Multilevel marketing has always depended on language. Before the overpriced supplements, before the pastel graphics, before the “bossbabe” mugs and the staged laptop-on-the-beach photos, there were words — carefully chosen, emotionally charged, and strategically deployed. Multilevel Marketing (MLM) companies don’t just sell products. They sell identity, belonging, and a script.

Over the last three decades, the linguistic style of MLM recruitment has evolved alongside technology. What started as soft-spoken living room persuasion in the 1990s has transformed into AI-polished Instagram captions and algorithm-optimized DMs. Yet beneath he changing aesthetics, the core linguistic functions remain the same: manufacture intimacy, bypass critical thinking, frame exploitation as empowerment, and make leaving feel like betrayal.

This is a breakdown of the linguistic mechanics of “hun culture” — the faux-intimate, emotionally manipulative communication style that has become synonymous with modern MLM recruitment.

Livingroom Linguistics and the Warm Market Era

Before social media, MLMs relied on what the industry calls the warm market — friends, family, coworkers, church groups, and neighbours. Recruitment happened in kitchens, livingrooms, and church basements. The language was soft, familiar and deeply gendered.

A Typical 1990s Ptich

“Hey! I’m having a little get together next Thursday. I’d love for you to come. We’re just going to have some snacks, chat, and I’ll show you these amazing new products I’ve been using. You’ve always been such a great hostess and so good with people — I immediately thought of you. It’s nothing big, just a fun night with the girls.”

Linguistic Features of the Era

  • Minimization (“little get together,” “nothing big”) softened the commercial intent.
  • Gendered flattery (“great hostess,” “good with people”) tied recruitment to traditional feminine roles.
  • Reciprocity pressure (“I’d love for you to come”) leveraged social obligation.
  • Community framing (“fun night with the girls”) disguised sales as bonding.

Academic research on direct selling in the 1990s notes that MLMs relied heavily on relational labour — the emotional work of maintaining social ties for economic gain (Biggart, 1989). The language reflected that: warm, familiar, and rooted in existing relationships.

Email Chains, Forums, and the Rise of “Opportunity” Language

As the internet became mainstream, MLMs expanded into email newsletters, message boards, and early personal websites. The language shifted from domestic to entrepreneurial, but the emotional hooks stayed.

A Typical 2000s Email Pitch

“I’ve been working with a new company that offers an incredible business opportunity. It’s a way to earn extra income from home, on your own schedule. I immediately thought of you because you’re such a hard worker and so driven. This isn’t one of those ‘get rich quick’ things — it’s a real business with a proven compensation plan.”

Linguistic Shifts

  • Entrepreneurial jargon (“business opportunity,” “compensation plan”) created a veneer of professionalism.
  • Identity-based flattery (“hard worker,” “driven”) tied the pitch to self-concept.
  • Pre-emptive defense (“not a get-rich-quick thing”) attempted to neutralize skepticism.
  • Future-casting (“earn extra income,” “your own schedule”) appealed to aspiration.

This era marks the beginning of script standardization. MLM companies began distributing template emails and “opportunity scripts,” a precursor to the copy-paste culture that would explode on social media.

Facebook, Instagram, and the Birth of Hun Culture

The rise of Facebook and Instagram transformed MLM linguistics. Recruitment moved from livingrooms to DMs, and the “hey hun” message became a cultural meme — so recognizable that entire subreddits like r/antiMLM began cataloguing them.

The Classic “Hey Hun” DM

“Hey hun! I know this is super random, but I’ve been following you for a while and I just love your vibe. You seem like such a positive, hardworking mama and I honestly feel like we’d get along so well. I’m part of an amazing team of women building businesses from our phones. No pressure at all, but would you be open to hearing more?”

Linguistic Mechanics of the Hey Hun Message

  • Manufactured intimacy (“hun,” “babe,” “beautiful”) creates instant closeness.
  • Surveillance flattery (“I’ve been following you”) signals attention and admiration.
  • Identity targeting (“positive,” “hardworking mama”) taps into gendered expectations.
  • Implanted dissatisfaction (“I don’t know if you’re happy with your job…”) seeds doubt.
  • Freedom rhetoric (“time and financial freedom”) promises liberation.
  • Softened coercion (“no pressure at all”) masks the emotional push.

This is not casual language — it is strategic linguistic engineering. As Emily Lynn Paulson documents Hey, Hun, MLM reps are trained to use specific emotional arcs, flattery patterns, and “objection handling” scripts to recruit.

Scripted Vulnerability: The “Mess to Success” Narrative

By the mid-2010s, MLM representatives began posting long, emotional “before and after” stories. These posts mimic authentic vulnerability but follow a predictable structure.

A Typical Vulnerability Script

“I don’t usually share this, but three years ago I was drowning in debt and missing moments with my kids. Then this little side gig came into my life. Now I get to work from home, be present with my babies, and help other women do the same.” 

