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Lululemon and my responsibility to speak out as a white woman practicing yoga

  • helizabethcaney8
  • 16 hours ago
  • 5 min read






I've taken a break from writing to do more studying and analysing around topics, situations and ethical considerations within yoga and the wellness industry as a whole.


But I continue to feel in order to balance out the fact I still do teach yoga classes, I want to share what I am learning, with the smallest hope it will help assist others to form their own opinions and create more conversation.


I began spiraling down some complex issues that I don't feel knowledgeable enough to comment on in all honesty, after all my research I don't want to portray things incorrectly as so many thing are more complex and deep rooted than I can give them credit for.


So I've decided to take quite a reductionary approach, where I am exploring singular issues that may speak of wider ones within wellness, white privilege and inequality.

As similarly to how yoga can be used to highlight social justice it can be used to discriminate in subtle and ambiguous ways.


To illustrate this I'm using the example of the hugely popular yoga and wellness clothing brand 'Lululemon'.


'Lululemon is a Canadian athletic apparel and accessories retailer known for its yoga-inspired clothing, particularly its popular leggings. The brand has expanded beyond yoga wear to offer a range of activewear, lifestyle apparel, and accessories for both men and women. Lululemon is also known for its strong community focus and holistic marketing approach'. (1)


Or according to their Instagram bio : “Movement, mindfulness, community and more. @lululemon: ”(5)


Lululemon was founded in 1998 by Chip Wilson in Vancouver, British Columbia with its first standalone store opening in November 2000. In 1997, Wilson had been doing yoga and had an idea to make yoga apparel for women using a proprietary skintight fabric he developed to enhance their appearance. Wilson deliberately chose a name with multiple 'L's to sound Western to Japanese buyers, who often have difficulty pronouncing the letter, and that the name otherwise "means nothing". He later remarked that,


The reason the Japanese liked [my former skateboard brand 'Homeless'] was because it had an L in it and a Japanese marketing firm wouldn’t come up with a brand name with an L in it. L is not in their vocabulary. It's a tough pronunciation for them. So I thought, next time I have a company, I’ll make a name with three Ls and see if I can get three times the money. It's kind of exotic for them. I was playing with Ls and I came up with Lululemon. It's funny to watch them try to say it. (1)

Lululemon can’t pretend its problems with anti-Asian racism left with Wilson, either. Last year while Asian Americans were sounding the alarm about the dangers of anti-Asian and xenophobic rhetoric about the pandemic, a Lululemon art director posted a link to a T-shirt emblazoned with “bat fried rice” and a Chinese takeout container on his personal Instagram account. The company fired him after public outcry. (2) (4)



Also it must be noted that Wilson still holds an approximately 8% stake in the company. He sold a significant portion of his shares over time, but remains the largest individual shareholder. This stake is valued at around $4 billion, according to Bloomberg and is considered his biggest individual asset. 


As of October 2024, his net worth is estimated at $5.3 billion USD, making him the 11th richest Canadian, and 626th in the world.


Furthermore Lululemon's founder Chip Wilson has made numerous controversial statements throughout his career. In 2013, Wilson stated that the company did not make clothes for plus-size women because it was too costly. In an effort to explain away excessive pilling in the brand's clothing, he blamed some customers for wearing Lululemon's clothes improperly or for having body shapes inconsistent with the design of the clothing. 


In an interview for Bloomberg Television in 2013, he stated that some women's bodies were unsuitable for the brand's clothing. Comments such as these reportedly led to Wilson's resignation as chairman. In June 2016, Wilson published an open letter to shareholders stating that the company had "lost its way" and given up market share to Nike and Under Armour, after he was denied the opportunity to speak at the company's annual meetings Since then, Wilson has used his website "Elevate Lululemon" to criticise the brand and business.


In 2021, an unnamed company director pushed employees to create an All Lives Matter campaign to be displayed on its website in response to the murder of George Floyd. Employees pushed back but were told to create a mock up with the All Lives Matter copy; however, they also created a Black Lives Mattermock up that was selected instead. The director apologized and subsequently left the company. (3)



This isn't meant to be an attack solely against lululemon but as a mean to create a conversation on how this discrimination is able to happen and is completely swept over with language such as Lululemon now claiming on their website :



Our Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Action (IDEA) mission.
Expand being well to encompass a culture of inclusion where diversity is celebrated, equity is the norm, and action is the commitment. 

Our Impact.
Our purpose comes to life everyday through our actions to drive meaningful, positive change in the world.

Our Commitment.
At lululemon, we are committed to IDEA, as it is integral to our business and vital to our people and the communities in which we operate. Our values of connection and inclusion guide us—we are at our best when we build trusting relationships by valuing and celebrating each human’s uniqueness, and as we work to remove barriers to equity so that everyone has a sense of belonging. This is what distinguishes us and makes it possible for us to deliver on our brand purpose—day in and day out: mindful performance, building thriving communities, and developing product excellence. (6)


This empty use of language and gesturing (that is really something special in the wellness industry) is pretty spectacular in my opinion.


One of the most popular brands of clothing worn and advertised to wear practicing yoga, is steeped in racism, so what else are we protecting/wearing/displaying/communicating whilst we practice?


The responsibility is ours and as much as some may proclaim their love of yoga, wellness (and god forbid 'healing') we need to be aware and take responsibility for what this entails and how ingrained yoga and wellness is in racism, classisim, casteism, sexism, and discrimination against marginalised communities. 






References:





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