Since we’re talking about Ballerina Farm, let’s talk about my favorite conspiracy. All your favorite og IG influencers are Mormon (including Ballerina Farm, incidentally). Here’s the scam:
The LDS church launched a campaign over a decade ago to encourage members to capitalize on social media fame to convert their followers to Mormonism. I’ll explain why that’s a problem later. For now, the juicy bits:
I came across this video a couple of years ago and it blew my mind. If you’re opposed to watching TikToks let me break it down for you: this creator asserts that all major influencers are LDS and can be split into 3 categories. Some of the categories overlap but still, 3 categories. They are Luxury, Chill, and Energy. I will summarize below (all quotes taken from original video):
Luxury influencers (all the Skalla sisters Rachel, Emily, Meg, Amy) are the “OG fashion bloggers” of the 2012-14 eras, they started with blog outfit photoshoots, and now they’re doing Nordstrom collabs like Rachel Parcell, or at New York Fashion Week. Chill influencers (Like Amber Fillerup, Jaci Marie Smith , and Sydney Liann) are defined by “terracotta linens, film photography, outdoorsy vibes.” There are overlaps in all of these categories with their own names. For example, the overlap between Chill and Energy is called “Vibing Enthusiastically”. A great example is the Bucket List Family. Energy influencers, on the other hand, are all about “reels & clickbait, profit opportunity, and kids.” These are your MLM moms, family travel bloggers, and explicit evangelism centered influencers like Shannon Bird and Jordan Page. The overlap between energy and Luxury is “Chaotic Wealth”, of whom Turtle Creek Lane is my favorite example.
This video was confirmation I suspected while reading through the stories of an influencer formerly known as White Shanty At Home. She stated a few years ago that, at an LDS conference, members were instructed to embrace social media as a means of converting people to their religion. Here’s a quote from the LDS handbook that seems to confirm her takeaway from the conference: "Members are encouraged to use the Internet to flood the earth with testimonies of the Savior and His restored gospel. They should view blogs, social networks, and other Internet technologies as tools that allow them to amplify their voice in promoting the messages of peace, hope, and joy that accompany faith in Christ." While White Shanty was more on the explicit side of evangelizing influencers, she did explain that the “hook” of social media for evangelism was using the beauty of their lifestyle, and thus the Lifestyle Influencer was born.
Incidentally, White Shanty at Home is now known as SethandJennaWright, and although no longer active, I find it interesting to note that she is related to Ballerina Farm by marriage. It is worth noting that the dynastic system is common with Mormon influencers (again, refer to the Skalla sisters).
Oh and by the way, MLMs? They’re all by Mormons too. [All of them.] That’s a conversation for next week perhaps…
Was there anyone I linked above who surprised you? I find the phenomenon of Mormon influencers fascinating, and they’re not only taking over Instagram: check out this article about their effect on the Beauty Industry in general. The LDS community have completely obeyed their leaders and absolutely infiltrated social media, but can they keep this going? We all know Meta is dead and TikTok is the future. Let’s take a look at how Mormons are faring there.
While there are a few LDS influencers successfully making the crossover to TikTok (most of whose content revolves around distancing themselves from Mormon teaching), the overwhelming attitude of TikTok’s users and creators towards the LDS church is negative. In fact, there have been at least 4 viral anti-mormon conversations on the app in the last couple of years. For example, the trend of vlogging one’s faith deconstruction began with a significant number of ex-LDS members on TikTok. Their videos talking about abuse that they suffered and what actually happens in the temple is daily viral fodder. The practice of “soaking” went viral so much last year that LDS members were urging BYU to make a statement condemning the act.
Another viral Mormon conversation centered around the Mormon swingers drama. This has sparked renewed interest as Taylor Frankie Paul, the swinger whistleblower, has just recently been arrested for domestic violence in the presence of a child. Both the revelation of swinging and DV/child abuse perpetrated by a mother have launched negative discussions about Mormonism and the hidden side to its lifestyle.
Will Mormons be able to conquer TikTok? I think not, but their negative perception isn’t their only impediment. The content that does well on TikTok’s algorithm is antithetical to a lot of Mormon teaching, of course. But even more importantly it is antithetical to how Mormons strive to present themselves. They are known for polish and finesse in their appearance and production value. TikTok tends towards the raw and improvised.
So, why does it matter? There is so much chatter online about the hiddenness of an influencer’s motivations. We usually conclude that these motivations involve monetary or social gain. But this motivation is much more serious than money. They’re not trying to manipulate you out of your wallet, they’re trying to manipulate you out of your soul…with the sweetest, kindest attitudes imaginable! Because, if anything, most of us can agree that Mormons seem to be the most innocuous, wholesome, and sincere cult members you could ever meet.
Love,
Tatyana