OMG I cannot wait for the LuLaRich documentary! My cousin-in-law and sister-in-law both used to sell LLR (and I used to buy a lot of it) and had wildly different experiences based on when they joined. My CIL was one of the early adopters and did super well but quit after having her first child in 2015; SIL came on later and thankfully broke even because she got out in 2017 (after she got pregnant) before everything came crashing down and was able to sell off her remaining inventory to other sellers.
The huge tragedy to me about LLR is that it could have been a more legitimate MLM like Mary Kay and Avon if they regularly carried basic colored items (in addition to their unique exclusive stuff) and the owners weren't so greedy and money driven. Their clothing was a lifesaver for me when I gained 45 pounds in 2016 because I didn't need to go out and buy a new wardrobe and awkwardly try on bigger sizes in the process - I was the same "Tall and Curvy" sized leggings as always. Plus those leggings were super soft which I appreciated as someone on the autism spectrum who struggles with texture.
Yet in their stupid business model black leggings were unicorns! I have knock knees (which means no thigh gap no matter how skinny I am) so I wear out leggings quickly so if they regularly carried black I would have have them on auto-order now for the past SEVEN years now!!! Also the fact that as a seller you couldn't pick your inventory styles and sizes was maddening. I loved their Amelia dresses yet I often had to buy them from SIL's friends because she rarely was able to get any in my size because inventory shipments were random. This makes zero business sense in any other business!
The quality of the clothing really took a nosedive, too, between when my CIL and SIL sold. The material felt less soft (especially on the Amelia dresses I loved) and the patterns were less likely to line up correctly. Also, because CIL got in early, she always got gorgeous patterns while SIL was shipped the ugliest stuff. It was disgusting how much money you had to put down to start ($5K) and yet had zero control over what ugly inventory they sent you and were continuously encouraged to buy more ugly inventory that you had zero control over what they sent you. As a result they encouraged sellers to team up, which made it harder for buyers to be loyal to just one person (which to me defeated the purpose because I would have bought so much more if I could just buy it from my family members).
Similar to the issue with few solid leggings they had few solid tops and dresses. I would have bought a lot more crazy patterns if I had solids to match them with. But no, the idea was that everything was supposed to be weirdly mismatchy. Um, no.
The whole thing is just tragic to me. Growing up, my mom was loyal to her Avon lady as if she were a small business owner with a storefront on Main Street. My mother-in-law used to sell Mary Kay and had a similar following of loyal customers. LuLaRoe could have been that, too, if they kept a regular product line of things you could order if your local person didn't have it in stock. OMG they could have make a killing during the pandemic, too - comfortable clothing in very flexible sizes that doesn't require a lot of trying on! In solids and trendy patterns! This whole thing breaks my heart more than it really should because as an aspie who hates buying and trying on clothes I would have been such a loyal customer to them for perhaps forever.
Very excited for the convo with Kristin Kobes Du Mez! I have Jesus and John Wayne on hold and am currently reading the similarly themed Unholy by Sarah Posner.
I have never related to a writer as hard as I do you. From your writing and links on student loans, homeownership, careers, body/weight and fashion discussions, etc, it’s sometimes as if you are dissecting my brain, and my very self, and eloquently presenting it back to me.
Which is why I felt such a whiplash from your product posts today. On the one hand, I totally respect that these are independent artists doing gorgeous work. And on the other hand, they are objectively not not-expensive. There’s nothing wrong with that, but it just felt really off-brand to me. As your target demographic, or at least as someone with the financial precariousness that you depict so often in your articles, I could not responsibly afford those items and no one else I know could either.
All that being said, I still love you work and just wanted to offer my feedback. And I thought your Fleabag jumpsuit recommendation made perfect sense.
Hi Katherine! I wonder if you saw that the ceramics were all in MEX (not USD) — which means that the large serving bowl, for instance, is $34, not $690. As for the jewelry and the prints: I'm trying to buy far fewer things from people whose work is meaningful to me and that I really, deeply love and will endure. I hope that clarifies things a bit.
OMG that does! I was looking at the “$” of the ceramics and didn’t know that that symbol applies to Mexican currency as well. That makes a lot more sense as to why you would share it then. Thank you for your reply.
OMG I cannot wait for the LuLaRich documentary! My cousin-in-law and sister-in-law both used to sell LLR (and I used to buy a lot of it) and had wildly different experiences based on when they joined. My CIL was one of the early adopters and did super well but quit after having her first child in 2015; SIL came on later and thankfully broke even because she got out in 2017 (after she got pregnant) before everything came crashing down and was able to sell off her remaining inventory to other sellers.