Linguistic Analysis

  • Performed reluctance (“I don’t usually share this”) signals authenticity.
  • Emotional overload (“drowning in debt,” “missing moments”) creates relatability.
  • Fate framing (“came into my life”) removes agency from the recruiter.
  • Gratitude rhetoric (“I get to…”) reframes exploitation as privilege.
  • Spiritualized CTA (“this is your sign”) invokes destiny

This narrative structure mirrors what sociolinguists call conversion discourse — a rhetorical pattern used in religious testimony, self-help culture, and high-control groups.

AI-Polished Scripts and the Era of Hyper-Generic Empowerment

Today MLM language is shaped by Instagram reels, TikTok captions, AI-generated scripts, Team-shared Google documents, and voice-note recruitment. The result is a linguistic style that is smoother, more generic, and eerily similar across different reps.

A Typical AI-Polished Caption

“I am so passionate about empowering women to step into their highest potential. This isn’t just about selling products — it’s about building a legacy, creating time and financial freedom, and showing my kids what’s possible when you refuse to settle.”

AI Linguistic Fingerprints

  • Buzzword density (“empowering,” “highest potential,” “legacy”) packs sentences with vague motivational terms that sound profound but say nothing concrete.
  • Stacked abstractions (“time freedom,” “financial freedom”) strings together intangible promises that can’t be measured or verified.
  • Formulaic contrast (“not just X, but Y”) elevates the pitch artificially.
  • Identity clustering (“driven, heart-centered women”) makes readers see themselves as the “ideal recruit.”
  • Hyper-smooth emotional tone maintains an unrealistically polished, conflict-free positivity, typical of AI-generated text.

AI doesn’t create new MLM language — it amplifies and homogenizes the scripts distributors already use.

Core Linguistic Functions That Never Changed

Even as MLM language evolved from livingroom pitches to AI-polished Instagram captions, the underlying functions of the language never changed. These linguistic strategies are not random — they are rooted in well-documented psychological principles, social dynamics, and neurological responses. MLMs have refined them over decades because they reliably bypass critical thinking and activate emotional, relational, and identity-based decision-making.

Below are the core linguistic functions that have remained constant across every era of MLM communication.

Manufactured Intimacy:

MLM language consistently uses pet names (“hun,” “bossbabe”), emojis, and casual warmth to create the illusion of closeness. This is a deliberate linguistic shortcut that taps into the brain’s social bonding circuitry. Humans are neurologically wired to respond to warmth and familiarity — our brains release oxytocin when we perceive someone as friendly or caring, even if the interaction is superficial or scripted. MLM reps exploit this by using language hat mimics the tone of a close friend, bypassing the normal boundaries we maintain with acquaintances or strangers.

From a sociological perspective, this tactic leverages parasocial intimacy — the feeling of connection to someone who is not actually close to us. When a stranger calls you “hun,” your brain momentarily treats them as part of your social circle. This lowers skepticism and increases compliance. Linguistically, manufactured intimacy is a form of relational framing: the message is framed as coming from a friend, not a salesperson. And once the relationship frame is established, the pitch feels less like a transaction and more like a personal invitation.

Identity-Based Flattery:

MLM language rarely compliments specific skills. Instead it targets identity categories: “good mom,” hard worker,” “positive person,” “driven woman,” “natural leader.” This is because identity-based flattery activates the brain’s self-concept network, which is far more emotionally charged than skill-based evaluation. Complimenting someone’s identity feels deeper, more validating, and more personal — even when the compliment is generic enough to apply to anyone.

Psychologically, this taps into self-verification theory: people are motivated to maintain a consistent self-image. When a recruiter says, “You’re such a positive, inspiring person,” the recipient feels compelled to behave in ways that align with that identity — including being open to the opportunity. Sociologically, this tactic reinforces gendered expectations, framing the opportunity as a way to be a “better mom,” “more present,” or “more empowered.” The language weaponizes identity to create emotional leverage.

Implanted Dissatisfaction:

One of the most subtle but powerful linguistic tactics in MLM communication is the strategic suggestion that your current life is inadequate. Phrases like “I don’t know if you’re happy with your job…” or “If you’re feeling stuck, this is your sign” plant a seed of doubt without directly criticizing the person’s choices. This is a form of presupposition — a linguistic structure that implies something is true without stating it outright.

Neurologically, presuppositions bypass the brain’s critical filters because the mind processes them as background assumptions rather than claims requiring evaluation. This is why implanted dissatisfaction feels like a realization rather than a persuasion attempt. It activates the brain’s error-detection and future-planning systems, prompting the person to imagine alternative futures — futures he MLM conveniently offers.

