Julien Blanc, also known as "JulienHimself", is a motivational speaker on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and Twitter. He is a former executive coach for the Los Angeles–based company Real Social Dynamics (RSD). In 2015, Julien started his own YouTube channel and is touring the world with self-help seminars.
Real Social Dynamics (RSD)
Blanc used to be an instructor employed by Real Social Dynamics, a U.S.-based company which offered seminars throughout the world to men seeking advice on how to find their ideal partner.
A seminar led by Blanc in Miami was featured in a TV documentary, The Hunt for Real Men, by the British documentary maker Tim Samuels broadcast on the Bio channel on June 27, 2014. In a later interview with BBC, Samuels described the seminar as being "in a classroom, in a hotel, with a hundred, two hundred guys who start making notes, with Blanc at the front as the kind of rock star guru, people hanging on every word, and generally getting fairly practical tips on how to approach women with a sense of self confidence."Daniel Sandford "Julien Blanc: What his 'pick-up' seminars are like" (video interview with Tim Samuels), BBC News, November 19, 2014.
Controversy
In November 2014, Blanc became the subject of a social media campaign alleging that his old dating advice could encourage sexual violence, involving multiple petitions on those grounds to deny him entry to several nations. On November 17, Blanc made an appearance on CNN denying these accusations, stating that his comments were "a horrible attempt at humour" taken out of context."Julien Blanc: What his 'pick-up' seminars are like", BBC News, November 19, 2014
Sarah Green from the End Violence Against Women Coalition, however, said that there was a strong legal case for denying Blanc a temporary work visa for the United Kingdom. She stated that, "Some of the behaviour Blanc demonstrates in his videos amounts to sexual harassment and sexual assault."Alexandra Topping "Julien Blanc: petition urges UK to deny visa to controversial US ‘pick-up artist", Guardian (UK), November 10, 2014
YouTube videos and social media campaign On September 8, 2014, Blanc posted a video titled "White Aldiyar fucks Asian women in Tokyo (and the beautiful methods to it)" to his YouTube channel.Jake Adelstein "Let's ensure no happy returns to Japan for this vile 'dating coach, The Japan Times, November 5, 2014 The video, which has since been removed, shows Blanc presenting a seminar to a roomful of men. In the seminar, Blanc describes his opinion that "sub-communication," not the use of words or methods, is all that matters. He justifies this with his past experience in approaching women in Tokyo. Blanc comments that "in Tokyo, if you're a white male, you can do what you want" and "all you have to say to kinda like take the pressure off is just yell 'Pikachu' or 'Pokémon' or 'Tamagotchi' or something,"Gail Sullivan Dating coach' Julien Blanc kicked out of Australia for crude 'pick-up' schtick", The Washington Post, November 10, 2014 as he describes himself in Tokyo "romping through the streets" and "grabbing women" whilst shoving their faces in his crotch, saying "Pikachu".Megan Gibson "Is This the Most Hated Man in the World?" Time, November 12, 2014Afua Hirsch "Calls Grow For Britain To Ban 'Pick-Up' Coach", Sky News, November 13, 2014
In response to the video, Jennifer Li, an Asian-American woman living in Washington, D.C., initiated a campaign aimed at preventing Blanc from hosting further similar seminars, using the hashtag "#TakeDownJulienBlanc" on social media in early November 2014. Li initiated a petition on Change.org calling upon hotels and other venues to cancel his bookings and for webhosts to stop hosting Blanc's and Real Social Dynamics' websites.Jenn Li "Julien Blanc is a racist sexual predator teaching men to prey on women like me - and he must be stopped", The Independent (London), November 6, 2014 In an article in the British newspaper, The Independent, Li asserted that Blanc's video and other content he had posted online taught men how to assault women and that his video taught that "Asian women are a 'free for all' for predatory men," thereby encouraging men to abuse Asian women. Li also reported Blanc's video to the Japanese embassy.
