The Cult of Lululemon (2024)

I went into work one morning dressed in my typical attire: leggings and a sweatshirt. For most other jobs I would have to dress more formally, but since I work taking care of children at a local gym, I can dress comfortably. I was feeling relatively confident until one of the regular kids, Marlow, came in. “Are your leggings not from Lululemon?” she asked, judgingly staring at my legs. I told her my leggings were from Aerie, a less luxurious brand, and she just responded with “Oh.” I’m not sure why this seven-year-old is concerned with the brand of leggings I wear, but I am even less sure as to why I care what she thinks. Is she going to look down on me for not wearing Lululemon? I kept thinking.

Being a young girl is difficult enough, now there is the added pressure of wearing specific labels. Expensive brands like Aritzia, Aviator Nation, and more importantly Lululemon have skyrocketed in popularity among young girls over the last three years. One simple tank top at Lululemon costs $58. Not only are high schoolers wearing these luxury brands, but also middle and even elementary schoolers. Young girls and their parents feel the need to overpay for common items, such as leggings and t-shirts, because it will hopefully help them out socially. Young girls, just like Marlow, see Lululemon not as workout clothes, but as a status symbol. While people can get an item with the exact same design on Amazon or Target for a fraction of the price, they pay for the small reflective logo. The brand means everything. Buying Lululemon indicates that a person is wealthy enough to spend 100 dollars on athleisure and therefore their status is elevated. Society places so much emphasis on income, instead of things like character. It is hard for young girls to not care about name brands when society revolves around money.

When people pay for Lululemon they aren’t just paying for the logo, they are also paying for quality. Lululemon uses different combinations of percentages of nylon and Lycra to make their fabrics. One of their most famous fabrics, Nulux, is made of 84% nylon and 16% Lycra. The Lulu fabrics are durable and therefore most people can have the same pair of Lulu leggings for years without it getting ruined. Nulux and the other fabrics are also very stretchy and breathable. This makes it appealing to people who do high or even low-intensity workouts. Most importantly, the Lululemon materials are comfortable. They are soft and not itchy. They are also lightweight but warm at the same time. It is perfect for students who spend all day in a too-small chair or for professionals who spend their days in a cramped office.

Lululemon’s 46.47 billion dollar empire began nearly three decades ago in Toronto, Canada. The founder, Chip Wilson, noticed the emerging trend of yoga and decided to make practical yoga pants for women. The company grew rapidly — by 2005 there were fifteen stores in Canada, three in the United States, one in Australia, and one in Japan. Wilson has been known for saying controversial things, specifically fat-shaming comments. In a 2013 interview with Bloomberg TV, Wilson said that some women’s bodies (referring to heavier women) are not meant for Lululemon yoga pants. He executed his beliefs by not having Lululemon be size-inclusive. It wasn’t until 2020 that Lululemon added bigger sizes. This was long after Wilson stepped down as chairman, so it wasn’t just him that didn’t want larger sizes. In 2020, Lululemon finally went from its largest size being 14 to it being 20. A size 20 roughly translates to a size 2x, which means larger shoppers will still be excluded. The Lululemon corporation didn’t add sizes to be inclusive, they did it to stop being criticized and to receive good publicity.

The Lululemon corporation idolizes very thin women. Most of their models range from size 0 to size 4. The average size for American women is 16, a size Lululemon didn’t carry until 2020. Being thin has been a societal standard for women for centuries and Lululemon just capitalizes on that. Lululemon marketers know that having thin women model their clothes will attract people who want to look like the models. They also know that not being fully size-inclusive will attract customers because people are attracted to what is exclusive. Women since the dawn of time have been judged by their looks and more specifically their bodies. Lululemon acknowledges this and therefore designs most of their clothes to be skin-tight. This isn’t for workout purposes since most people would rather exercise in loose clothing. Lululemon does this to emphasize a woman’s body and therefore show how skinny and “worthy” they are.

Despite being a Canadian brand, Lululemon has had far more success in the United States. As of 2022, there are 350 Lululemon stores in the USA and only 69 in Canada. Lululemon is so incredibly popular in the United States because of the country’s emphasis on athleticism and therefore athleisure. America’s emphasis on athletics comes from the fact that being good at a sport can result in a college scholarship. In most other countries, there are no college sports and therefore there is no pressure to play one. If sports aren’t common, Lululemon’s market decreases. America is also a more informal country compared to others. It is okay for people to wear leggings, sweatpants, and even pajamas in public. In European countries, wearing sweatpants and leggings outside the home is not common and is frowned upon. If people don’t wear athleisure out of the house or gym, there is no point in spending a lot of money on it, and therefore people in other countries don’t see the need for Lululemon. But there are still those in foreign lands who love the idea of luxury leggings and workout sets. It just isn’t anywhere near as popular as it is in America.

If someone has the money and wants to spend it on leggings or a shirt from Lululemon, they can. No one should judge them for that. On the other hand, if someone chooses to buy leggings on Amazon or at Target, they can. No one should judge them for that. At the end of the day, Lululemon is just another brand. It should not be considered a norm for young girls and even adults.