Pro-Asian? Anti-Asian?
This ad featuring Michelle Yeoh and the dancers of Wing Chun promoting Lululemon ticks all the boxes for sensitivity in promotion of diversity that a company can show. Over the past few years Lululemon has moved away from being the sole preserve of the slim, glowing, shiny haired brigade. Visit their stores you'll see a plethora of different-sized models with sizing ranges from 4-24.
Yet the name Lululemon itself famously arose from an interview with Founder Chip Wilson (no longer with the company) in 2005 saying that it was funny that Japanese people couldn't pronounce the "L" in Lululemon.
"It's funny to watch them try and say it," he told Canada's National Post Business Magazine when asked about the Japanese pronunciation of his company's name.
Now that Chip himself is no longer part of the company and therefore no longer in charge of Lululemon's direction, ethos or beliefs, does it matter that the origins of the company name are literally and liberally daubed in anti-Asian racism?
There is currently a petition up asking people to boycott Lululemon until they change their name. Not feeling entirely hopeful about this.
And does it matter where the nominative foundations of Lululemon lie if right now, in 2024, the company is pro-actively working hard to be inclusive and racially sensitive?
I definitely have some Lululemon kit in my drawers. Should I keep it?
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