Breaking Ice

In  the “Lululemon- Not For Everyone According to Founder” blog post, Mathew highlights the significance of a comment that the founder of Lululemon, Chip Wilson, made.

“Quite frankly, some women’s bodies just actually don’t work for it.”

This comment refers to how Lululemon apparel doesn’t “work” on some women’s bodies, implying that you have to have a certain body type to fully output the beauty of Lululemon wear. Mathew argues that, regardless of his success, Chip shouldn’t make such assumptions as it is not ethical. Indeed it is not ethical, and I definitely agree with Mathew’s views on this matter. To segment a section of your customers, and condemn them for not having the right shape to display Lululemon’s apparel is an unethical and inconsiderate comment to make. This is a very serious issue as it represents the company as one that only communicates to a certain type of physique, and totally ignores the rest of the population. This is insulting to consumers whom may label themselves as people who, in society’s eyes, do not have the right body type. Customer loyalty would definitely fall as the company’s image appears to be one that is cold and unfriendly.

Source: https://blogs.ubc.ca/matthewanderson/2013/11/08/one-sour-lemon-lululemon/