From a sociological standpoint, implanted dissatisfaction mirrors the tactics used in self-help culture and high-control groups: destabilize the person’s current identity or situation, then present the group as the solution. It’s a classic “break you down to build you up” structure, just delivered in pastel fonts and heart emojis.

Spiritual and Fate Framing:

MLM language frequently invokes spirituality, destiny, or divine timing: “God put this in my path,” “Everything happens for a reason,” “This opportunity came into my life at the perfect moment!” This taps into meaning-making psychology, the human tendency to interpret events as part of a larger narrative. When life feels chaotic or uncertain, the brain seeks patterns and purpose. MLMs exploit this by framing recruitment as a calling rather than a business transaction.

Neurologically, fate framing activates the brain’s default mode network, which governs imagination, storytelling, and personal narrative. When someone is told “This is your sign,” their brain begins constructing a story in which joining the MLM is a meaningful turning point. Sociologically, this tactic mirrors the language or religious testimony and conversion narratives. It positions the MLM as a source of salvation, community, and purpose — making refusal feel like rejecting destiny itself.

Blame-Proofing the Model:

MLM language is engineered to protect the business model from scrutiny. Phrases like “The only way to fail is to quit,” “Success is 100% mindset,” and “If she can do it, so can you” shift all responsibility onto the individual. This is a linguistic form of attribution manipulation: success is attributed to personal virtue, while failure is attributed to personal flaws.

Psychologically, this taps into internal locus of control rhetoric, which is empowering in healthy contexts but weaponized here. It creates a cognitive trap: if you struggle, you blame yourself instead of the system. Neurologically, this activates the brain’s shame circuitry, which suppresses help-seeking and increases isolation — both of which make people more dependent on the MLM community.

Sociologically, blame-proofing mirrors the dynamics of high-control groups, where members are taught that the system is perfect and any failure is due to insufficient belief, effort, or positivity. Linguistically, it creates a closed loop: the MLM cannot be questioned because the language pre-emptively reframes all criticism as negativity or lack of mindset.

How MLM Language Shapes Behaviour and Belief

MLM linguistics doesn’t just influence how their distributors communicate with prospects — it shapes how they think, behave, and interpret their own experiences inside the organization. The language becomes a cognitive framework, a worldview, and in many cases, a self-policing mechanism. This is where MLMs begin to resemble high-control groups: the language doesn’t just sell the opportunity; it sustains the belief system that keeps people emotionally and financially invested long after the numbers stop making sense.

MLM language functions as a behavioural script, a thought-framing tool, and a social identity marker. Once someone internalizes the linguistic patterns, they begin to interpret their life through the MLM lens — success, failure, relationships, time, money, and even morality become filtered through the company’s vocabulary.

Below are the key ways MLM language shapes behaviour and belief.

Language as Identity Formation:

MLMs encourage reps to adopt new identity — not just as sellers, but as “leaders,” “bosses,” “CEOs of their own business,” and “people who were made for more.” These identity labels are repeated constantly in team chats, training calls, and social media posts. Linguistically, this is a form of identity priming: the more someone repeats a label, the more they internalize it.

Psychologically, identity-based language activates the brain’s self-schema system, which influences how people make decisions. When someone begins to see themselves as a “leader,” they feel pressure to behave in ways that match their identity — even if the behaviour is financially harmful. Sociologically, this creates role entrapment: once someone adopts the role, leaving the MLM feels like abandoning a version of themselves they’ve publicly committed to.

This is why MLM reps often say things like:

“I’m not a salesperson — I’m a mentor.”

“I’m building a legacy.”

“I’m empowering women.”

These phrases are not descriptions of reality; they are identity anchors. They keep people emotionally invested even when the business is failing.

Language as Social Control:

MLM teams rely heavily on group chats, Facebook groups, and Zoom calls where specific linguistic norms are enforced. Reps are expected to use the company’s vocabulary — “uplifting,” “aligned,” “grateful,” “abundant,” “purpose-driven.” Negativity is discouraged or punished. Questions are reframed as “limiting beliefs.” Doubts are labeled as “mindset issues.”

This is a form of linguistic social control, similar to what sociolinguists observe in high-control groups and cultic environments. When a community shares a restricted vocabulary, it becomes harder to express dissenting thoughts. If you can’t name a problem, you can’t challenge it.

Neurologically, this taps into the brain’s in-group/out-group circuitry. Shared language creates belonging; deviating from the language signals disloyalty. This is why MML reps often correct each other’s phrasing:

“Don’t say you’re struggling — say you’re learning.”

“Don’t say you can’t — say you’re working on it.”

“Don’t say you’re broke — say you’re investing in your future.”

The language polices thought. The thought polices behaviour.

Language as Emotional Regulation:

MLM language is saturated with toxic positivity — a linguistic style that denies or reframes negative emotions. Reps are taught o replace fear with “faith,” doubt with “belief,” and exhaustion with “gratitude.” This creates a form of emotional dissociation, where reps suppress legitimate stress signals because the language doesn’t allow them to acknowledge reality.

