Portals
Cultish by Amanda Montell
Jun 24, 2025
Summary
Amanda Montell uses the word Cultish, like English or Spanish, to describe a type of language used to amass fandoms. This type of language offers the opportunity to draw people in, make them feel seen, and then offer a solution that makes them feel loyal to brands and influencers. If we think about ourselves as broken things that need to be fixed, we suddenly become ideal consumers — because we have an innate problem that will never be fulfilled (because the foundational principle that we are broken is a facade).
Words are spells. The words we choose form the world around us. If we start speaking about ourselves differently, we will start treating ourselves differently. You are not innately broken. There is nothing wrong with your brain. Your inability to function in a capitalistic society is not a reflection of you (it’s a reflection of capitalism). We are nature; the structures of society should conform to us, not us to them.
"Above all else, it’s important to maintain a vigilant twinkle in your eye—that tingle in your brain that tells you there’s some degree of metaphor and make-believe here and that your identity comes not from one swami or single-minded ideology but from the vast amalgam of influences, experiences, and language that make up who you are.”
Amanda Montell
About the Author
After graduating from NYU, Montell worked as a journalist in New York City until the viral publication of her first novel, Wordslut, which explores language through a feminist lens. Her interest in linguistics continued into her second novel, Cultish, which explores the impact of words in cultivating group loyalty.