How the BIGGEST beauty guru ended up in a CULT... (Michelle Phan)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 22 ก.ค. 2022
- This video is about Michelle Phan and her rise (and fall) on TH-cam! Enjoy :)
On my face:
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Calling doctors 'the medicine community' is very funny to me
That made me laugh too haha it was cute
@@claraaralc k
Peak gen z lol
referring to any and all doctors as a part of the medicine community frm now
on
This whole thing was presented funny. Spoiler 🚨 This very successful, seemingly normal woman who was very successful early on joined a cult.
The fact that she thinks one of the reasons she can't possibly be part of a cult is because she's an aries is telling me that she's the exact type of person who could very well be tricked into being part of a cult...wheww! 💀
For the past decade or so, astrology has been getting out of hand in a lot of Asian communities. A lot of Chinese female friends of mine seriously use it to judge people, either positively or negatively (mostly negatively), simply based on their zodiac signs.
I'm chinese too so no hate against the chinese communities everywhere. It's just hilarious that on top of being judged for your race and gender, now you're also judged for being a virgo or scorpio. Give me a break...
People who take astrology too seriously are very prone to the "Us vs. Them" mentality which is one of the biggest techniques for cults to recruit members and keep them in.
@@HanQ28 Really??? I didn't know it was that serious!
@@HanQ28 i agree, it’s my tenth years living in China . they judge people based on their zodiac signs and tie partnerships based on one’s Chinese zodiac. Used to think it’s normal until I saw your comment
OMG yes!!!!!
@@HanQ28 what do people in those cultures think about Sagittarius snake signs, I wonder lol😄
Using astrology as an excuse as to why you can't be in a cult is absolutely hilarious to me. That's not how it works.
especially when you use that you’re an aries like aries arent super sensitive and reactive to their environment 🤡
right astrology is for people to understand their flaws and grow from it now use it as an excuse lol
@@stevie1862 I mean there are always multiple contradictory traits in every zodiac (I’m an Aries and I barely fit the regular traits)
its even more ridiculous when you realize that many cults use more "mainstream" types of spiritualism such as astrology and palmistry to draw in recruits. its like shes saying "yeah, im not in a cult, they just use all these cult tactics"
@@lukaseldenrust2637 yo wanted to let yk that your sun sign (aries) isn’t the only thing that comes to play there’s like many other placements such as your moon your venus your mars and other placements that could define you a lil more, dw tho i understand why there’s skepticism but wanted to let yk :D
As a person with a disability, the behaviour of these cults are literally so harmful to us:( some disability cannot be cured and patients and society have to accept that and still treat people as equal
Here’s the twist, neurotypical people are just as F-ed up as those of us who are neurodivergent. It’s easy to sit there on a thrown of used diapers and proclaim your amazing “normalcy”, but the world sees every single issue shingling bright 😩🤣
@@-MaryPoppins- I don‘t know how to take your comment tbh. Yes, everyone has their share of issues but disabled people ( I am a wheelchair user) have to face problems that the abled population does not even have to think about. For example, in my case I cannot go everywhere I please due to the fact that some places are not accessible with a wheelchair! And that is just the tip of the iceberg! I face problems in every aspect of my life and almost everyday !
It’s awful!! The reason they do this stuff is because it will trap people who are desperate for help, and make it easy to manipulate them. And the worst part is they fake it. I had a friend whose dad would fake being “cured” by things and he told her it was okay that he was lying because it was “for a greater good”. It’s just disgusting. I’m so sorry society treats you and anyone else with a disability this way.
I agree. Not everyone needs to be "fixed", sometimes people are completely content and at peace with their disability. I have somewhat severe fibromyalgia and I hate it when people start suggesting these weird herbal supplements and giving advice on how to "fix" it.
Like I've had fibro since I was like thirteen bud, I don't think your raw honey concoction is going to help me. 🙄 Can you just help me carry my groceries inside? That would be helpful.
@@CeceJianni Right?! As if there's something wrong with having a disability or medical condition... ableism at its finest 🙄
As a physician I’m very proud to be part of what’s now known as ‘the medicine community’, idk why we haven’t thought of calling ourselves that before but I’m here for it 🤷🏼♀️✨
has a nice ring to it! ✨
@@angelikamakeup after all this time you still reply to comments, a queen ✨✨
Love that docs are out here watching drama channels, lol
I, for one, am very thankful for you and your “medicine community.”
Legal drug dealers. You should be proud.
The fact that she came back and earned like 2M in her return video after a THREE YEAR just DIP speaks to how OG she is.
Like she's JENNA MARBLES big. She was like one of the FOUNDERS of the beauty community in a way.
She really was!
@@kelcielynn2838 still is
Literally!!! So sad to hear about this and trying to understand what happened, but please. Put some respect on Michelle’s name! Literally THEE og makeup TH-camr…. It was not because of buzzfeed. She wasn’t a part of the first wave she was a pioneer. THE it girl! It honestly rubbed me the wrong way how she was introduced. But I understand it is because she was such an important part of my love of makeup and some of the few representations I had growing up. So it’s more personal to me. But no one is perfect or exempt from criticism and I am here to try and understand. I had no idea about this scandal until recently. :(
She was the beauty community before the beauty community really existed! I was thinking about her the other day and where she might have gone.
