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I think one reason we donât see many full blown cults anymore is because there are countless influencers essentially acting as cult leaders in virtual spaces.
Iâm still subscribed to Gala Darlingâs newsletter as a vestigial holdover from subscribing as a teenager. I thought she was the coolest person and I read her blog iCiNG religiouslyâshe was the person I wanted to be when I grew up! Her positive attitude, emphasis on gratitude with Things I Love Thursday, and bold style were inspirational to me. Seeing her become yassified and transition from lifestyle blogger to Tony Robbins-esque secular prosperity guru has been tough over the years, and it blows my mind that her monthly membership fee is $57 per month!!!
I donât even doubt that some members call it their church as she claims in this screenshot of her newsletter (second image) because theyâre paying this exorbitant fee to feel some sense of community. Itâs the same with Shallon Lester the Molesterâs (iykyk LOL) membership and probably so many other influencers who leverage their outgoing, audacious personalities to capture the attention and wallets of insecure wallflower young women who hope to absorb their charisma, almost as if by osmosis, and have a pay-to-access simulated group of friends. It just makes me feel sad!! Anyway I do wish I had the special kind of shamelessness to do this because it seems like a sweet grift. But I guess thatâs how I feel about everything I perceive to be a grift
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Jul 8, 2025
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This is so interesting to read because I feel like to followers, the breakup of a friendship that used to be public, seems to be more painful than an actual relationship. I think it further emphasizes this generation's need for connection, projecting it onto the friend group that used to be.
Sep 24, 2024
Had the pleasure of chatting with podcaster and media strategist Alyssa Vingan for this week's newsletter. While we operate in pretty different spheres (she: fashion, he: news/???) we still found a ton of commonality. Interested at all in media, or just persisting through some real sh*t, this is the one for you đ§
Jul 5, 2024
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It lends a reflective and wistful tone to written communications imoâŚ
5d ago
My dad teases me about how when I was a little kid, my favorite thing to do when I was on the landline phone with somebodyâbe it a relative or one of my best friendsâwas to breathlessly describe the things that were in my bedroom so that they could have a mental picture of everything I loved and chose to surround myself with, and where I sat at that moment in time. Perfectly Imperfect reminds me of that so thanks for always listening and for sharing with me too đ
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