Li's campaign spread quickly and led to wider criticism of Blanc's teachings. Besides the Tokyo video, Blanc's critics have noted other issues which they allege prove that Blanc promotes and teaches domestic violence and emotional abuse as a form of "seduction". On one occasion Blanc posted a "Power and Control Wheel" graphic associated with the Duluth model intended to illustrate ways in which women in abusive relationships are controlled and abused by their male partners. Blanc's posting of the graphic was accompanied by the description and hashtag "May as well be a checklist.... #HowToMakeHerStay".Nicholas Watt, Rowena Mason and Esther Addley "Home Office minister calls for 'pickup artist' Julien Blanc to be denied UK visa", The Guardian, November 14, 2014 Critics of Blanc have claimed that Blanc promotes rape and teaches men how to engage in sex with women by violating their consent and using psychological abuse and sexual violence,Lindy West "For pick-up artists, women are targets. No wonder we don’t want to share a landmass with Julien Blanc", The Guardian, November 11, 2014 that he promotes the view that he and his followers are "intellectual superiors" to whom it is the role of women to subordinate themselves,Andy J. Semotiuk "Julien Blanc Should Be Allowed To Speak Anywhere", Forbes, November 12, 2014 and that his teachings encourage potential abusers to believe that abusive behavior towards women will not be taken seriously."Why are men paying to learn how to abuse women?", Channel 4 News (UK), November 12, 2014
By November 6, 2014, Li's social media campaign had led to Blanc's and Real Social Dynamics events in Melbourne, Brisbane, Austin, and Seattle being shut down and in online ticketing service Eventbrite removing all Real Social Dynamics events from its site.November 6, 2014. "More venues refuse to host pick-up artist Julien Blanc thanks to #TakeDownJulienBlanc campaign" , Daily Life (Australia). November 6, 2014 Blanc's Instagram account was also closed, many of his YouTube videos were set to private, and some of the content from his Twitter account was removed. Scheduled "boot camps" in Japan and also in Canada were canceled by Real Social Dynamics until further notice around November 13 out of a fear that their instructor's safety could not be guaranteed.John R. Kennedy "RSD moves seminars to Web over fears for safety of instructors", Global News (Canada), November 13, 2014
Response by Blanc and Real Social Dynamics In a November 17, 2014, interview on CNN, Blanc made a public apology and repudiated the accusations against him. He said that the videos were a "horrible, horrible attempt at humor" and taken out of context, denying accusations of promoting rape or of coaching clients to use domestic violence or abuse to seduce women.Chris Cuomo "Dating coach under fire for online posts" (video interview with Julien Blanc), CNN, November 17, 2014. Note: The transcript of the interview includes content not included in the interview as broadcast.
Critics denounced Blanc's photos published on the internet with the "#ChokingGirlsAroundTheWorld" hashtag showing him approaching women and clasping their throats as legitimizing violence and physical abuse as part of seducing women.Somayya Ismailjee "Julien Blanc, the 'female attraction' expert, glorifies sexual violence.", theguardian.com, November 4, 2014. Blanc's response was that he did place his hand around their necks but "did not physically choke them", and that his intent in posting the photos in that way was merely to "provoke a shock", and was a "horrible attempt at humor."
In response to criticism of Blanc's post of a graphic of ways in which women can be abused, Blanc denied that he used the graphic in his course or that he teaches it, instead saying "this is so far in the opposite direction of what I teach, that I stupidly thought, you know mocking it would be funny." Blanc teaches when to "back off". Blanc stated that he was overwhelmed by the criticisms and that he was "reevaluating everything" that he publishes on the Internet.
Real Social Dynamics co-founder , using the online nickname Tyler Durden, wrote on the RSD website, "I think Julien's video was absolutely stupid," saying that the video was out of context and that Blanc had posted it for shock value, not realizing the full outcome the situation would lead to.
Responding to Blanc's interview, Jennifer Li's impression of the apology was that "he is sorry he got caught, not for what he has done."Lauren Gambino "Julien Blanc's apology leaves critics largely unimpressed", The Guardian, November 18, 2014.
Julien Blanc shared more details in a later interview with Ryan Holiday, which was published in the Observer:Ryan Holiday "Julien Blanc, ‘Most Hated Man In The World,’ Shares His Surprising Side Of The Story", The Observer, August 6, 2015.
Visas revoked or denied in Australia, the United Kingdom, and Singapore
Blanc's Australian tour, which had begun in Sydney on October 29, 2014,Jenni Ryall "American pick-up artist dumped in Australia after using 'rape' tactics", Mashable, November 4, 2014 was cut short by cancellations prompted by petitions and protests,Jay Hathaway "Grab-and-Choke Pickup Artist Is Too Creepy for Australia" , Gawker, November 5, 2014. including a protest of a seminar led by Blanc's assistant Maximilian Berger on a Melbourne River Cruises boat moored on the Yarra River in Southbank, Melbourne. The boat company cancelled the seminar booking mid-event, and local police were called in to restore order.Tom Minear "ANGRY protesters have shut down a controversial seminar on picking up women, forcing police to clear attendees off a boat booked for the event", Herald Sun (Melbourne), November 7, 2014.Steve Lillebuen "Protesters scupper pick-up artist Julien Blanc's Yarra River seminar in Melbourne", The Age (Melbourne), November 7, 2014. Protesters also petitioned to have Blanc deported from Australia.Dana McCauley "Hundreds of domestic violence campaigners have signed an online petition calling for the deportation of controversial pick-up artist Julien Blanc", Herald Sun (Melbourne), November 6, 2014. Blanc's Australian visa was revoked on November 6, 2014,Melissa Davey "US 'pick-up artist' Julien Blanc forced to leave Australia after visa cancelled", theguardian.com, November 7, 2014Ella Alexander "Julien Blanc exits Australia: 'Pick-up artist' has visa cancelled after protests against his 'abusive' dating seminars", The Independent, November 7, 2014 and the following day Victoria police confirmed that he had left Australia overnight, with his assistant scheduled to follow. Australia's Immigration minister Scott Morrison told Sky News: "This guy wasn't putting forward political ideas, he was putting forward abuse that was derogatory to women ... those are values abhorred in this country."