Plus-Size Fashion App Cue The Curves Deplatformed Lululemon

Deeper Dive Into The Lululemon Fatphobic Comments

I feel the need to start by saying the comments that have the fat community up in arms were not made by any current Lululemon executive.  That’s right Dennis J. “Chip” Wilson is not a current executive however as founder and largest shareholder, with an 8% stake in the company, he profits heavily from Lululemon’s sales.  In his latest interview with Forbes Wilson criticized the company’s recent moves to expand its product line to a wider market.

In the article, it’s not specified which customers Wilson believes Lululemon shouldn’t “want.” But the article quotes Wilson as saying some of the models in Lululemon’s ads appeared “unhealthy,” “sickly” and “not inspirational.”

Wilson in what’s being described as a rant criticized what he referred to as the company’s “whole diversity and inclusion thing.” He noted his distaste for the way the brand is leaning into the “whole diversity and inclusion thing.” 

Wilson went on to add, “They’re trying to become like the Gap, everything to everybody.” His comments continued with why he felt like this approach is a mistake, “I think the definition of a brand is that you’re not everything to everybody…You’ve got to be clear that you don’t want certain customers coming in.”  In the Instagram post from roughly 6 months ago displayed above Wilson is saying the same thing. 

Lululemon in a statement to NewsNation in response to the founder’s controversial comments stating that those views don’t match their own, and reiterated that he hasn’t been involved in the company for nearly a decade.

“Chip Wilson does not speak for lululemon, and his comments do not reflect our company views or beliefs. Chip has not been involved with the company since his resignation from the board in 2015 and we are a very different company today.

“lululemon is committed to creating and fostering an inclusive, diverse, and welcoming environment throughout our organization and across our communities. We have made considerable progress since launching our Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Action (IDEA) function, and we are proud of the goals we have achieved.

“We also recognize that becoming a more diverse and inclusive organization takes time and is only possible through the sustained efforts of our leaders and our people. We remain steadfast in our commitment to become a more inclusive and diverse company.”

Lululemon company spokesperson

The Brand Is Still Struggling To Get Past Founder’s Fatphobic Ways

Since the brand expanded the sizes to include up to size 20 the brand has seen average revenue growth of 31.47% over the last three years.  It appears the added sizes helped with added revenue.  The struggle to get past the founder’s fatphobic way intel more than revenue growth.

Since roughly 2016  the median size for American women has moved past a size 14 and tidder tadders between a size 16 and 18. So Lululemon capping at a size 20 is truly not inclusive.  In 2024 to start to be considered inclusive a brand should cap at 28/30.  However, the bar is in hell so the plus-size community is told they should be happy with what is given.

I took Lululemon‘s sizing quiz.  It was limited in the brands that offer plus-size.  And the sizing within those brands to help in determining the correct size I should try with the Lululemon brand. The size quiz shows I should select a size 16 which my size 20/22 body know that’s a lie, lol. 

I’m going to the Lululemon store and try their in-store shopping experiences.  I want to see the availability of the plus-size options. Be sure to follow me on Instagram and TikTok for my thoughts on plus-size shopping at Lululemon Chicago on Michigan Ave. 

Finally, as a fat Black woman, I often find myself caught within the intersection of fatphobia and racism.  Beyond the comments made by the former CEO being attributed to fatphobia.  It’s not lost on me he’s comments mentioned diversity and inclusion.  Some people use DE&I, critical race theory, or affirmative action interchangeably with Blacks when it comes to advancement.  

A month ago Business of Fashion published an article entitled At Lululemon, Being Black Is ‘Off-Brand’.  It speaks about how in 2020 the retail brand created a new department.  This department was to improve internal diversity and inclusion and to create a more equitable playing field for minorities. In interviews with BoF, 14 current and former employees said things only got worse.  They collectively describe a corporate culture that is unwelcoming of Black people.

In conclusion, I know the rot starts at the top.  Attitude like that oftentimes lives long within a company.  It takes new blood pumped into the company along with years of erosion to get rid of the bad blood.  Creating the internal diversity and inclusion department is a start.  From the outside, I can see that Lululemon social media accounts are becoming more reflective of the wider makeup of its customer base.  And they have distanced themselves from their former CEO as their statement says. With that I’ll leave that battle for another day.

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