MLM

What Does MLM Mean in a Text?

The Quick Answer

mlm is an emoticon for "flipping the bird" (i.e., giving someone the middle-finger gesture). Note that mlm only works as an emoticon when typed with lowercase letters. MLM is also an abbreviation used with the meanings "Multi-Level Marketing," "Men Loving Men," and "Muslim Lives Matter."

Middle Finger (Emoticon)

When typed in lowercase (i.e., as "mlm"), the abbreviation MLM is an emoticon, which represents the offensive gesture of raising the middle finger and "flipping the bird." For example:

• Sam: Have you two split up for good this time?
• Jo: I guess so. When I suggested we go for coffee, she sent me mlm.

It is believed that the raising of the middle finger has been used as an insult since at least the 5th Century BCE. The earliest recorded mention is in the Greek play "The Clouds," written by Aristophanes, in 423 BCE.

Multi-Level Marketing

As an abbreviation, MLM is most widely used with the meaning "Multi-Level Marketing." In this context, MLM refers to a form of selling in which the company requires its distributors to recruit their own sub-distributors. Each distributor is compensated for the sales they make and also gets a percentage of the revenue generated by the sub-distributors that they recruit. For example:

• Ali: Dave has offered me a business opportunity that seems brilliant. I'm gonna be rich!
• Rick: It's an MLM scam. They don't work.

This type of business is often referred to as "Pyramid Selling" and is illegal in many countries.

Men Loving Men

Within the LGBTQ+ community, MLM stands for "Men Loving Men." It refers to men who are emotionally, romantically, or sexually attracted to other men. This term is inclusive and can encompass gay, bisexual, pansexual, and other men who are attracted to men, regardless of their specific label or identity. (See also WLW "Women Loving Women.")

Muslim Lives Matter

In response to the popularity of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) Movement, MLM is now also used with the meaning "Muslim Lives Matter," as a way of drawing attention to the plight of Muslims throughout the world. (Especially to the genocide of the Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar and the treatment of the Uighur Muslims in China.)

Video Summarizing MLM

Here's a short video explaining how to use MLM:

Image for MLM

When I write MLM, I mean this:

As an abbreviation, MLM usually means "Multi-Level Marketing," "Men Loving Men," or "Muslim Lives Matter."

Summary of Key Points

We have summarized the key points in the table below:

mlm
Definition:	Middle Finger (Emoticon)
Type:	Icon
Guessability:	4: Difficult to guess
Typical Users:	Adults and Teenagers

Second Definition for MLM

MLM also means "Multi-Level Marketing."

MLM
Definition:	Multi-Level Marketing
Type:	Abbreviation
Guessability:	3: Guessable
Typical Users:	Adults

Third Definition for MLM

In dating related chat MLM means "Men Loving Men."

MLM
Definition:	Men Loving Men
Type:	Abbreviation
Guessability:	4: Difficult to guess
Typical Users:	Adults

Fourth Definition for MLM

MLM also means "Muslim Lives Matter."

MLM
Definition:	Muslim Lives Matter
Type:	Abbreviation
Guessability:	3: Guessable
Typical Users:	Adults and Teenagers

An Academic Look at MLM

When used to represent the "Middle Finger (Emoticon)", MLM uses lower case letters (mlm) as a graphic to represent an offensive gesture. It is an emoticon (i.e., a combination of keyboard characters used to express an emotion). When used with the meanings "Multi-Level Marketing," "Men Loving Men," or "Muslim Lives Matter," MLM is pronounced using its individual letters (i.e., "Emm Ell Emm"). Therefore, it is classified as an initialism abbreviation. Initialisms are different to acronyms, which are spoken like words.

What Did We Say before Texting and Social Media?

Before the digital era, we would have had to "flip the bird" face-to-face, instead of using the abbreviation MLM to represent the "Middle Finger (Emoticon)." The use of MLM to mean "Multi-Level Marketing" has been widely used in business circles since before the digital era.

Example of MLM Used in a Text

You might also like...