FlyLady
Our current Age of Misinformation is distressing to anyone who values the truth. It seems now that if you dare stand up to our president-elect and his version of the truth, you risk having your reputation buried in a mudslide of lies and recrimination. I know this insidious treatment first hand, not from Trump, but from someone who calls herself the FlyLady.
In 2006 I got an assignment from Fortune Small Business Magazine to write about a woman in North Carolina who, using FlyLady as her title, dispenses advice on tidy housekeeping. Her name has nothing to do with her housekeeping (I hope), but was the handle she chose when she first started contributing comments to a housekeeping website. Next to clutter busting, her favorite activity
Marla Cilley, FlyLady
was fly fishing. Hence, the name.
She merited a magazine story because she had built a small empire from the books she had written (one on clutter, one on weight loss) and from sales of the housekeeping implements she featured on her own FlyLady.net website. The editor was interested in how she had built up a following of nearly half a million subscribers, who were also customers for her products.
I actually traveled to Brevard, N.C., to interview her and to tour her warehouse. Then I wrote what I thought was a pretty good story. Not only was it well written, but it was quite complimentary of her ability to build a thriving business after attracting what had grown to be a huge army of faithful followers. She had done that through very personal methods, such as sending individual emails to people who needed daily reminders to tidy up.
I thought she’d be pleased with the story and especially with the national exposure in a respectable business magazine. But to my horror, I soon learned that she had turned all her minions against me because she objected to the headline (which I had not written): “Nagging for Dollars.” In mass emails to her subscribers, she whined that I had libeled her with a word she found insulting: nag.
I don’t know if she ever actually ordered her army of messy housewives to tarnish my name. I suspect it was more like what King Henry II said about Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury: “Who will rid me of this troublesome priest?” I’m sure Henry never meant for one of his loyalists to murder Becket. But anyway . . .
The magazine’s website was flooded with critical comments related to my article. One woman railed, “This is the worst example of journalism I have ever read!” Another called my efforts “yellow journalism.” Any reader who might have wanted to comment on the story itself was lost in a sea of vitriol churned out by angry housewives who all fumed about my utter incompetence.
As it turned out, FlyLady’s followers had no impact on my writing career. But now when I see what some people will do to prove their loyalty to a president-elect or cult leader, even if it means trashing the reputation of an innocent person, I just think, “Been there . . . a decade ago with the FlyLady!”
She’s currently tweeting as her business account busy chatting with qanon prophets and anti vax crew >__<
She supported January 6th the day it happened and has been racist on her YouTube channel. She has some questionable viewpoints, for sure.
I used to watch FlyLady every day, until I
grew tired of her mean & nasty behavior!
I recently returned, as I’m trying to get my house in order. She talks about Pastor Greg Locke frequently & how wonderful he is. All I did was ask, “How do you feel about a Pastor leaving his wife for her best friend? She became very angry & accused me of gossiping. She also said she wouldn’t stand for my question on her “show”! I didn’t think I was gossiping. It’s on Wikipedia & I thought it was a fair question. Rather than praise t.v. Pastors, maybe she should stick with her purpose of clearing clutter & running an organized hone. She gets very irate at any confrontation! I am done with FlyLady for good!
I was just wondering how many other former FlyBabies had dumped the troll for trumpeting misinformation. My search returned this article, and a bunch of her FB posts that would likely raise my blood pressure if I were to read them. It’s sad that she couldn’t stick to something she was good at (helping people to change their habits with free cognitive behavioral therapy in the form of emails). I couldn’t stomach her for a single minute after I saw her first spewing in support of the criminal ex-president on Facebook.
I love Marla and the Flylady crew. My house is decluttered and my hubby even makes our bed every morning! She’s a blessing to us all 🙂 Keep up the good work Flylady!!
Yes I agree 100% she only should talk about her flylady system and stop. Unfortunately she thinks to be a dietogist,a doctor,most of all trumpist.If someone else has not the same opinion is mistreated and stupid! She is fake news dispacher anti cnn &co.
Amazingly she talked on her facebook live video show about how she is still pissed off about the article you wrote! (it was in the past couple of months, but your comments were down at the time) Before the election she was sharing video of rallies for you know who on the Flylady facebook, and afterwards telling everyone she was moving to P*rler. Anyone who disagrees with her on FB is called a troll and blocked. Her personal twitter (@sushifly) is beyond toxic
It’s @sushifly11 actually
i have been with her a very long time and just left her. you think it was bad then,, just go look at her current reviews on her site. it has gotten so much worse. you were correct and i so wish this cold reach other peoples emails , she also gives medical advice now that is unbelievable and quite dangerous, i know this because it happened to me. god bless