PS - Upon further reflection, the other thing that strikes me as a miss about updating the lulu home page to mimic the nude Ryan Kesler photo is that it attaches negativity to your company. Not only did Vancouver lose the Stanley Cup but there was a huge riot afterwards that gained worldwide notice. Why would Lululemon want to be associated with two negative events? The riots reflected very badly on Vancouver so why remind people? Whatever. Maybe people at lulu just like to get naked. They seem to use nudity in their advertising quite a bit. ;-)
Anyway, here are some comments from a thread about the new look for the lululemon home page (taken from the 1,100+ member Lulu This Just In lululemon fan Facebook Group):
- FREAKED OUT BY THE NAKED LADY ON THE LULU WEBSITE!!!!
- OMG what are they thinking
- .....Ummmm what the hell - is this a prank - did lulu get hacked.
- that is freaky
- something just doesn't seem right there .. it is very wrong on so many levels ..
- oh man that third picture is seriously freaky!!
- i can see this going very bad lol...
- Dear lulu, thanks for making your website NSFW today
- sales go down by 50% since people at work can't go on the site LOL
- Ahhh definitely not safe for work!! Popped in to check out the upload and saw that! Ps I enjoyed the hockey player one better. Lol
- I hope they take it down soon - I go on the lulu site at work a lot and I don't want to draw more attention then necessary to my shopping.
- For the first time ever, my boss has the lulu home page bookmarked. He already knows not to bug me on Thursday mornings but unfortunately wanted to annoy me today!
- super glad you can't see my computer screen unless you are far in my office. This would stop most of my coworkers in their tracks!
- Whoa. She shows up on every single panel on the main page. Awkward. Well, I guess this is one way to get me to stop browsing at work...
- Wow. Kudos to the model but wow, yea, until this comes down no browsing at work.
- I left them a nice note on their FB page
- sooooooooooooo awkward WTH
- Would have much rather seen that naked hockey player on the home page... maybe I would have bought something.
These comments were left on the Lululemon Facebook page:
- Dear Lulu, I'm sure that you meant well with your homepage graphics that were uploaded today, however, they have caught many of us by surprise. NSFW/NSFS
- and more importantly prohibitive to us loyal browsers/shoppers who access your website from work and school.
- Yes, I thought you're promoting clothing, not lack thereof.
- Please make your site safe work work again soon!!!
49 comments:
I found it funny, in light of the Kes thing... but I was home sick today- would not have been good if I opened it at work, I work with children! Would have looked during my lunch when there weren't kiddos around, but still....
Sorry, I don't get what all the upset is about....
Sheesh people, relax!!
Lulu always seems to be on the edge of controversy but this one seems the least controversial. I actually think its kind of fun.
Jenn Thiel was my favorite lulu model... now, not so much.
I actually think it's funny but people who want to shop on upload Thursday while at work were not as amused. Lululemon obviously has a rather forgiving workplace but many are not run so loosely, particularly schools. Additionally, when it's all said and done, Ryan Kesler is a rather obscure athlete. Many of Lululemon's customers don't get the joke.
well i can't browse at work which means all the good shit will be GONE by the time i get home at 8pm!!! ugh!!!
@ anon 9: 38 am - There wasn't much good shit today so don't worry.
The other thing I don't get about this is that Vancouver LOST the Stanley cup and there were huge riots that made worldwide notice afterwards so two negatives kind of attached to the photo of Ryan Kesler. Why connect your company to that?
I think it's awesome... and the Canucks are still a wicked good team (though I'm a Bruins fan)and the pride and joy of Vancouver (the rioters aren't even really hockey fans, just a bunch of POS wanting to wreak havoc). I'm in a work place that has lock down on internet access, so having someone see it over my shoulder isn't an issue, I can't even get to it.
Bookmark the "This Just In" page though and all should be dandy for an upload on a Thursday when Lulu decides to put up an amusing nude pic ;) Or use your smartphones!
BTW anon 9:38, what's up with the cursing??
Funny to see two of my own comments listed on your blog.
