Summary
- Christine Brown's distancing herself from LuLaRoe after the release of the documentary LuLaRich, which exposed the company's quality issues and pyramid scheme practices.
- Janelle and Kody Brown's relationship problems are a major storyline in Sister Wives season 18, and Janelle is considering couples' counseling with him. However, Christine's still in the spotlight.
- Christine's embracing a new life without Kody. She's focused on personal growth and happiness, including her new relationship with David Woolley. She values directness and emotional honesty, and may think that LuLaRoe's too shady.
Sister Wives star Christine Brown isn't affiliated with LuLaRoe anymore, and since the searing documentary LuLaRich aired, she may be trying to distance herself from the company. In season 18, Christine's reinventing herself. She left Kody Brown, and seems quite happy to be free of him. However, she does resent him at times, especially when he mistreats her close friend Janelle Brown. Christine's so over polygamy with reality show star Kody. However, embracing life without the patriarch isn't the only change that she's making. In love and business, she's evolving.
Sister Wives season 18's featured some memorable drama so far, but Janelle's issues with Kody probably deliver the most riveting onscreen entertainment. Janelle and Kody are having serious problems, and although she thinks he's "hot," she wants to go to couples' counseling with him. Janelle doesn't see another way out of their problems, and she's really losing hope. Christine's focusing on the future, but she's willing to be friends with Kody. He thinks she's playing some kind of game, but more often than not, Christine's 100 percent sincere. A straight shooter, Christine values directness in others. She's all about emotional honesty. She may consider LuLaRoe a little too shady.
Related
Did Christine From Sister Wives Get Engaged Too Fast? (Will David Woolley Let Her Down Like Kody Did?)
Sister Wives' Christine Brown's embracing life with David Woolley, and they're now engaged. What if David turns out to be just as bad as Kody Brown?
8 LuLaRoe's Had Quality Issues
In LuLaRich, people who tried to sell the company's leggings and other products were often disappointed by the quality of the merchandise that they received. Some got stinky leggings because the fabric was moldy and rotting. It's not uncommon for people to sink a lot of their savings into building LuLaRoe ventures. There's a cult mentality that gets recruits excited about being a part of the organization. This may drive overspending. Said recruits sell the products from home, and when quality is poor, they're much more likely to lose money.
Christine's an honorable person who may not want to risk linking her name with the company anymore. She's got a new man, David Woolley, and doesn't seem to be strapped for cash. Her place in Utah, which was shown in season 18, looks very nice. Janelle's the one who's having money issues. Christine's engaged, and that means that she's probably sharing expenses with David. That may be another reason why she chose to stop promoting LuLaRoe.
7 LuLaRoe's Considered A Pyramid Scheme
LuLaRich showed the dark side of a seemingly sunny company. This firm appears to primarily target women, promising them income, clout and perks. However, those who want to sell LuLaRoe need to spend money in order to get started. That's the first red flag. When people need to buy the products that they sell, it's often the hallmark of an MLM scheme.
Multi-level marketing (MLM) is about drawing people in at the bottom of the pyramid. The money that people at the bottom spend helps to line the pockets of the people on top. Without bringing in more people at the bottom, the system falls apart. So, basically, with a pyramid scheme, money's made by recruiting new salespeople who buy products. That's often much more important to CEOs than sales to end users i.e. the people who buy (and wear) the bold and colorful leggings.
In other words, the money that the salespeople spend is what makes the company's owners so rich. Anyone who wants to thrive in an MLM needs to aggressively recruit. There can be a brainwashing mindset in pyramid scheme companies. Quite often, LuLaRoe salespeople, such as Meri Brown, are encouraged to pester friends, family and others in order to bring them aboard. Lives have been ruined by MLM companies. People buy into the dream and end up in debt, with their hopes dashed.
In LuLaRich, many wrenching stories were captured on film. While some people had positive experiences, those who ended up with nothing were stressed and heartbroken. They fell hook, line and sinker for the marketing patter that LuLaRoe owners Mark and DeAnne Stidham deliver, and deeply regret being so naive. Some have homes filled with unsold merchandise, including defective products that no one is likely to buy.
Since the company gets such bad press now, it's not that surprising that Christine stopped promoting it. It's actually a pretty smart decision. It's a choice that's easy to respect.
6 LuLaRoe Sells The Dream At Glitzy Conferences
Part of the whole cult mentality's selling a dream. Cult leaders know how to dazzle their "marks." They promise whatever the person doesn't have. In a typical cult, a vulnerable person who feels lonely will be made to feel like an integral part of a group. However, there's always a price to be paid down the line. For example, the cult member might be asked to do unpaid labor (as in Scientology's Sea Org) or cut off any friends and family members who criticize the cult. A cult member might also be asked to give money to the organization.
While LuLaRoe isn't a bona fide cult, it has a lot in common with a true cult. People who want to be rich are drawn in by glitzy success stories from members. As well, the company puts on events where the dream is intensively sold to the team. For example, the Puerto Vallarta get-together shown above sends the message that life as a LuLaRoe representative means fun in the sun, freedom from financial worries, and good times with coworkers.
