Julien Blanc and the 2014 visa bans
In November 2014, a dating coach had his visa cancelled in one country, refused in another, and barred in a third, all within three weeks. Julien Blanc was little known outside the pickup world before that month. Here's the sequence, with dates.
Who he is
According to Wikipedia, Julien Blanc was born on October 24, 1988, in Lausanne, Switzerland. He worked as an "executive coach" for Real Social Dynamics, the Los Angeles company that ran paid pickup seminars and bootcamps worldwide. News coverage in 2014 often described him as American or US-based. For the company's history, see Real Social Dynamics and the rise of the pickup bootcamp.
How the campaign started
In November 2014, activist Jennifer Li launched the hashtag #TakeDownJulienBlanc and a Change.org petition. The material people shared came from Blanc's own seminars and social media:
- A recorded seminar in Tokyo, reported by CBS News, in which he told his audience to "just grab" women and made comments about what white men could do in Tokyo.
- Photos and footage of him grabbing women by the neck or pulling their heads toward him.
- A hashtag he had used, #ChokingGirlsAroundTheWorld.
Decisions by country
| Date (2014) | Country | What happened |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 6 | Australia | Immigration Minister Scott Morrison cancelled his visa. Blanc left the country on Nov 7. Morrison said Blanc was "putting forward abuse that was derogatory to women." |
| About Nov 13 | Canada | Scheduled boot camps were cancelled. |
| Nov 19 | United Kingdom | The Home Office refused him a visa after a petition passed 150,000 signatures. Minister Lynne Featherstone told The Guardian she believed harassment and intimidation would increase if he performed in the UK, according to the New Statesman. |
| Nov 26 | Singapore | Immigration authorities and the Ministry of Social and Family Development denied his visa. |
| 2014 (date not given) | Brazil | The foreign ministry indicated it would deny a visa if he applied for one for planned January 2015 seminars. |
| December 2014 | Germany | Petitions were launched against a Munich seminar, which may have been moved to an undisclosed location. |
Petition campaigns also began in Japan, Argentina, Iceland, Ireland, Denmark, Sweden, and New Zealand.
The CNN interview
On November 17, 2014, Blanc gave an interview to CNN. He apologized, said the videos and posts had been taken out of context, and described his comments as a "horrible, horrible attempt at humor." He denied promoting rape or domestic violence.
What he did afterward
According to Wikipedia, Blanc launched a YouTube channel called "JulienHimself" in May 2015 and continued to tour giving self-help seminars.
Where it fits in the history
The 2014 bans are a major marker in the history of the pickup industry. They came nine years after The Game and about seven years after VH1's The Pickup Artist. They are one marker, alongside Neil Strauss's 2015 interviews, in the shift from routine-based advice to honesty-based advice. See a short history of the pickup community and how pickup advice changed over 30 years.
What to do next
If you approach people in person, these habits keep conversations welcome from the first sentence.
- Open with a plain, honest line. "Hi, I saw you from over there and wanted to come say hello." Practice it on 5 people this week.
- Read the response before you continue. If she turns toward you, smiles, or asks you something back, keep going. If she gives short answers, looks away, or says she's busy, wrap up. How to tell if someone is interested in you lists the signals.
- Keep your hands to yourself until it's mutual. Let the first touch be a handshake or a high-five, and only after she has clearly engaged.
- Close with a fixed line. If it's a no, say "No worries, have a good night" and walk away. Don't ask why, and don't re-approach the same night.
- Log it in Run Game. Record the outcome as Success or Rejected, and add one line on the signals you noticed.
Consent and respect in cold approach covers the full set of rules.