Let me reiterate, it's not that we're upset about the promotion of health and wellness as intended by the ad, it's the execution. A press release (as most companies use when they want to guarantee the generation of publicity) would have been great, some heads up would have been appreciated for those of us who do work in environments that may not be quite as accepting so that we could have avoided the site for the day (or next few days).
I thought lulu sold clothes? I go on their site to buy clothing! Shouldn't the model be wearing the clothing. Maybe they should team up with play boy?
I sent them an email to them through Feedback that said it was inappropriate. I don't mind nudity, but it was very awkward and weird.
I am sitting here laughing at how much this is offending people, and at lulu is getting exactly what they wanted when the posted this photo. A REACTION!
Way to go, Lulu!
I fail to see what is offensive in this photo.
I'm not offended by it and if I was at work I really wouldn't feel uncomfortable if someone saw the page...unless I wasn't supposed to be surfing the internet at all or something.
That being said, this isn't exactly a famous picture so unless you live in Vancouver you probably haven't seen it (or wouldn't have until you started wondering where they got the idea from). Unless you're a Canucks fan or a hockey fan you probably have no idea who Ryan Kesler is...so it loses something in the translation. It's shocking and somewhat amusing but it also kind of makes lulu seem isolating to anyone not in Vancouver. They could've done something about hockey in general in Vancouver colours...
I agree with Becky- lulu got what they wanted. The more people react, more people will go to the site and buy something. Mission accomplished. Gosh this company is smart!
@anon 9:38- nothing good uploaded. Apparently stores are getting the vinyasa scarves. I want then to make one in black swan and currant.
I thought it was funny. I'm an American so I didn't get the reference at first, but it's funny. I know there are a lot of conservative people out there though so to each his own.
I purchased: deep coal wee stripe scoop neck, lilac wee stripe cabin tee, heathered coal CRB, and coal pique vinyasa scarf. Went a bit nuts.
Sad to see you Americans are such prudes. Lighten up!
Lulu thinks it is funnier/more controversial than it is. Their print marketing is not offensive or controversial, it just tends to be rather lowbrow. You had a chance to say something on a large scale and this is what you are going with? Remember "Just Say No To Camel Toe"? What is that, the yogi equivalent of the Fart Joke? You'd think a company selling 98$ yoga pants would have a better sense of humor.
@anon 1:16pm Let's not go there. There are other non-Canadian residents that think it's weird/awkward. Not just Americans.
Well, could that model have a more tense and uncomfortable look on her face?!? The photo they chose doesn't help matters! If she's happy in her own skin, have her relax her face. I don't believe her at all! LOL
Yes lighten up!Right on Lulu.There are so many real issues in this world and THIS is a concern? haha go practice yoga.
I think that you have to be Canadian to really get it. Hockey is HUGE here. Especially in a city like Vancouver with it's own team. The fact that the Cup was not brought home has been forgotten, and as for the riots, well people from Vancouver know that it was only a few idiots and they did their best to redeem themselves by coming out in larger numbers to clean up. (Atleast it's not as stupid as in Montreal where they riot when they win).
Anyways Canucks hockey in Vancouver is larger than life and thus Ryan Kesler is a big freaking deal in Vancouver where Lululemon is based. If it was based in Winnipeg then the site would be smattered in "Go Jets Go!" for the home opener this weekend and if it was based in Edmonton then they would probably do the same if there was anything interesting about Jordan Eberle. It's just the way we are about hockey up here.
If you're not Canadian just think of Soccer everywhere other than Canada and the US.
Anyways all of this has distracted everyone from the most important upload of the day even if it was only uploaded on the Canadian side.
http://shop.lululemon.com/shop/productTemplate-B.jsp?productId=Hair-Ties-30164&categoryId=women-this-just-in&cc=4185&skuId=3428669&catId=women-this-just-in
They released new hair ties and one of them, as predicted, was that persian purple. I really hope it means that there is going to be some more of this to come. I think I'm going to make a trip to the store just to pick them up tomorrow!