I've been a fan of Michelle since the very beginning, started to follow her as a kid and I'm 28 now. Seeing what she's up to nowadays feels like such a weird trip. I barely recognize her as the same person anymore. Something about her has changed. I really hope she gets help and gets herself together. So sad to see someone you admire being this lost.
Same
I still have her book that I got when I was barely an adult. And honestly the book was very helpful for someone getting into makeup and I loved her story of her life and art that she included. I looked up to her so much back then. A few years ago when she “returned” to social media more (around the time she started em), I noticed she seemed really different.
Of course Michelle changed, it's been more than 2 decades since she first started making TH-cam videos. There's good change, decent change, and bad change. I just wish she didn't go through bad change of supporting cults because she's in a bad mental state and I hope her mental health gets better.
Omg me too!!!!! Since I was lk 12-14 and now I’m 27!! This is insane!!
Same exact thoughts and age as you
I also think the cult is scamming her, we see this with rich people all the time they become victim of these charismatic cult leaders. I mean that’s basically Scientology.
Literally took the words out of my mouth!! I’m sure she *thinks* she healed someone’s legs, but that’s because they’re manipulating her and tricking her into believing these things.
@noobmaster420 It's like the story about boiling frogs, cults turn up the crazy slowly so you don't notice how whack your beliefs have become 😅
@noobmaster420 I completely understand, every time I hear cult stories I’m like “hooooow??” But I think it’s really a testimony to how much our reality can be warped by perception and manipulation. It’s gaslighting but on a grand scale. It’s not just cults that do either, but organized religion as well. I had a friend growing up whose dad would travel around to differ churches and be “cured” of disabilities and disease he didn’t have, and even “poisonous” snake bites. People would literally cry tears of joy for him to have been cured by “God’s miracle”, and those churches would always see a huge increase in the congregation size. He told her it was okay to lie because they were strengthening peoples’ belief in God.
Makes me think of NXIVM…
My mom fell from Catholicism into New Age gurus. They were so toxic , stole our family’s money (what little there was), and fed her mental illness. This is how it starts and I truly worry for her.
that’s terrible :( i’ll be praying for your mother.
Prayer warriors, get in here…
I’m sorry to hear this happened to your family! I’m going to pray for her recovery from the enemy.
I’m so sorry river, am praying for you and your mother🙏🏻🥺
that‘s so sad. i'm sorry for that. 😔❤️
Lol from one religion to another. She should get professional help. Like, a psychologist.
"all cults seem like a cult of love before they go bad".
Girl, I completely agree. Just look at what happened to Jonestown.
Jonestown is one of the saddest, most tragic things to happenin human history.
@@Adele5554 I agree. What's even sadder about it is that for a long time, many people believed that the people of Jonestown were a bunch of crazy cult members who committed mass suicide which is definitely not the truth.
@@Adele5554 there were even worst things. This world existed for thousands of years and many things happened from great to worst
@@desertmoonlee6631 lmaoo they completely ignore other countries too where worse things happen 😂
The spinal cord injury guy could have been a plant. The organizers pay someone to pretend they are disabled to then "cure" them. Then the customers return to the retreat and/or recommend it to others.
Edit: it was brought up slightly later on in the video
I find it hilarious that people still fall for this. I thought it’s common knowledge that stuff like that is fake.
@@CherryJuli I literally, can't believe it! I have sympathy for people that are lacking whatever it is inside them, that make them susceptible to these things...but, it is hard for me to see how people just can't easily see these type of things. Don't even get me started on MLMs.
Yes it was a plant for sure.
@@CherryJuli You think it’s funny? They literally sleep deprive these people and make their mind easier to to bend to their will.
@@CherryJuli.
Idk who needs to hear this but meditating is free. Like you could literally just wake up & do it whenever you want. You don’t gotta pay grifters for it.
If I am going to meditate on anything, it is the word of the One True Living God, The Father Of Jesus Christ, and The Holy Spirit.
Ipsy has SCRUBBED all references to Michelle from their website. I remember when it launched and she was so excited about it, but now there's absolutely NOTHING.
Oh wow, I thought my brains changed my memory of this but I remembered it right. I also remember something like IQQU?
@@Esandeech2 Wow, I forgot about IQQU! I don't even know if it still exists
it's one of the reasons many people (myself included) were surprised she was even a founder
It's so so so terribly problematic when Eastern traditions get appropriated and commodified and twisted like this. The popular version of yoga that we see today was intended to prepare the body for long hours of meditation (that's an incredibly oversimplified explanation though). And there are also silent retreats called vipasana that center meditation and philosophy teachings and they are done as a community service, by donation and no one is deprived of basic needs like sleep, etc and you are free to leave any time. And then of course Westerners take these traditions and exploit them and this is what happens. SMH.
