Hello EIC-heads, happy Wednesday... let's chat!
One two-word phrase has blown up on the internet in the past year - let them. Its creator, Mel Robbins, is a popular motivational speaker and self-help figure. In 2023, she posted a tiktok on the theory, which now has 20m views and an instagram post where she said 'I’ve just learnt about this thing called the ‘let them theory’.
The Cut’s review of the book makes a really good point for why ‘let them’ resonates with our times - ‘One is that it’s catchy and sounds easy to do. Another, more depressing hypothesis: Let Them Theory appeals to passive resignation, placing all real power outside our control. Let Them is easily adopted by people who want to do what they were already going to do while pretending their actions don’t really matter, because change is impossible and we’ve already lost.'
She’s also been criticised for not crediting the poet Cassie B Phillips, whose poem Let Them went viral in 2022 - i.e. a year before Mel’s viral post on it. Cassie has spoken out about the situation on a number of occasions, and believes she’s been plagarised. She’s even drawn parallels between the theory and her poem, which has lines like ‘let them lose you. You were never theirs’ and ‘trying to control any outcome regarding their decision is a waste of time. Just let them be, and let them do it on their own.’
So if you will let us, let's get into it ;) As always we'd love to hear your thoughts! Send us a dm, and don't forget to leave us a review on your podcast player app!
'Let them’: can this viral self-help mantra change your life? - The Guardian
Does Mel Robbins' 'The Let Them Theory' Work?: A Review
Chanté Joseph FOMO TikTok
Mel Robbins conceals the truth of her let them “discovery” - Andy Mort
Cassie Phillips Instagram
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