Life: The Great Pyramids

You wouldn’t be caught dead at a Tupperware party, but today’s next gen subscriber plans (aka pyramid schemes) are glossy, social media savvy and maybe even girl'boss friendly. Sarah Ayoub takes a closer look.

- Sarah Ayoub; Lauren Sams; Noelle Faulkner.

Imagine walking into Sephora to try out a serum you saw online. Purchasing requires a recurring annual fee and giving out your contact details, and you get a sweet cash bonus if you get your friends to hand over a fee and their details as well. The more people you pull, the bigger your reward.

Once upon a time, this would have sounded alarm bells. Buyers were wary of pyramid schemes and multi-level marketing (MLM) businesses, and invites to Tupperware parties were fielded by a litany of excuses longer than the sermon at Meghan and Harry’s wedding. But these days, mention an MLM brand – not using the term MLM, of course – and there’s scarcely an eye roll in sight.

Thanks to the internet, MLMs have had a makeover. Where they once saw consultants stashing cartons of face cream into the back of their car and pestering loved ones to host product parties (complete with cob dip and cubed cheese), they’re now networks of savvy women with a talent for 21st-century hustling, going from base-level to boss. Capitalising on the wellness movement and a spirit of female empowerment, some are promising a holistic handle on family health, all-girl support groups, and a side of altruism in the form of foreign aid.