Strongly agree! It has become a big business
I feel like the fact that Michelle is Vietnamese-American makes it even more sad that she fell for these shallow versions of Eastern religion/spirituality, when with her wealth and ethnicity she could have gone to visit Vietnam and really connected with her roots in a way less sketchy way.
@@sianmilne4879 THIS is so true, what you said. I'm mostly vietnamese and I've been in a spiritual path with a whole lineage in Buddhism. There's so many buddhist temples that you can connect with in vietnam. The monks are amazing teachers and I got to spend some time with them to expand my studies on Buddhism and eastern spirituality as a whole. The western countries will always try to find ways to exploit eastern culture.
yes. remember that guy scammer who was selling sweat lodge retreats and a bunch of people died because he had no clue what he was doing? And he was doing it for money.
The story of the man who “decided to walk again” because of spiritual magic is literally a plot point in the Doctor Strange film.
Oh my god yes !!! I immediately thought of Doctor Strange 😂😂😂
Yeeeeah, I wonder if they got it from the comic book 😂
“I couldn’t be in a cult because I’m an Aries” this sounds like satire
That 100% could be a the onion article
Something that Julien Solomita would say
Lol, it does..and also the EXACT thing someone who would be susceptible to be manipulated, so easily, would say!
I think what makes people continue to defend her isn't just the nostalgia but the fact that she was a major form of representation for Asians. Heck, I remember being so amazed that she was Vietnamese and that I could see my own features on her. I've grown past that and see all the crazy woowoo stuff she's roped up in and not support her. I hope she can find a healthy resolution to whatever problems that caused her to fall into a cult.
She was the first person on TH-cam that exposed me to Vietnamese culture. It’s sad what’s happened to Michelle. I hope she is able to get out of this situation safely
Thankfully there are so many more Vietnamese now for young women to see and grow self confidence from cause wow she for sure did a 360 on us and totally went a complete opposite direction than we would have expected
This is such a good point 💚
100% agree. I was so amazed as a kid that someone who was like me could be on such a high platform. Now? I just feel so incredibly heartbroken. I remember how kind she was in everything she did and I genuinely hope she can get the right kind of support for her and not some manipulative cult.
@@sherimorgan7107 stop using nationalities and patriotism to feel proud. You are yourself you didn’t choose where to born. I hate how when someone do something good or bad have to represent a whole country. Like who cares, we all represent ourselves as human beings, this is why i hate politics and patriotism which unfortunately exist badly in asian countries and some other race
The fact that she’s become like this makes me really sad. Michelle was my first introduction to both TH-cam and to make up. I spent hours watching her tutorials over and over because she was so comforting to watch.
“It’s a cult of love, not one of those hippie cults!” MA’AM! 🤣
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
I def agree about LA people being easily tricked into “retreats” and shit. I live in the Midwest and my job is not in the public so I’m just chilling and i feel like these people could easily just go to another state/city in the US and quit social media for a week and have the same experience but they always choose the “extra” shit like retreats cus they have the money and they feel it’s that serious and sometimes i think it’s so they can come back and make content off of it. I dont get their minds it sounds unbelievably exhausting
100% it looks like the only thing they learn are nice things to say for the camera instead of actually "growing" or learning something useful in those retreats
you mean LA transplants, not people who were born and raised here ahahah
@@Yee-pt5xp lol definitely and people more involved in the entertainment industry
Exactly.
@@Yee-pt5xp Straight up lol people always overlook the majority of regular ass people who live there. It’s annoying as fuck. Like who do y’all think is working the grunt jobs? Celebrities & influencers?
I never bought anything from em cosmetics because I refused to give her money for the same reason (+ how she lied about being poor but was actually well off even before youtube). I live in southern California and have never met Michelle Phan personally, but I have always heard that she was in a cult. Without revealing too much personal info, I am 2-3 people away from Michelle Phan and heard that she acts strange at parties as well.
wait what? she wasn’t poor?! that was like a core thing whenever she talked about her past 😧
Hold on, do you have proof of that? 🤯 I’ve never heard anything about her lying about her upbringing? I remember her stories very well about her hard childhood. I’d be very sad to learn that none of it was true.
@@rosalina2773 I learned about it when I was in elementary or middle so it was over a decade ago. She used to have a blog under the name ricebunny and if you went far enough, she had posted pics of herself posing with her car and of luxury designer brand items. The blog might be deleted now, but you may be able to find an archive of it. I’m honestly surprised no one has done a deep dive video on her because she has lied about a lot of things and I couldn’t see her in the same way ever since. I stopped watching her probably in the early days of 2008 or 2009 and haven’t been up to date about anything else she’s done or said. No hate to Michelle Phan, I hope she’s changed to be a better person and gets the help and support she needs regarding the cult.
