I was recently saddened and infuriated by Younique huns, all at the same time. Before I elaborate on why, let me give you some background.

Social media users will be no stranger to the #MeToo movement, where victims of sexual assault and harassment united on Twitter to publicise their experiences.

In the wake of the Harvey Weinstein allegations, actress Alyssa Milano encouraged people to come forward with a simple “Me Too” if they had ever endured such abuse in their lives. It has brought about a powerful act of solidarity.

For further information on this phenomenon, please take a read here.

 

This movement has brought an avalanche of emotions for many – the realisation that we’re not alone, the surprise to know that millions have endured pain and suffering too. Celebrity or otherwise, people are coming forward in a display that shows the sheer magnitude of this issue.

 

 

For the “independent Younique presenters” though, its a time for agenda-pushing.

MLMers are no strangers for using tragedies and global events to push their shill. Take this disgusting example, where a Youniquer has decided to leap on the Hurricane Harvey disaster. According to this lady, their mascara is “water resistant, hurricane approved“. However, she urges her ‘sisters’ to “stay safe.” Ah, that makes it okay, then.

That brings me to why I was saddened and infuriated. When I first noticed the #MeToo movement, there was an unpleasant thought in the back of my head. 

“…I wonder how long it will take before the Younique huns are jumping on this…”

Why and how, you ask? Well, look no further than the so-called Younique Foundation charity. You know, the one that’s supposed to be “…100% focused on helping abuse survivors…”

To the savvy Younique presenter, this is a perfect time to push for sales. Like this example, which was submitted to me via my Facebook page.

The #defendinnocence movement meets the anti-MLM movement, and we are a force to be reckoned with.

“You don’t have to suffer anymore!” she declares. Why? Because “there is a place for healing and treatment that is totally FREE!” Not at all patronising, of course.

According to this hun, the Younique Foundation is here to save survivors of sexual abuse, and its totally FREE!

Is it though, dear?

I assume that this hun hasn’t read the assessment that Maz Carrah and I made on this shit-show. If you haven’t either, check out The Younique Foundation – Charity or Travesty?

As Maz stated, “…on the surface, it seemed like such a wonderful charity.  For those of you who aren’t aware of what support the Younique Foundation provides, it runs a 4-day retreat known as The Haven Retreat.  It takes groups of 8-12 abuse survivors on a ranch in Utah, USA, where they do group activities, yoga, therapy sessions etc…”

On paper, it does seem like a wonderful charity. However, the more we deconstructed the bullshit, the more that ‘wonderful’ mask slipped.

This Facebook follower was also wholly unimpressed, questioning how they could truly help survivors.

If you’re interested in reading more about this ridiculous excuse for a charity, I would strongly recommend you take a look at Charity or Travesty? I don’t want to end up repeating the whole article here, so I’ll just pull relevant parts that show why this hun’s statement is so wrong.

Coming back to the FREE aspect, Maz notes…

“…The Younique Foundation runs up to 3 retreats a month and is open to any survivor of childhood sexual abuse; you just have to fill out a form on their website and someone from the foundation will contact you to complete an application.  The catch?  You have to make your own way there…”

That’s right. This “FREE” retreat only really benefits you if you live in easy reach of Utah, or if money isn’t an issue.

“…for survivors outside the US (and indeed plenty within the US) this is an incredibly costly endeavour… A quick search on Skyscanner as I am typing tells me the expense for this from London (UK) to Utah would be £1,499 return. Eeeeek, that is a LOT of mascaras.  Better make sure you upsell, Hun.

So realistically, the retreat is not a viable option for UK-based childhood sexual abuse survivors… The average counselling session costs between £35-£50, so for arguments sake lets round it up, that is 30 counselling sessions a survivor could access here for the cost of flights…”

Another brave follower also kindly shared her thoughts on this.

Here in the UK, there are plenty of charities that are crying out for funding. I am sure that this applies to other nations where Younique is present, such as Germany and France.

Younique could have a real impact on this, but it isn’t. 

When we have previously challenged huns on pushing the Younique Foundation in the same breath as #MeToo, they do the social media equivalent of sticking their fingers in their ears and going “la la la, not listening”. The facts are there – this ‘charity’ is crap, and by pushing it, they are disregarding the experiences and pain of sexual abuse survivors.

Huns, if you’re going to plug a charity that helps sexual abuse survivors, make sure it actually does what its supposed to do. The Younique Foundation is a joke, and it takes the piss when you consider the genuine charities that do their utmost for victims.

Here are just a few UK examples that Maz has previously mentioned:

The Children’s Society
Pace UK
The Survivors Trust
NWG Network
Barnardo’s
Parents Protect

Let’s use common sense here – the Youniquers are making these ridiculous posts so they can evoke a caring, wonderful and honourable facade around this bloody company. With this facade, they hope that their prospective victims customers will be more inclined to buy their sub-par mascara.

After all, when you buy from a Younique presenter, you’re “helping empower sexually abused women“, don’t you know?

Personally, I think any Younique presenter who is hijacking #MeToo, just to paint the charity in good light as a means to get sales, should have a word with themselves.

By trying to peddle your MLM wares off the back of tragedies and global events, you’re essentially shitting over the experiences of all who are speaking out. Please realise that you are far better than bad marketing, and selling someone else’s overpriced crap.

The sooner these companies die a death, the better.

 

 

What’s next for Elle Beau?

On reflection, I do feel that I would like to rewrite my Poonique story into a proper novella – whether its an ebook, or if I find someone who would put me in print.  The main reason being, I missed out “the smaller stuff” for the purpose of keeping the reader interested and driving the tale forward.  When I wrote this blog, I wanted to mainly focus on the dodgy tactics I experienced, but on reflection I would like to talk more in-depth about everything I can remember.  

I would like to rewrite my tale with the spreadsheet as more of a prominent reference point – it will also help me recall things in chronological order (i.e. when certain monthly kudos were released, little paltry orders etc).  Mia is still lurking in some of the training groups, and is finding me screenshots to illustrate certain chapters.  So, as well as writing anti-MLM articles, I will be working on producing a full, comprehensive story in the interim.  I hope to set up a Kickstarter for this once I have an idea of costings.

If you like the anti-MLM aims I am working towards, please consider supporting me via Patreon.  Anything is gratefully received.

Stay subscribed for upcoming anti-MLM news and articles, and of course the ever-popular #ShitHunsSay screenshots.

Don’t forget to join the MLM fight on social media – if you’re on Twitter, please give @ElleBeauBlog a follow (and help me get the #Poonique hashtag trending again!).  Alternatively, join in the discussion with Elle Beau, the Anti-Blogger on Facebook.  I am also on Instagram now – look for @ellebeaublog!

Please, also check out the good work of the people of Bot Watch, Juice Plus/MLM Lies Exposed and Timeless Vie.  They work tirelessly to expose the truth and lies of the MLM industry, so anyone considering this line of work can make a fair, informed decision .  In fact, I now have a Recommended Reading page for Anti-MLM writers and interesting lifestyle bloggers I think you will enjoy, such as Chammy in Real Life and my first Patreon, @yourolly.

For something a little different to pyramid schemes, I would also recommend a look at what Bad Psychics are up to.  Award-winning and seen-on-TV, they have worked to expose false claims made by psychics, mediums and the paranormal since 2003.