’s. (My husband has an actual small business). Her current shill is weight loss smoothies and essential oils." She then specified that it's two different companies, which can be even harder to handle.
Her first approach was through Facebook.
Facebook has been a huge way for people to easily peddle products. "We got to talking but the conversation kept veering back to her products and my pregnancy," the original poster (OP) wrote. "She KNOWS my first birth was traumatic for me and my daughter and has mentioned several times how her oils are so relaxing and good for the mind and body."
"I kept saying no and she let up but later on kept posting about her 'postpartum baby weightloss' crap and tagged me along with other women who are either pregnant/have newborns that she knows," she said. It's important for those who are in MLMs like this to know that a tag like that more or less says "you need to change your body" after a pregnancy was already so hard on it. For many women, these tags and invites are incredibly hurtful.
Still, she couldn't take 'no' for an answer.
"I didn't appreciate the implication so I asked her to stop tagging me," said the OP. "She stopped but over the holidays sent me a sampling disguised as a 'gift' of her favorite oils and smoothie flavors." Many people in MLMs also do this, thinking that trying the product will change minds. It may be true, but it doesn't make for a joyous present — it's just another sales pitch.
"She asked how I liked them and I said I haven’t tried them yet and wasn't going to while pregnant (or ever). She kept pressuring me to support her small business during these hard times and said she was just looking out for me and my baby's health," she wrote. "That sent me off since she is absolutely doing this out of selfishness rather than some phony concern."
That's when the politeness stopped.
"I posted on Facebook warning people of predatory companies right now that prey on peoples fear of disease and illness and need for cash and posted some articles debunking a few of the popular pyramids, one of my sis's was in the post. She texted me upset saying I was trying to 'sabotage' her business and her family's income."
The problem with MLMs is that they often try to sell a certain lifestyle. And it's an appealing one. But unfortunately, most of the claims turn out to be bogus. "She just wants be be her own boss and be an entrepreneur, so she says, but the constant pestering and pressure at a stressful time is not wanted," said the OP.
Unfortunately, her mom isn't on her side.
According to the OP, their mom still buys products from her sister and doesn't understand the often predatory behavior behind multilevel marketing. "Our mother doesn't understand mlm schemes and always buys her [expletive], and is on her side saying I'm being negative for no reason and want her to fail," she said. "And of course I should be grateful for the weight loss stuff since I've gained a lot of weight."
"I'm getting sick of all this drama. Sis and I don't always get along but this is some middle school stuff and we're both in our 30s," concluded the OP. Luckily, Reddit was on her side. And much of that is because her sister doesn't actually own her own business. If she did, she'd have control over the products and the name of the company.
It's also wrong to make pregnant people feel bad about weight gain.
If she truly wanted to support her sister, she wouldn't have mentioned the weight gain. In pregnancy, weight recommendations should be between the pregnant woman and her doctor. Plus, women shouldn't worry about jumping into diets and exercises immediately after giving birth. There's a recovery time and more important things to focus on.
Redditor ACatGod was especially upset at the OP's sister. "Although the weight gain isn't ideal she shouldn't be trying to lose weight at this point and weight loss shakes at best are utter bollocks and at worst can be toxic," they wrote. "More concerning is the essential oils. They can cause liver damage if used incorrectly and these MLMs often encourage using them neat to increase the amount you buy."
Even those who dig essential oils felt like the OP wasn't to blame.
"Oils are great, they smell nice, smoothies taste good," said QueenOreo. "But MLM is a scam and she’s being seriously rude anyway. Worrying about losing weight while still pregnant is ridiculous and shouldn't be anywhere near your radar. FYI, I was huge when I was pregnant, like one day I was normal pregnant and then boom, huge. The morning after my daughter was born I was down 42 pounds. It was basically all water and baby."
"Stand your ground," suggested 99angelgirl. "My mom sells some stuff like that as a hobby and because she likes the stuff and gets a discount for selling. But she has never once pushed it on anyone, simply posts a link/sends out an email and then when it comes up in conversation, explains why she likes the stuff. That is what your sister should be doing if she wants to sell these things. Not harassing her pregnant sister about things dangerous to your child and trying to coerce you into weight loss while you're STILL PREGNANT."
Sibling relationships can get rocky. But if you really want someone to support you, you shouldn't hound them or give them bad medical advice. Respect should work both ways. While MLMs don't have a great reputation, it's important for those involved to take "no" as an answer. The more pushy you get, the better chance that your relationship will fall apart.
These stories are based on posts found on Reddit. Reddit is a user-generated social news aggregation, web content rating, and discussion website where registered members submit content to the site and can up- or down-vote the content. The accuracy and authenticity of each story cannot be confirmed by our staff.