Why do all beauty TH-camrs lie about being poor????? I won’t say who, but I knew a big beauty youtuber personally and she claims to have been so poor too, and I’m just like poor people don’t have designer bags! Do you think maybe they’re so out of touch that they actually think they were poor before? Because every one of them claims the same thing and I just don’t believe it.
@@sylviaa8830 wow that’s very disappointing 😔 thanks for responding. So scummy to exaggerate your family struggles like that.. and for what I wonder. Definitely has changed how I feel about her, but I still hope she gets help out of this cult situation.
It's always angers me how western business minded people take eastern or African traditions and then exploit them and then western people thinks that's the actual traditions and starts saying negative things about it without knowing the actual way to do it. You don't need to go to a camp to meditate, learn meditation from TH-cam, download some calm music and do it at your home.
That's exactly I am doing
Oh this is no different for Western theologies is the thing. I pissed off a LOT of Christians during lockdown because I said they can practice Christianity from home-pray from home, for example, sing hymns from home, read your bible from home, tithe to your local church remotely. This angered so many. So I dug my heels further and pointed out they just not have a very strong relationship with God if they can’t do a single one of these things from home to protect their friends and family. 😂
@@asmrtpop2676 true, if you don't need a specific place to worship or meditate. Find a calm place or room dedicated to God or just empty room and do your stuff. They just want to show how much money or time they spend in these places like flex culture.
I had subscribed and followed Michelle for YEARS ever since I was a teenager. Even before I started wearing makeup, I would watch every video she made.I understand that people who are in a cult often don't realize that they're in one, but her response to all the constructive feedback and genuine concerns from her followers is what made me finally decide to unsubscribe/unfollow her altogether. After the Q&A video, I saw her insta story saying, "The fact that I made a video speaking from my heart, confirming that I'm not in a cult whatsoever, yet people are still accusing me I'm in a cult just confirms how if someone chooses to misunderstand you, you can speak all the truth you want, they won't hear you." (yes these are the exact words bc I screenshot the story)
From most of the comments under the video, I don't see anyone "choose to misunderstand" her. They are her fans and followers who were concerned and were just trying to explain to her how modern cults work and how you can still feel love and comfort within a cult. And she just dismissed them by saying people only want to misunderstand her. It just rubs me the wrong way. Now I only hope people don't fall victim to this cult bc they trust and believe in her.
another shady thing she did in the early 2010s was launch a skincare brand IQQU that was labelled as "FDA-approved" but it turned out it was approved by FDA Asia. I remember it being a huge thing back in the day before even EM, it's crazy that it is forgotten now.
That’s right. I still have the red kabuki brush from that line.
Yep I was gonna say anyone remember “ick ew!” Products and the controversy ?
Many people respect Michelle, people grew up with her, they watched her tutorials to prepare for their prom, their birthday, their datea, their graduation, their wedding or even just for their everyday lives so it's understandable why people aren't mad at her and aren't really canceling her but are just genuinely VERY worried for her.
There's something MANY people have missed in the life update video which I have witnessed myself after deciding to see what she's up to since I haven't seen her in yeeeaaars. In the description of the video there was only a meditation emoji with a link under it, I clicked the link and I shit you not it had a cryptic message that said something like "a surprise will come your way soon" or some shit like that with two boxes that asked for a name and a phone number, that was fucking it, I was Livid and wrote an angry comment about her being irresponsible by posting an obvious recruitment link for vulnerable people. The whole point of the video was NOT a genuine Q&A, it was actually made to recruit potential new followers. The link was probably there in the first few hours of the video being uploaded and then when I came back to check on the video a day later she removed the link. Creepiest shit I've ever witnessed. It was saddening and disappointing to see someone I grew up watching do such things, she made the choice to join a cult but I can not excuse her choice of recruiting.
GODNESS??????
that's scarrrrryyyyyy
I've witnessed this happen firsthand. These "spiritualists" will prey on people living stressful lives (financial problems, depression, divorce, etc.). They convince you that you're the only enlightened one and everyone else in your life is "lost". Eventually, this leads to severe self-isolation to the point where you seek a sense of community within in the cult because everyone else just "doesn't understand" or is "too lost to be saved".
You don’t realize you’re in a cult until it’s too late
The irony of people in LA “finding spirituality” in these retreats when it’s just a money making scheme like everything else there lol
Exactly!! If you truly want to learn spirituality go to places like India, Tibet, or Nepal 😭
@@kiwiwooq or find a lineage traced back to one of those places. There are many western gurus who come from and learned from people from the places you mentioned and were granted actual transmissions from them
@@kiwiwooq OR instead of even stealing Eastern culture's spirituality you can look into paganism and European origin spirituality like Druidism and more
@@kiwiwooq I think true spirituality can be achieved anywhere. That is something that angers religious folk 😂
Sometimes the best way to help someone in a situation like this is to let go. Not giving your money to her (via not buying Em) is a way to gently do that. Whether it's drugs, a cult, or something else sometimes as hard as it is people need to hit rock bottom before they realize they're falling. I've been a fan of hers since before the launch of Em. This truly breaks my heart. This isn't empty advice I've seen what happens when you don't and ultimately when you finally do. It's so hard but it's sometimes the only option and at this point others can be hurt too.
