also one thing i’ve noticed in some youtube channels promoting manifestation is a lot of them make promises of meeting unrealistic beauty standards and male validation to young girls and women, which can be a slippery slope!
I really love this because in around 7th-8th grade, a few years back. I was a really depressed teenage girl. I was insecure and sad.
Finding these videos, especially popular things such as "looksmaxxing" or finding pins on Pinterest telling me that "click this link, this subliminal audio will change your life!"
For a young girl like me, it was like finding Pandora's box. It weaponised my curiosity, only for it to backfire and stress me mentally.
The thumbnails with gorgeous models like Adriana Lima, etc. Of course, the logical part of me knew that what I was listening to was bullshit; I even questioned it multiple times. I was young and tarnished, but I wasn't dumb either. Yet I still played the audios and manifested every night. I thought I was on my "healing" journey like many TikTok influencers preached to me about.
The "journey" only made my mental state worse. And soon I found that a stupid audio or a ten-minute YouTube video on "divine energy" is not going to change me. What really made me grow out of it was adopting the fact that I am who I am and there's nothing I would want to change about myself.
Thanks for sharing, Nora! This is unfortunately similar to my story as well. I had a time when I would resort to subliminals for anything and everything. Good for you finding your truth. I am glad for you.
makes me think of Amanda on Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and her "multi-million" dollar business manifesting money. It seems to involve a little journaling and a lot of self-promotion.
Love this piece! Beautifully written. In some ways it really echoes my experiences (I wrote a similar piece https://deafening.substack.com/p/manifesting-madness). You can’t get too caught up in it all. And some things that happen in our lives really aren’t ‘manifested’
also one thing i’ve noticed in some youtube channels promoting manifestation is a lot of them make promises of meeting unrealistic beauty standards and male validation to young girls and women, which can be a slippery slope!
and bioessentialist takes like "divine feminine energy", "masculine energy" which rebrands gender roles as something inherently natural or spiritual.
oh definitely. the new age spiritualist to MAGA pipeline needs to be studied
I really love this because in around 7th-8th grade, a few years back. I was a really depressed teenage girl. I was insecure and sad.
Finding these videos, especially popular things such as "looksmaxxing" or finding pins on Pinterest telling me that "click this link, this subliminal audio will change your life!"
For a young girl like me, it was like finding Pandora's box. It weaponised my curiosity, only for it to backfire and stress me mentally.
The thumbnails with gorgeous models like Adriana Lima, etc. Of course, the logical part of me knew that what I was listening to was bullshit; I even questioned it multiple times. I was young and tarnished, but I wasn't dumb either. Yet I still played the audios and manifested every night. I thought I was on my "healing" journey like many TikTok influencers preached to me about.
The "journey" only made my mental state worse. And soon I found that a stupid audio or a ten-minute YouTube video on "divine energy" is not going to change me. What really made me grow out of it was adopting the fact that I am who I am and there's nothing I would want to change about myself.
Thanks for sharing, Nora! This is unfortunately similar to my story as well. I had a time when I would resort to subliminals for anything and everything. Good for you finding your truth. I am glad for you.
makes me think of Amanda on Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and her "multi-million" dollar business manifesting money. It seems to involve a little journaling and a lot of self-promotion.
Yes, all theses people are just selling courses. That's how they "manifest" money.
not to mention how patriarchal the manifestation/spirituality spaces online may get.
very blame the victim energy, i agree
Love this piece! Beautifully written. In some ways it really echoes my experiences (I wrote a similar piece https://deafening.substack.com/p/manifesting-madness). You can’t get too caught up in it all. And some things that happen in our lives really aren’t ‘manifested’
Mine started on IG 🕳️
https://noonewatching.substack.com/p/i-ran-a-secret-manifestation-experiment?r=97pxr&utm_medium=ios&shareImageVariant=card
manifestation is literally meant to be fun, the idea you can do it “wrong” is a con
In my personal practice, I don’t see manifestation as “fun” but more as a framework for self-growth. It is supposed to make you feel good though.
Seems like a CBT concept that belief influences thought which influences action which overtime can change your life. What do you think?
Yes, similar concepts but the way it is used to fear monger is kind of insane