Amanda - I totally agree. I burst out laughing. I am a Vancouverite and Ryan Kesler is a big name here. Also - Ryan Kesler didn't cause the riots, and if we lost the cup, that just means we can try again this year. Stuff happens in sports.
For me, it's no big deal, and I don't find it offensive at all. The model is not really showing anything we don't see on a beach anywhere -- lower/side boob and side butt -- how shocking! We see women's upper boob all the time with various fashion choices that people make, and lower butt too. As for the Kesler reference being too obscure, that may be -- I'm Canadian, and a hockey fan, but not from Vancouver; I was unaware of the ESPN photo, but I'm not left puzzled or scratching my head over it.
For me, the ad did not bring to mind any negativity or shame that some people perceive should be associated with the Canucks because they didn't win the Stanley Cup and some stupid people (most likely not even hockey fans) had a riot. As Anon. 10:05 stated, they are a wicked good team and I can say, as a Toronto gal (which means I have to cheer for the Maple Leafs), I think the Canucks are awesome and we would be lucky and proud to have them here! :D
@ Amanda: well said!
I noticed the hair ties too...and what intrigues me, along with the Persian Purple (love it!), is that hot pink!
I thought the "Just say no to camel toe" ad was brilliant...but sometimes I laugh at fart jokes too.
Lulu actually made a fart joke recently, if I recall: Run: Essentials Jacket
I get that Lulu is based in Vancouver and in that sense I think the ad is fine, but to the rest of us it didn't make sense. I am in Seattle, not too far from Vancouver, and I had no idea what was going on with it. In the end though I didn't care too much ... I made my purchases and went on my way (both vinyasa scarves, debating the lilac coal wee stripe scoopneck).
I think you can always purchase via the email notification, without viewing the home page for those concerned about viewing at work.
I think it's interesting that people are getting upset about this. Even if you don't know what it means (i.e. who Lulu is referring to-Kessler), the image of the model can be appreciated for the art. It's a beautifully taken photo of a model, who is in great shape. I find it inspiring. People tend not to get upset when viewing half-naked actors on prime time TV, or the fact that the models are near nude in many fitness catalogs, or websites, e.g. they aren't wearing tops, but they're wearing undies...or the fact that Jennifer Aniston appears nude in some of the Smart Water ads.
So I have to ask, why exactly are people so upset about Lululemon's homepage? Also, is it at all possible that some of the outrage is partly due to the fact that it makes viewing their website harder to do while at work, in which case, is it Lululemon's fault that you can't view their webpage to shop while at work?
I guess I am finding it difficult to understand the negativity towards their website, when we see similar images all the time in fitness magazines, other advertising sources, etc. and the backlash isn't so negative.
Well I like lulu because their different from the other big athletic companies. They are definitely living up to it.
Personally I just think that they are leading people to the website to warm up for an aggressive Christmas selling season. The last 3 months in a year are the strongest for most retailers and can often make or break their year.
@Pretty Addicted: I bought both Vinyasa scarves, too, and I'm hoping that they have improved the quality!
I find the Lululemon page inspiring-the model looks fantastic, and that inspires me to work a little harder at my workouts:-)
For all those complain about opening it at work and getting a surprise, what are you doing shopping online at work anyways? Personally my boss isn't so keen on us shopping online while at work.
What I am upset about is everyone relating this to the Vancouver riots. It has nothing to do with that and I think it's great that lulu want to support their team. Let's be realistic, lulu started in Vancouver, has a high (if not the highest volume of stores there) and like to do things that are going to stir the pot. Everyone up here in Canada got a good kick out of it, I just laughed when I read this because no one I have come across sees ANYTHING wrong with it.
I think @Amanda 2:10 pm said it best though, if you havent seen her comment, take a gander.
You seem to be the one wanting to associate the naked photo with riots... you seriously don't believe that could have happened anywhere? Vancouver is a great city, not liking your negativity for all things non Orange County USA.
is lulu going to put this pic in their stores (windows) as well? this would be cool!