So excited for the direction that this channel is going! Loving the longer form content!
Excited **
thank you 🥺❤️❤️
I started watching Michelle Phan and Kandee Johnson when I was like 11 years old. I'm 24 now. I remember when em cosmetics initially came out, and I knew that Michelle started Ipsy! I lost interest in her content as the makeup community grew to include more people, but she really is such an OG.
Cults prey on mentally weak people, and its quite sad. I don't know if any of you heard of the channel Eat Your Kimchi but this reminds me a bit of what happened with Simon. These people are 'spiritual' predators and its despicable.
Ugh i get so sad whenever i think about simon and martina! Its crazy how simon used to joke about those breathy talking spiritual seekers and he actually became one himself! So happy to see martina in a better place
I hadn't heard about Simon and Martina. I literally paused this video halfway through and then I went down an hour-long rabbit hole reading up on what happened.
@@kaffwyns it's kinda crazy, people can do a whole 180 and become a different person so fast. Trust me, I feel like the EYK rabbit hole never ends.
Omg i need to look this up. Always wondered what happened to them!
I think LA lives in it’s own bubble and people inside LA forget what the “real world” is actually like
You mean people who move to LA from another state and are in the influencer/celebrity bubble right?
@@mimzymarin8159 yes
You ‘re only referring to rich ppl in LA right ? Because the poor/middle class in LA are definitely living in the real world...
high taxes, cost of living... etc you name it.
I am into esoteric stuff, but I practice in solitary because of all the craziness that can happen in esoteric groups. The only time I actually felt comfortable talking about the occult in a group, was in classes at my university. I am doing my Master´s in Global History at the University of Vienna and we do have classes about alternative esoteric and religious practices. And the reason why I feel comfortable is that the professors and my colleagues are objective and reasonable. As a historian, I am more into folk practices and the origins of folk practices and I´ve never liked New Age practices. I´ve always been a little suspicious when it comes to Joe Dispenza. The way that people who are into New Age (and that is why I despite New Age so much) are basically worshipping this guy, just because he is a "doctor" is nuts. One time, I literally had to explain to these people that there are differences in Doctor titles. Just because you are a doctor, it doesn´t make you an MD. And from what I´ve read about Chiropractors in the US, you don´t have to study medicine for you to be a Chiropractor. This is different in the EU. In the EU, you have to get an MD first before you go into Chiropractor training. Also, this man has a PhD, which is a doctorate degree on an academic level, but it is still not an MD degree. New Age people literally take every word this man says as wisdom and trusts him because he has a Doctor in front of his name. So therefore for them, his words are the truth. Also, the way he talks about Quantum this and Quantum that, my partner is a physicist and he said that this is not how Quantum physics works. I really hate it when New Age people basically take Quantumphysics out of context. And from what I know, Quantumphysicsist all over the world are ranting about this BS in their classes.
It saddens me that Michelle went down that spiral. I hope that she will snap out of this sooner than later.
Woa that's so interesting!
Yes! If he was a DO (Dr of Osteopathy) it might be better, as they get medical training but then tend to focus on the bones and joints like chiros. But honestly I've never been to a chiropractor that could help me with anything but a sore back, no matter what they claimed.
The way ppl are acting in denial to defend Michelle just purely off nostalgia is crazy but not surpriding, if the experience she described is exactly what happened and she came away from the experience being like “I can heal ppl now ✨” that’s cultish rhetoric to recruit more ppl, its literally the oldest trick in the book that the tactics in how cults recruit ppl is very subtle to indoctrinate you into believing it’s you’re own choice, and you can argue “it IS still their choice” but it’s done in a manipulative way to prey on vulnerable ppl, there’s reason why most ex cult stories you hear it’s either from ppl who were children and grew up out of it, or ppl who were in positions of vulnerability, just like Michelle.
I read somewhere in comments she lied about many things like she don't know her dad , she's poor etc.
I know Michelle has inspired a lot of young people, especially aapi, and seeing her keep falling for these obvious scams just because they're considered "trendy" or "uplifting" makes me super upset. It's obvious that she feels like she's straying farther and farther away from her Vietnamese culture because she is living in the U.S., not to add that she's in a largely populated city. She deserves real clarity and she needs real connection, but I cannot feel bad for her when she has been given real solutions to her issues while being heavily supported on multiple occasions. Instead of taking trips to Vietnam, speaking with Vietnamese elders and family, learning Vietnamese, or trying to connect with a Vietnamese community, she spreads misinformation to make herself, and this cult look good. I know that connecting with your culture in a country that looks down on your culture is hard, and you will always feel somewhat disconnected at some point in time, but you can still make a real effort to connect without potentially harming vulnerable people that will do ANYTHING to cure themselves of their health issues. She is preying on people that fell for it just like her, and it's not excusable because she has a significantly large audience that will fall for it. I really do hope that she gets the help that she needs, and is able to connect with her culture.
yeah it's sad that she would bypass a way to organically and directly contact with her Vietnamese culture, people and country and doing it in the most removed Western way possible.. She has the means, resources and money to do it herself and directly. Hell she has her Vietnamese family on her mom's side that she can reach out to. I can't understand why/how she fell hard for this.