If a person buys enough products and sells them, they might be included at this type of VIP event. Then, they can live the dream. Of course, few make the cut. Those who never scale those heights may find that they've blown thousands (or even tens of thousands) of dollars on products and never really turned a profit. For every LuLaRoe success story like Meri's, there are many "fails" that don't get publicized. That's why the Washington State Attorney General sued LuLaRoe. The company had to pay 4.75 million USD in damages, as per Yahoo.
5 LuLaRoe Sucks In New Recruits & Lets Them Down
Above, a happy model extols the virtues of "twirl-worthy moments," as per LuLaRoe at Instagram. The woman wearing the ruffled LuLaRoe frock seems confident and serene. She's there to make other women want what she has. While LuLaRoe representatives may really get that "twirl-worthy" feeling at first, it's just too good to last. The joy linked with joining the company is often fleeting.
In the life cycle of a cult, members start out strong, fully believing in the reality that's shoved down their throats. However, as time passes, many cult members get cynical. They notice abuses that make them question the lives they've chosen. Disillusionment's quite common, and people who escape from cults often feel traumatized. Some never move past their pain.
With LuLaRoe, there's also been disillusionment. For example, when representatives tried to return defective leggings and the like, they were given a hard time, and many were stuck with the flawed merchandise. They weren't taken care of. A cult chews up and spits out members, and it seems like LuLaRoe's done the very same.
Should Meri be ashamed of pushing LuLaRoe designs on her Instagram followers? Maybe. While she seems to be having a positive experience with the company, she must be smart enough to know that famous and influential LuLaRose reps get VIP treatment. To create a comparison, Tom Cruise is going to enjoy life as a Scientologist more than the average Joe will. Tom will be treated with kid gloves, but other members may be treated like slaves.
When Meri promotes such as a culty company, that's actually been legally penalized for its business practices, she may be sucking in women (and men too) who won't get special treatment. They may pour their savings down the drain in order to try and live Meri's reality. Christine left the company, and Meri's still a part of it. Meri loves the conferences and everything else that LuLaRoe provides. However, she may be willfully ignoring some painful truths about the firm.
3 When LuLaRoe Members Fail, They May Be Crushed
Meri and Christine promoted LuLaRoe, and, as previously mentioned, Meri's still doing it. In their promotional posts, they made the company look like the answer to their prayers. When people see LuLaRoe reps succeeding so wildly, and fail the get the same results, they may feel very bad about themselves. Of course, a reality TV show star has a much higher chance of making money in an MLM company. Fame is currency that can be leveraged to get the most from new business opportunities.
Meri isn't a typical LuLaRoe member. Thanks to appearing in 18 Sister Wives seasons, she's very famous. Her online platform is massive, and that means that she has a pool of potential LuLaRoe recruits at her fingertips. The average person who's starting out with the company won't have any of that. In a sense, this company sells the stories of its stars, and sets recruits up to fail. Without success in an MLM, a person is basically nobody. Everything revolves around money and the status that selling brings. When someone fails, they may feel excommunicated.
2 LuLaRoe Leaders Gaslight Underlings
Promising the moon and then failing to honor return policies is bad business and shady. It's the type of gaslighting that leads to court cases and other negative outcomes. Good companies will accept returns of defective products. Sketchy firms will make it almost impossible for people to get their money back. Phones will go unanswered. Messages left on social media will be ignored and/or deleted. Bad companies do this stuff all the time.
In a cult, a leader will also gaslight underlings, making them believe that they're the problem. A leader retains power by inspiring, or by instilling fear and doubt. It's typically one or the other. A good leader will care about underlings, while a bad one won't value them, except as a means to an end.
Christine knows all about bad leadership. She experienced it with Kody. The uber-patriarch didn't do much to steer the Brown family forward. He favored Robyn and neglected the other wives. When they complained, he twisted things around to make them feel like villains. It could be argued that a plural marriage can be a sort of micro-cult. A leader calls the shots and wives obey. If they don't, they may be punished. At the least, they'll learn what gaslighting really means.
1 LuLaRoe May Fleece Its Acolytes
Devotees like Meri probably don't get fleeced because they add so much value, but a typical LuLaRoe initiate will be strongly encouraged to spend, spend, spend...perhaps, until it hurts. Cults are known for fleecing followers. Some cult leaders live like royalty while their underlings have very little. There's always a huge chasm between the highly successful VIPS and those at the bottom.
A worthy organization is not going to have this dynamic. There will be more fairness, and those who need help will get it, rather than being ignored. There's no such thing as a good cult, and there may be no such thing as a good MLM either. When Meri promotes the LuLaRoe "good life," she's probably not helping her followers. They might end up wasting a lot of money trying to grab brass rings. Since Christine's finished with the company, she can focus on promoting more positive things. However, Christine's link with Plexus dietary supplements is also controversial.
Influencers often push shady products, such as diet teas and "pink drinks." They do it for money. As long as their followers perform research, to find out the truth about what their favorite stars are promoting, they should make smart choices. If they don't, they may end up feeling ripped off.
In Sister Wives season 18, Christine's spreading her wings and leaving the past behind. She left LuLaRoe behind too. By sealing herself off from the bad vibes that Kody and the clothing company bring, she's doing what's best for herself. Now, she can focus on things that make her happy.