Psychologically, this taps into cognitive dissonance reduction. When someone is losing money but constantly saying, “I’m so grateful for this opportunity,” the brain tries to reconcile the contradiction by altering beliefs rather than behaviour. The language becomes a coping mechanism that keeps people from confronting the financial harm.

Neurologically, this activates the brain’s reward prediction system. Positive language triggers dopamine, even when the situation is objectively negative. This is why MLM reps often appear euphoric online while privately drowning in debt.

Language as Reality Distortion:

MLM language reframes ordinary events as evidence of success. A free sample becomes “a business investment.” A team call becomes “leadership training.” A small commission becomes “proof the system works.” This is a form of linguistic reframing, where the words used to describe an event change how the event is perceived.

Sociologically, this mirrors the bounded reality seen in high-control groups: the language creates a parallel world where the MLM is always working, even when it isn’t. Reps begin to interpret setbacks as tests, objections as opportunities, and losses as temporary sacrifices on the path to success.

This is why MLM reps say things like:

“I didn’t lose money — I invested in myself.”

“People aren’t saying no — they’re watching silently.”

“This isn’t failure — it’s part of my journey!” 

The language protects the MLM from criticism by altering the members’ perception of reality.

Language as Dependency:

The more someone uses MLM language, the more dependent they become on the MLM community. The vocabulary becomes intertwined with their identity, their social circle, and their emotional regulation. Leaving the MLM means losing not just income (which most reps never had), but a linguistic home — a place where their words, feelings, and identity were validated.

This is why many former members describe the exit as emotionally devastating. They aren’t just leaving a business; they’re leaving a worldview. The language they used daily no longer fits outside the MLM context, and that creates a sense of distortion.

Psychologically, this is similar to language attrition after leaving a high-control group. The person must relearn how to describe their experience without the MLM’s vocabulary. Sociologically, this is a form of identity reconstruction — rebuilding a sense of self outside the linguistic framework of the group.

Why Understanding MLM Linguistics Can Protect You

MLM language has changed its clothes over the decades — from the soft domestic warmth of the 1990s livingrooms, to the entrepreneurial gloss of early internet “opportunity” emails, to the pastel-washed bossbabe era, and now the AI-polished scripts of the 2020s. But the underlying machinery has never changed. The words are engineered to bypass skepticism, appeal to identity, and create emotional leverage long before a product or compensation plan ever enters the conversation.

When you strip away the emojis, the buzzwords, and the faux-intimate tone, what remains is a communication system designed to shape perception. It shapes how recruits see themselves, how they interpret their struggles, how they rationalize financial losses, and how they stay loyal to a system that statistically harms the overwhelming majority of participants. The language becomes the scaffolding that holds the entire structure together.

Understanding MLM linguistics is not just an academic exercise — it’s a form of inoculation. Once you recognize the patterns, the spell breaks. Manufactured intimacy feels hollow instead of flattering. Identity-based flattery reads as generic instead of personal. Implanted dissatisfaction becomes visible instead of subconscious. Spiritual framing loses its shine. Blame-shifting becomes transparent. And the entire emotional architecture that MLMs rely on collapses under the weight of awareness.

This is why antiMLM communities have been so effective: we teach people to recognize the script. We turn private manipulation into public pattern recognition. We give people the vocabulary to name what’s happening — and naming something is the first step toward dismantling its power.

MLMs don’t just sell overpriced products or impossible dreams. They sell language. They sell belonging through buzzwords, empowerment through clichés, and purpose through scripts that were never written with the recruit’s wellbeing in mind. But once you learn to decode the linguistics — once you see the emotional engineering behind the “hey hun” — you can’t unsee it. The manipulation loses its shine. The script loses its authority. And the person on the receiving end gains back something MLMs depend on taking: their clarity.

Understanding the language is understanding the system. Understanding the system is how people protect themselves, protect their communities, and ultimately dismantle the illusion the MLMs rely on to survive.

By Beth Gibbons (Queen of Karma)

Beth Gibbons, known publicly as Queen of Karma, is a whistleblower and anti-MLM advocate who shares her personal experiences of being manipulated and financially harmed by multi-level marketing schemes. She writes and speaks candidly about the emotional and psychological toll these so-called “business opportunities” take on vulnerable individuals, especially women. Beth positions herself as a survivor-turned-activist, exposing MLMs as commercial cults and highlighting the cult-like tactics used to recruit, control, and silence members.

She has contributed blogs and participated in video interviews under the name Queen of Karma, often blending personal storytelling with direct confrontation of scammy business models. Her work aligns closely with scam awareness efforts, and she’s part of a growing community of voices pushing back against MLM exploitation, gaslighting, and financial abuse.