She's always been "a bit of a shill." She has done and said some very problematic things. I'm not sure how well respected she was in the beauty community, to me it seems more like there wasn't anyone else to nominate for these rewards and do brand deals with. She's always kinda been on the fringes of pseudoscientific spirituality, she is VERY gullible, and she also tends to latch onto things that are either popular and will make her money/keep her relevant, or something that aligns with her spiritual beliefs. I was there from the beginning and I saw a lot of this happen in real time, so it doesn't shock me that she's doing this now.
I used to love her 10 years ago.... She had her beauty brand (loved the skin filters) ipsy, then she dipped got married came back dipped again and -now- she's evidently lost the plot. I wore cybergoth anime look to the 2014 HIM concert in Houston i wish I had pics I looked so cute💜🖤
huh wait a damn minute she GOT MARRIED?!?
To that model dude dom?
Spirituality, faith, religion, all that shouldn’t require someone to spend thousands of dollars, that’s when it becomes predatory and culty, and when she starts to spread these ideas on her social media those culty people gain from that!! Idk how she doesn’t see that, people are worried for her and the people she can negatively effect with these ideas. Trying to convince people meditation can cure disabilities is straight up harmful for real people, hope she finds a better way to express her spirituality that doesn’t directly benefit these predatory people.
The meditation part honestly urks me a little. Heres some info on why :
I understand where Michelle comes from bc im also Vietnamese & our culture revolves around Buddhism. Where there are monks and meditation is important... Its apart of our lives by choice for generations... I just see it as her tapping into tradition but also following modernism where she isnt gonna shave her head and become a monk willingly. There are programs like that people can go to if they feel like they cannot meditate by themselves and find peace amongst meditating with others. YES there are bathroom breaks. I have been to one before. *Wasnt for me bc i was terrified of becoming lost if i left the group*
All that aside, i do think shes very out of touch bc of her posts on political stances and Bitcoin.. Those were... weird and not her that I knew back in 2005..
I used to be obsessed with her when I was younger! I was convinced she was the epitome of beautiful and she would make me that way. It’s so crazy to think how much she has changed since then. I’m glad I outgrew the phase of following tutorials to make myself “beautiful”
Thank you sm for making a video on this! ❤️ and it's honestly concerning, everytime she talked about her experiences in the cult they always weirded me out and never felt quite right.
Psychology student here 🙋♀️ you’re spot on about susceptibility having nothing to do with personality (or intelligence either) and everything to do with life circumstances. People are vulnerable to accepting the gradual process of indoctrination when they are lonely or having an identity crisis or other form of crisis like grief or financial stress.
You pointed out the pattern of going ham with the latest scam and they are very cult-adjacent.
Exactly! Smart people can get dragged in, but it's mainly being vulnerable (lonely, unsupported, depressed, struggling) that makes them a target to the groups. They will smother you with love and acceptance and and support. And sometimes people need that and will give up other things to receive those benefits.
I'm a moderately disabled person who is unable to work and I use a wheelchair part time, but I can still largely care for myself. I have flexed between vegan and vegetarian for 10 years and I meditate for an hour or more a day. Turns out I'm still disabled. I feel way better day to day than before I made those changes and wouldn't go back, but I'm still degenerating/declining. Maybe slower than I would have. I would also NEVER walk away from my large medical team no matter how much better I feel day to day. Commenting cuz I've been preyed on as a desperate disabled person before and maybe someone who is disabled will see this and remember it next time someone tries to heal them with a scam. ❤️
A note for the first launch of Em Cosmetics, they launched MASSIVE pallettes with eye and lips and blush for $75. Would love to see a reaction to different beauty brands' first launches!
That powder is absolutely immaculate- you were RIGHT UP into the camera and all I could do was stare at your pretty face in awe. No crumbs or ANYTHING I WAS GASPING lol- The tea aside I genuinely adored your makeup and it’s routine! ✨💅🏽
thank you!! 💗😭
Really enjoying this video in more your old style! I love deep dives (or even just quick dives) into one specific topic/person instead of many!
It’s scary to see a nice girl like Michelle to be in a cult. She feels hopeless and stressed what makes her an easy target for cult leaders. It will be fine if the cult is just taking money from her, but it can get really dark in some time. Like people sell their houses for cults and end up on streets, or worse, cult leaders can force them to do something illegal.
I hope she’ll get a professional help and finds a place where she fells safe and loved ❤
I hope so too
24:20 I'm sorry, but saying you cant be in a cult because you're an Aries is the culty-ist thing I've ever heard
You missed when she had a brand called IQQU that she claimed was FDA approved when it definitely was not 🤭
I love how you are always transparent about your links
I completely forgot this happened! Thank you for informing me!
