It's unquestionable that, in terms of epidemics, COVID-19 won 2020. It was even upgraded to pandemic status, which is of course incredibly impressive for any illness. However, in the months following the worldwide quarantine, something new started spreading rapidly. This time, on the internet. 

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I'm talking about multi-level marketing companies, or MLMs. If you're unfamiliar with them, you're part of a very fortunate and rapidly shrinking population. Across social media, people - primarily women - are joining these companies as independent salespeople. The logistics are (intentionally) vague, but this is what I've gathered: 

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New "employees" purchase a starter package of products (usually around $200-$600 worth of items). These samples are typically opened on camera and tested out to get their social media audiences excited about the company. 

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These influencers market and sell the products, receiving a portion of the profits. However, the true money lies in recruiting new sellers. For this reason, most of their posts revolve around promoting the experience of being a salesperson, rather than actually promoting sales. 

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It can seem a little sketchy, which is likely why the other large portion of their posts are dedicated to explaining how these multi-level marketing companies are not pyramid schemes. Because these businesses, like Arbonne, Monat, or an abundance of "fitness teas" truly do move and sell products, they avoid the label. However, it's worth noting that these "multi-levels" tend to get smaller as you go up, forming a kind of triangle, or prism, or... I could swear there's another term for that shape. 

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Look, I'm all for entrepreneurship. I also know for a fact that these businesses are genuinely successful for some participants, and the products are genuinely enjoyed by some customers. For me, the issue lies in the incessant promotion of becoming a "girl boss." Saleswomen frequently boast that they make money just scrolling through their phones. There is a constant implication that those who use their phones without selling haircare are throwing away money. 

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Again, nothing too wrong with this persuasion technique. But in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, when people lost their jobs and were spending increasing amounts of time at home, the recruiting tactics of MLMs went into overdrive. People who were already struggling financially were duped into investing in extremely expensive products and forced to push them onto their friends in order to stay afloat. In a particular heinous post, I saw one marketer say, "Spend your stimulus package on a starter kit that could help you earn that much every day." 

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Quality products don't need to be predatory. And true girl bosses support other girl bosses who exclusively use their phone for Candy Crush.