The huge tragedy to me about LLR is that it could have been a more legitimate MLM like Mary Kay and Avon if they regularly carried basic colored items (in addition to their unique exclusive stuff) and the owners weren't so greedy and money driven. Their clothing was a lifesaver for me when I gained 45 pounds in 2016 because I didn't need to go out and buy a new wardrobe and awkwardly try on bigger sizes in the process - I was the same "Tall and Curvy" sized leggings as always. Plus those leggings were super soft which I appreciated as someone on the autism spectrum who struggles with texture.
Yet in their stupid business model black leggings were unicorns! I have knock knees (which means no thigh gap no matter how skinny I am) so I wear out leggings quickly so if they regularly carried black I would have have them on auto-order now for the past SEVEN years now!!! Also the fact that as a seller you couldn't pick your inventory styles and sizes was maddening. I loved their Amelia dresses yet I often had to buy them from SIL's friends because she rarely was able to get any in my size because inventory shipments were random. This makes zero business sense in any other business!
The quality of the clothing really took a nosedive, too, between when my CIL and SIL sold. The material felt less soft (especially on the Amelia dresses I loved) and the patterns were less likely to line up correctly. Also, because CIL got in early, she always got gorgeous patterns while SIL was shipped the ugliest stuff. It was disgusting how much money you had to put down to start ($5K) and yet had zero control over what ugly inventory they sent you and were continuously encouraged to buy more ugly inventory that you had zero control over what they sent you. As a result they encouraged sellers to team up, which made it harder for buyers to be loyal to just one person (which to me defeated the purpose because I would have bought so much more if I could just buy it from my family members).
Similar to the issue with few solid leggings they had few solid tops and dresses. I would have bought a lot more crazy patterns if I had solids to match them with. But no, the idea was that everything was supposed to be weirdly mismatchy. Um, no.
The whole thing is just tragic to me. Growing up, my mom was loyal to her Avon lady as if she were a small business owner with a storefront on Main Street. My mother-in-law used to sell Mary Kay and had a similar following of loyal customers. LuLaRoe could have been that, too, if they kept a regular product line of things you could order if your local person didn't have it in stock. OMG they could have make a killing during the pandemic, too - comfortable clothing in very flexible sizes that doesn't require a lot of trying on! In solids and trendy patterns! This whole thing breaks my heart more than it really should because as an aspie who hates buying and trying on clothes I would have been such a loyal customer to them for perhaps forever.
Very excited for the convo with Kristin Kobes Du Mez! I have Jesus and John Wayne on hold and am currently reading the similarly themed Unholy by Sarah Posner.
WHOA that 'just trust me'.
I'd like to recommend an article that I think would appeal to a lot of Culture Study readers: "Margaritaville and the Myth of American Leisure" by Jaya Saxena. https://www.eater.com/22644505/margaritaville-times-square-new-york-hotel-restaurants
Disclaimer: shit sandwich forthcoming.
I have never related to a writer as hard as I do you. From your writing and links on student loans, homeownership, careers, body/weight and fashion discussions, etc, it’s sometimes as if you are dissecting my brain, and my very self, and eloquently presenting it back to me.
Which is why I felt such a whiplash from your product posts today. On the one hand, I totally respect that these are independent artists doing gorgeous work. And on the other hand, they are objectively not not-expensive. There’s nothing wrong with that, but it just felt really off-brand to me. As your target demographic, or at least as someone with the financial precariousness that you depict so often in your articles, I could not responsibly afford those items and no one else I know could either.
All that being said, I still love you work and just wanted to offer my feedback. And I thought your Fleabag jumpsuit recommendation made perfect sense.
Hi Katherine! I wonder if you saw that the ceramics were all in MEX (not USD) — which means that the large serving bowl, for instance, is $34, not $690. As for the jewelry and the prints: I'm trying to buy far fewer things from people whose work is meaningful to me and that I really, deeply love and will endure. I hope that clarifies things a bit.
OMG that does! I was looking at the “$” of the ceramics and didn’t know that that symbol applies to Mexican currency as well. That makes a lot more sense as to why you would share it then. Thank you for your reply.
No I get it, when I first saw the prices I was like: either these are a fantastic deal OR they are WAY out of my price range