She was such an inspiration for me back in the day, I looked up to her. It is beyond heart breaking to see how she is now.
Things felt off about her every since I saw her peddling cryptocurrency. Thanks for giving me the full picture in one place! I hope Michelle gets the help she needs
You really articulated the ways in which she was preyed upon exactly, by wanting community, the motivation to commit to a program, and the money to fund it. I've been reading Cultish by Amanda Montell and a lot of what she examines about the manipulative language and tactics used by cults shows here.
I was obsessed with her, she taught me makeup, I’ve had Ipsy for years and bought her book but I haven’t kept up with her the last few years and a cULT
Thank you for doing this deep dive into this. I didn’t know ANY of this about her because I wasn’t into TH-cam during that time. (I was busy raising kids) Btw, you are the first person I’ve seen using that Sigma powder. It looks great! I love Sigma’s brushes and eyeshadow formula. This video really explains a lot that I have been seeing about Michelle.
Thank you for this. I was curious why you recently said you weren’t buying from the brand. This video was very informative and supportive, and I appreciate you didn’t tear her down here
Oh man, when I was little I was only allowed 30 minutes of internet a day on the family desktop computer & I loved Michelle Phan! She helped me feel more comfy with makeup to make my eyes look bigger when I had to get glasses. Sad so hear this, I hope she’s ok & that everyone she’s influencing with this stuff is also ok
I still vividly remember watching her original videos way back at the start of TH-cam and just being amazed by her Lady Gaga video.
Never been so early in a video. Love your videos!!! Honestly watching you is the highlight of my depressive week. Sending you tons of love from Mexico 🇲🇽
omg i have been waiting for this one !! once again queen angelika coming thru💗
Please don’t send hate her way. Much like ending up in an abusive relationship, everyone can end up in a cult. It’s not something people are aware of when it’s happening and you can tell she is in denial. Being judgmental and cruel will push her further into theses people‘s arms.
I loved her videos and products especially the color drops ;( she inspired me sm i wanted to be her and order all her products so sad how she ended up like this
Loving the longer form, deep dive content! (I also love makeup so I think it’s cool you’ve continued using makeup on camera while telling the story.💕)
Very interesting what’s happening with Michelle… I really am worried for her. I hope she wakes up & that she is safe. Cults are nothing to F with.😳
Thank you so much Angelika for sharing this info. I actually come from the the old TH-cam community myself. My original channel I had I started at 2006. So I remember the rise of Michelle and was a HUGE fan. I also remember her first makeup launch that didn't do to well and she left due to burn out, and she also said due to feeling embarrassed about the failed launch.
I'm really really saddened to hear she's gone down this road. She has always been spiritual yes but not like this. I had no idea what she was talking about when she uploaded her video about not being in a cult. / Since I haven't been active myself on Instagram so I hadn't seen her posts
EDIT:. I also onlly saw a small part of the video as I saw it on facebook. I didn't know there was a full video
I'm disabled myself, I have a lot of disabilities so the fact she's promoting 'healing someone who's paralyzed ' annoys me. I don't like the fact she's using vulnerable people to promote bullshit. / btw I'm not saying mindfulness and meditation bullshit as I know it can help people mentally. But what it cannot do is heal someone with a life term illness.. THAT'S bullshit.
I wouldn't be surprise if the the man she ' healed' was apart of the scam pretending that he couldn't walk before she helped him. The reason I think this is because I don't like to think someone I looked up to lied about healing someone, and she just thinks she did.. Ugh idk.
I hope she stays safe
Whew, xanga! What a blast from the past! I watched Michelle like 10 years ago, but stopped after a few years. Thanks for filling me in on what happened to her...and making me feel super old! 🖤
the speed you're talking is just perfect.
The idea of not moving for up to five hours drives me nuts. I could never.
I was subbed to Michelle Pham back in 2007! And I have to say before the partner program there weren’t sponsorships or affiliate links, TH-cam was entirely a hobby, not a career. She was really broke at the time and was always posting about money-saving makeup ideas. It’s wild to see how much she’s changed.
Tysm for advocating for PWDs…I was starved, pronged, stuck, stretched, and so much more…I’ve had JRA since age 3 and all those things only HURT me far worse than the agonizing deforming rheumatoid arthritis…it ADDED mental/emotional anguish…I respect what others do that’s best for THEM…but all I needed- especially as an infant/child -even (albeit not as much but still hurts when given/pressured to try what’s best..for THEM)…what I needed was: Inclusion, love, understanding/intelligence…I KNOW it’s hard seeing (me) PWDs in pain/suffering but…imagine BEING that person IN PAIN/disAbled…that spinal chord injury demo…that’s very dangerous…people w disAbilities are so vulnerable and yes, dependent on others. I must digress: I can go on n on. The only way Pham will ‘get it’ is if she lives in a sick/disAbled persons body.