I think you are totally off the mark here, LuluAddict.
The rioting in Vancouver was not caused by the Vancouver Canucks, nor was it caused by true fans. It was a bunch of hooligans that should be ashamed of themselves. Vancouverites are very proud of their hockey team and often give full support to their endeavors.
Nudity, as well, is not something to find shame in. The body is beautiful and is often depicted in artwork. The main image on the Lulu page is tongue-in-cheek about the spread of the athlete, in a respectful mockery. Lululemon strikes me to be a company about using the strength and grace of your body for empowering purposes, and I think using a (willing) nude embassador to provide some humour to something close to their local pride is something to applaud.
They probably do this to distract people from the new higher price of the CRBs. :) Did anybody notice it? No ones mentions it, so far. I'm more upset about their ever increasing prices than this ad. (Still will continue to purchase Lulu, though. Love their merchandise....just have to be more selective.) Just didn't get it first, since I don't know who Kes is, but after seeing the actual picture of Ryan Kesler in the exact pose, it's hilarious! Marketing strategy with a little tongue in cheek!
Spoken like a true American... Wow. Your ignorance is truly pathetic...
Yes, Vancouver lost the Stanley Cup, but in Canada we don't give up on our team after they had an AMAZING season. We love our hockey, and realize, guess what? Losing is part of the game. Is it sad? Yes. Will we pull through? Definitely. It's hockey. It's a game. And we LOVE it.
As for the riots. I can't believe you still have your head up your ass about that one. It's well known that the riots were started and carried through mostly my ignorant punks who went downtown with intentions of starting a riot whether Vancouver won or lost. They were not hockey fans, and had plans to cause destruction just because they could. Read up on it...
And for associating with the negativity? The city pulled through together in such an amazing way after the riots, that in the end... the riots yes are sad, but we (as Canadians) are able to see how some truly amazing people came together to clean up the city after.
Remember, lululemon is a Canadian company (which started in Vancouver!!), and frankly... I really don't think they care if you Americans don't get their pictures or their humor.
When I first open the lulu page this morning I was so surprised! I thought the photo was because it was an ad for a coat, haha. The model is so beautiful and it was so tastefully done, and I LOVE so much that she was not retouched, like how they do on the cover of Shape or Self magazines. I just didn't know why she was looking so stern in the face. Then I saw the reason behind the story on the lulumum blog. It is so hilarious! I totally love it! I nearly fell out of my chair laughing. Btw, she looks better than him. I like how they have her pulling on the hoodie zip too, ha.
Nsfw.... I'm sure your boss does not want to pay you while you shop online. Save it for home! Lulu is not a kids clothing company, it's an adult work out clothing line. She is in shape and looks like a fitness model. The look on her face is great, she looks strong. She looks very un-sexual. In a good way! She is naked and proud. Not naked for a man, but herself. It's refreshing not to see the usual bedroom eye, open mouth slut look that men would want to see! Get over it!!!
Whoa! Calm down everyone! LLA gets to call it like she sees it. Be respectful or cease to be...on this blog. Funny how the only ones being nasty are those arguing that the photos are (a) hilarious and (b) a brilliant marketing tool. You don't see those of us who (a) aren't laughing and (b) aren't buying, calling you who are a bunch of blind morons do you? Hockey or no hockey, the ad is foolish. Has nothing to do with LuLu or its business. Period. And im not offended by the nudity, Im offended by the sight of that poor woman's face! She is seriously hideous. (and needs to lose some weight)
I bet you are a thick girl.
First I think that say that the lulu photo or ESPN's photo has anything to do with the Vancouver riots is a bit ignorant.
Second I thought the photo was hilarious.
Third I'm shocked that so many Americans don't know who Ryan Kesler is - he is an American and played for Team USA at the 2010 Olympics.
