By now I’m sure you’ve heard about what Lululemon’s co-founder Chip Wilson thinks is wrong with their pants: YOU. If your thighs touch, then YOU are the problem. Not their pants.
Besides the many things wrong with him and his company, I was also very disappointed with some of the language so-called journalists used when writing their stories on this major d-bag. Here’s one that particularly pissed me off from Jeff Macke’s It’s Not Me It’s You! on Yahoo! Finance:
“‘Some women’s bodies just don’t work for (our pants)’ explained Wilson. It seems heavy-set folks’ parts rub together in unusual ways, causing pants to wear more quickly.”
IF YOUR THIGHS TOUCH, THAT DOES NOT MEAN YOU ARE HEAVY SET. UGH!
Jeff Macke, shame on you.
And we wonder why girls starve themselves so their thighs won’t touch. God! Our country really needs to get a new attitude about weight…
10 comments
Not everyone is made for every type of clothing. No need to get sensitive about it… if a product doesn’t work for you, don’t buy it…
I personally can’t wear the running skirts brand skirts with built in shorts. They ride up and chafe or the skirt slides off me. But I don’t need to bash them over it because they DO work for lots and lots of people…
You are correct; not all products work for everyone. But I think you might have misunderstood what I was upset with. I have no problem with their product…at all. I have two skirts, and while the sewn-in shorts ride up my thighs (ha ha!), I just wear another pair of shorts underneath. They are cute and I like them a lot. I also have a jacket from there I really like.
What I DO have a problem with is the co-founders WORDS and the words of the author of the news article I posted. In fact, I’m more upset with the news article! Just because a woman’s thighs touch, does not mean she is heavy set. Thighs that touch are totally normal. The way this “journalist” just sort of wrote that it in, as if it’s totally common and normal, just pisses me off.
On a business note, Lululemon’s co-founder’s words are a real cop-out. It’s like the first law of business: you don’t blame the consumer for your product’s flaws. He’s saying the pilling and such is because of thighs rubbing together? If that’s actually happening, blaming it on the consumer is just dumb for business reasons. Your competitor’s products don’t pill, so…fix your product.
Again, I don’t have a problem with their product. I have a problem with the words and what they imply.
My mother was proud of her legs. The ideal in her generation was “three diamond legs.” They touched at thigh, calf and ankle. And you could see three diamonds of light between those points. Mine touch. Three diamonds. Perfect proportions.
Amen sister!! I am fed up with this too. People are just down right mean when it comes to weight. When i was prego i had some of the meanest comments i had ever heard. I had always been on the slimmer side but when I was prego I gained more than I thought I would (And what others though I should) of but it didnt make it easier having people say I looked huge and big. I did lose it all but it wasn’t without a lot of hard work. Hearing this about Lululemon makes me not like them much even with the cute clothes. There just clothes that you sweat in anyway, blah!!
At the surprise of everyone (not really), I agree with Becka. I am NOT SMALL, I have a hefty behind, and thighs, I’m no delicate flower… and I wear Lulu crops on almost every run. I don’t have an issue with pilling, or transparency, or anything else. One pair is about 18 months old, and has lasted through 5 marathons. I didn’t pay over $60 for either, putting them at a competitive price point compared to other athletic brands.
I guess I just don’t understand the outrage at Lulu’s owner – their clothes won’t work for everyone. Every body is different, every item (regardless of brand) will fit people differently. I don’t know why that’s so terrible.
(I will say, I find their business practices overall pretty sketchy, and not admirable. But their product has worked best for me.)
The outrage is over what his words imply: our product doesn’t hold up for women’s thighs who rub. But that is like 90% of women. Mostly, I think his comments were really stupid for his business. And, like I mentioned to Becka below, I am more upset with this ding-dong “journalist” that said that women’s whose thighs rub are heavy set. That’s just playing into these unattainable expectations for women and, more importantly, young women. That’s what makes me angry.
And, honestly, I don’t want to support an elitist company…and that’s what it looks like Lululemon is.
What an ass! I’m less than 20% body fat, an avid runner and my inner thighs touch. It’s mostly muscle! I weigh less than 105 lbs. sheesh.
I was already boycotting lululemon for their shitty return policy. This makes me feel even more strongly that this business model sucks.
Agree, still can’t believe they said that. Coming from Germany, I actually felt better in the US about my body than back home. In Germany the motto is: skinnier the better. In the US I feel many people don’t think that way and oftentimes appreciate a curvier woman.
That’s really interesting. Not as much of a focus on healthy bodies, just skinny?
Women of any body type are beautiful! Although I found Lululemon’s Ceo monster Chip Wilson comment upsetting, his apology was worse. I have never purchase Lululemon because of the bad reviews I’ve read about their products. Now I won’t purchase for the sake of principle.