[Elle:] I am so glad to welcome “A Little Kotori” to the anti-MLM fight, first speaking to her after she read my #Poonique tale. Her name means “bird of luck” in Japanese. She is a Latina living in the US-state of Utah, which is unofficially regarded as both “MLM country” and “Mormon country“, and is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Kotori wants to positively represent her religion, all while being part of our anti-MLM movement. Please give her a warm welcome, and read her following thoughts on living in an area where MLMs are widespread, and her religion is almost always tied-in with this awful business model.
Take it away, Kotori.
[Kotori:] Thanks, Elle. I’m so happy to be a part of the fight against MLMs.
I was born and raised in Washington State and am a Latina, because of my Brazilian heritage. I went to Brigham Young University to study journalism. I’ve had experiences writing about local politics and writing in-depth stories both for the student newspaper and for a national paper.
In case my university (and Elle’s introduction) didn’t already give it away, I am indeed a Latter-day Saint (commonly known as “Mormon”) and I am living in Utah while my husband finishes engineering school. Because I live in Utah, it seems as if I am constantly bombarded by MLMs, whether directly or indirectly. I’ve never been fond of the “Utah-Mormon” culture, but until my husband finishes school, I’m stuck here.
I live not only in the same state but in the same COUNTY as the corporate offices of multi-level marketing firms. Just to name a few, I live within a 20-30 min radius of Nu Skin, doTERRA, Young Living, Thrive Life, Younique, and probably dozens of other MLMs that I am unaware of.
For my friends across the pond, you have probably noticed the link between MLMs and Utah/Mormons. You may be interested to check out these articles by Timeless Vie:
- “The Importance of Being Mormon: Younique“
- “The Importance of Being Mormon: Jamberry, NuSkin, Forever Living“
- “How Mormons, network marketing & social media combine to sell women a false dream“
As a Mormon who is strongly opposed to the MLM business model, I hope to reach out to fellow Mormons and other religious peoples who fall for these schemes. I also hope that my writing will build a bridge between me and my readers through my personal experience and the experiences of others.
~ Kotori