Ha ha. OK, I'll admit I brought up the Stanley cup loss and the riots to tweak Vancourites/Canuck's fans a little and cause a little controversy myself. ;-) Remember, I was rooting for Boston in the cup. When the playoffs began Vancouver/Canuck's fans thought the Stanley Cup was in the bag. As for the riots, it was very unfortunate but the blame should be placed on Vancouver government for letting that situation - lots of people, lots of alcohol, few police - develop in the first place, particularly when it had happened previously in 1994.
Maybe a lot of Canadians don't know this but hockey is a very minor sport in the US and not well-followed at all. I don't know about most Canadian women but unless an athlete is majorly famous like David Beckham or Christiano Ronaldo I wouldn't recognize them on a magazine cover, particularly if they play a sport that requires a helmet and they are not a household name. When I went to the lulu store today I had to explain the photo reference to an educator there. She just thought lulu was being it's usual outrageous self.
I can understand people being extra paranoid at work these days in regards to near nudity on the front page of the lulu site. The economy is tough and people don't want to do anything that makes their boss think negatively of them. Most workplaces monitor web access so I'm sure some small amount of surfing/shopping is tolerated but people are being super cautious these days.
@ anon 9:14 pm - Really, the model needs to lose weight? That's a major stretch.
One last thing, negative events stick to a city. I moved to Los Angeles in 1995, right after a bunch of bad things had happened there. For years I used to get comments about OJ (1994), riots (1992), fires (pick any year), and mudslides.
... That doesn't make it right or fair to still comment on Vancouver's unfortunate situation with the riots. Where is the comment on how Vancouverites got together to clean up the aftermath?
Vancouver government should not be responsible for a few idiots who went overboard during a hockey game. Those individuals had free will and used it poorly. Fortunately, the police cleared it up eventually and many citizens of Vancouver VOLUNTEERED their time to assist in cleaning up the mess.
Also, as a Canadian female, I can assure you that I know the name, face, jersey number, and personal best of at least a handful of hockey players on each Canadian team, plus a few American.
Last note: No one should be surfing on the internet for personal reasons at work. At all. Especially for shopping. You are employed to provide a service/trade. Spend your "free time" becoming more educated in your profession or gaining more competency.
Nothing to be upset about that's ridiculous. For those complaining you probably shouldn't be online shopping while at work first of all. Ryan Kesler is a huge deal in Vancouver and even a bigger deal is that lululemon was CREATED in vancouver by chip wilson and is where the company is based, hence the support for the canucks and the city. For you americans complaining fyi kes is actually american and shocker, cities in the US have rioted over stanley cup finals as well...only difference is that your riot cities didn't have over 15 thousand people show up to clean up the next day. Something to think about before you start throwing around negative comments.
Please stop the "you Americans" bashing. UNNECESSARY. Also, why are you telling people what they should be doing at work? Way to be holier-than-thou. If Americans are ignorant prudes then are Canadians patronizing know-it-alls? Rant over.
PS: I hate to add to this feed but when people step off base so egregiously from the original conversation and get their panties (or technithongs as it were- heehee) in the twist this is what happens.
LLA's comments weren't about who caused the riot though...they were about the fact that the Canucks had everything they needed to win the cup on paper and ended up getting slaughtered...and then the team cried about it and certain individuals rioted. It wasn't a good day for the city...way to rehash it Lulu.
I'm in Toronto and in general, a hockey fan and I had no idea what they were talking about. It wasn't on SportsNet until after Lulu updated their website and only in the middle of the day when I happened to be home. Stupid reference.
And I think you Vancouverites are taking things a little personally (see? I can make sweeping generalizations about a country or a city too). Maybe a little sore from still losing something that was supposed to be in the bag? Lighten up. ;)
I was extremely upset when the nude model was on the home page. First, I don't want to see nudes & secondly, she looked better then me!!!
Even more to the point, there seems to be no stopping LULU from increasing prices - above & beyond what is necessary. ESPECIALLY, WHEN THEY ARE SEEM TO BE REPEATS OF EXISTING STYLES
Something is very wrong with Lulu marketing & styling departments - as well as quality control
Ok, guys the comments have gotten out of hand to where we are country bashing so I'm going to close the thread now.
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