Not just Phan but ALL people who ‘heal’sick ppl vs ACCEPT sick ppl/create inclusion/break down barriers…
Love this new longer form content :)
You don't need to be stupid to be in a cult, so many well known cults have had "high standing" member (doctors, lawyers and so on). Just like she says, it's about belonging and feeling like you're part of something. That'd why some political groups can get very intense, all across the spectrum, bc being part of a "tribe" (tho that terminology is a bit problematic) makes it easier to go with the crowd and that makes you less critical. Even the smartest lawyer becomes just somebody within a herd mentality. So if someone is telling you that you're in a cult you should probably consider why they'd say that instead of why that isn't the case, even if that person ends up being wrong.
Meditation, essential oils, and other forms of "natural" healing can be really good. I also believe the phrase "mind over matter" is very true in that if you think positively you can heal faster or more. That being said, all of those things cannot make someone walk again who lost the ability to walk. It's unfortunate but that's not how it works. Using meditation and other similar methods can be really good for the mental health of a disabled person who, using the same example, lost the ability to walk, but it won't make them walk again.
It's really sad to see her get sucked into this cult, but they really do prey on vulnerable people and take advantage wherever they can. I really hope her support system is strong and they're able to help her get out of this because it could end up being dangerous.
If essential oil can cure covid tgen people don't have to die
I’m glad someone’s finally talking about this cause I noticed this odd behavior from her a whileeeeee ago and it was just super concerning. Btw, your skin is absolutely STUNNING and you’re absolutely stunning. PERIODT.
thank you 💗💗
Michelle was the very first youtuber I followed and I stayed subscribed after her "why I left video" and was so excited when she returned... disappointment of the century. So sad to see what she's turned to...
The way I CACKLED (as a 30 year old) when you said “I think it’s pronounced xanga” 😂
You were right! Lmao
I feel the same way about her. She’s the reason I got into makeup in the first place. She’s inspired me so much. No one was creating videos like her. Making makeup tutorials with a movie-like story??? Genius. It had me so invested & she’s so endearing. I wasn’t mad at her for this. I could see she was coming from a place of hurt and found peace in this. Obviously, it’s still not okay to share this with her very impressionable viewers. A lot of false promises could be made. I’m just sad for her? I wish she found healing through other means. I still love her though & wish her the best💖. I just hope she listens to her followers.
I would love to see you do a video on how you do your nails! You mentioned a while ago that you do them yourself and they always look so good
She also made a video about investing into bitcoin which we all know is the biggest scam out there.
I’m really surprised why she’s going down this “get rich quick” “heal yourself” “cure for covid”.
People are not that naïve to fall for something just because an influencer is promoting it.
I’m gonna pause this really quick so I can get ready as you are getting ready in the video, I love this style of content!! ❤️
new word of the day "shilling"
love the long form video, really enjoy this from you
I knew about most the other companies she started but I’m shook that she started thematic
you’re glowing !!
I followed Michelle forever and had no clue what happened to her. She busted on the beauty scenes, created an amazing brand and then come to find out she joined a cult. Why would this even be surprising when we have people like Jeffree Star and Shane Dawson as big players in the beauty world. This should just be normal hearing this about Michelle to be honest. Oh of course, she joined a cult. Duh😂
Your skin with and without makeup looks amazing. Drop the skin care routineeee
Ahh xanga! I'm the same age as Michelle so hearing xanga just brings back nostalgia for me 🖤
Thank you for reporting on this!
💗
Only thing I wanna say since I was hs age at the time is Michelle Phan was more viral than buzzfeed and not the other way around. She basically had a yt channel but mostly accrued clout during the time when tutorials were mostly normal makeup and she was one of a few ogs that was mostly famous first for doing like.......whatever makeup was between cosplay and face painting. Like..idk Tutorial to look like princess Jasmine and other random famous characters.
i started watching Michelle back in 2010 after discovering the Barbie makeup video, she was the first person i ever subscribed to, it’s actually quite upsetting to see how she turned out lmao
Isn't weird how some of the big influencers have been getting into spirituality. Reminds me of Dulce Candy
I loved Michelle Phan growing up. She taught me everything about makeup when I was like 13 and just learning how to do my own makeup
Same!!
@@angelikamakeup I also had no idea she started ipsy til watching this!?!? And I’m a monthly subscriber lol
I just watched her last video and my goodness it’s eerie
Thank you for what you said about medication being a good thing. There’s such a stigma against using it for anxiety and I wish people would do their research before judging others because some people need it!
OMG! Your skin is flawless! No need for foundation, just a bb or cc cream...
omggg this feels so like old school angelika videos god love it
I kinda feel like the new wave of TH-cam content creators, or at least the next coming wave, are the channels that get popular from posting shorts. Most of them come from TikTok or insta, and then eventually start making their own TH-cam videos. Mrs. Rogers is an example, her channel blew up, mostly from the shorts she posted.
I literally love ipsy, you taught me something new!
I was taken aback when Angelica said she was doing a giveaway at 150k. I really thought she had way more subs already 😸 I guess she just gives big sub energy 😂