Just as Lululemon was beginning to recover from it’s March 2013 see-through pants scandal that caused the recall 17% of its popular stock of Luon pants, recent “fat shaming ” comments made by founder and CEO Chip Wilson may have done the Canadian company an additional disservice.
When discussing his wife and business partner, Michelle’s new company, Whil, on Bloomberg News he addressed the March scandal by explaining that Lululemon is simply a “technology company,” and blames the see-through pants issue on customers pushing technology, saying “it’s really more about the rubbing through the thighs, how much pressure there is over a period of time, how much they use it.” He goes on to say, “quite frankly, some women’s bodies just won’t work for it.”
When Bloomberg’s Trish Regan asked, “Interesting, not every woman can wear a Lululemon yoga pant?” Wilson responded, “No, I think they can…I just think it’s how you use it.” However, Lululemon carries only sizes 2-12, which already excludes the average American woman, who is a size 14.
A week after making these comments, Wilson acknowledged that he may have unintentionally discouraged a large portion of his clientele from purchasing Lululemon clothing. In an online video apology, Wilson said, “I’m sad for the repercussions of my actions,” expressing the utmost sympathy for his employees who “really had to face the brunt of my actions.”
Hopefully this apology is accepted by the many women who buy Lululemon attire for the purpose of improving their physical fitness, since active wear should provide the user with some degree of body confidence so that they can maintain the motivation to get in better shape. If yoga pants cause self-consciousness and discouragement, they are not doing their job, and are not worth their price point at around $100 a pair.