Platforming Our Pain Works
Belle Gibson, Scamanda, Me, and You
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“This is a true story based on a lie…”
This is the refrain watchers hear at the opening of each episode of Apple Cider Vinegar, Netflix’s new show about wellness influencer who faked cancer, Belle Gibson. You might not be familiar with Belle Gibson (I wasn’t), but it only took about three seconds to realize it was a familiar story, especially if you listened to the podcast Scamanda from a few years back or if you’ve hung around social media over the last decade.
Pain performs. That’s the bottom line. And some people have learned how to leverage their pain, real or imagined, to garner more of their own bottom line. And if you think that’s just other people, people out there, bad people, I’ve got news for you: that’s all of us. That’s me and, if you have any kind of platform—writing, speaking, teaching, singing, etc.—that’s you too.1