Maybe because I'm still tapped into the yoga scene, or perhaps because I'm a co-founder of Recovering Yogi, I frequently hear about the high cost of Lululemon pants and witness women chiding others for purchasing the pants for aesthetic reasons. I feel urged to respond. In fairness, Lululemon doesn't really need defending. Maybe they don't even deserve it. I have several friends who used to work for them, and they've all said the same thing: the company preaches one thing and does another. Reports of their douchebagginess circulate throughout the internet. And yeah, I lolled all the way through Seacow Coalition's clever take on the Lulu poster/totebag. In other words, they may suck.
But while you may be able to fault them on all of the above, their stupid ads, and maybe their choice to manufacture in China*, you can't bemoan the $90 pricetag of their pants or complain when girls wear them to make their asses look better.
To begin, the pants are well-made. They could likely withstand a natural disaster. I know, because I had several pairs circa 2004 that I finally donated to Goodwill. Those. suckers. will. not. die. And if I thought that it was still cool to wear flared pants, you know I'd be rocking mine. So, when you consider the long lifecycle, the cost per wear factor (CPWF) is somewhere in the negative numbers. But I'm no economist.
I realize that $90 doesn't grow on trees.
(Though I'd be happy if it did. I did find a ten dollar bill on the street the other day. That was fun.) There are lots of things in this world that are considered luxury items: BMWs, iPads, box seats to the Lakers... I could go crazy if I chose to worry about what others had that I didn't. Instead, I'd much rather worry about how to instantly become enlightened without having to read any Byron Katie. (I'm sure she's awesome.)
And then secondly, there's the question of aesthetics.
I love when yoga people act like they're above wanting to looking good.
If we're pretending that looks don't matter, then I would invite those who protest to throw away every mirror that they own, their nose rings, their toe rings, and any other item that isn't purely utilitarian. While you're at it, wear your pajamas to work.
Exactly.
There's nothing wrong with caring if your ass looks good in pants, people.
I guess my wish would be that people felt comfortable going to yoga in whatever was clean. And that people knew that style isn't about a brand. And lastly, I wish that we could focus on more important things. Like why-the-eff do yoga teachers feel the need to play loud ass music in savasana?! (More on that later.)
*Personally, I don't feel like I can indict them on the whole China thing unless I'm prepared to fight that battle for everything in my life, which I'm not.