Writer Takes on ‘Hideous’ LulaRoe Leggings in Viral Essay

LuLaRoe, the clothing brand known for its insanely soft leggings and multilevel marketing strategy, is being sued for allegedly producing poor-quality items.

Women wearing leggings
In response to a lawsuit filed against LuLaRoe alleging poor-quality leggings, one writer says women shouldn’t wear leggings at all. (Photo: LuLaRoe)

However, one writer is finding fault with the brand’s female customers.

In a viral essay titled “Ladies, Rips Are Least Of The Problems With Your Hideous Leggings,” Georgi Boorman of the Federalist wrote: “LulaRoe customers are experiencing buyer’s remorse over “buttery-soft” (read: paper thin) leggings. Apparently they rip easily, and thanks to some super brave social media whistleblowers, we have up-close selfies of luridly colored, legging-covered butt cheeks with rips to prove it.”

Boorman adds, “My problem isn’t with the fact that people are spending $25 on comfortable leg attire. My problem is with the trend that indicates millions of American women now view tissue-thin, garishly patterned leggings as pants. Leggings are more akin to opaque footless tights than pants, but we don’t run around town in our tights, do we, ladies?”

The essay has generated lots of buzz online, with many agreeing that the “hideous” trend of leggings should die out, while others call Boorman “judgmental” for her views.

Boorman wrote the essay in response to a March lawsuit filed by two women who claim that the $25 leggings, which come in sizes OS (One Size) and TC (Tall & Curvy), are poor-quality and that LuLaRoe is not addressing the issue. The lawsuit, which represents anyone who bought the leggings after March 31, 2016, states, “Specifically, Customers have complained that the leggings are of such poor quality that holes, tears, and rips appear before wearing, during the first use or shortly thereafter. The leggings have also been described as tearing as easily as ‘wet toilet paper.’”

There’s even a Facebook group titled “LuLaRoe/Defective/Ripped/Torn Leggings and Clothes,” which boasts more than 25,000 members.

“I wrote the piece not to nitpick at others’ appearances, but to let women know, hopefully with humor and good grace, that these leggings aren’t pants, and they aren’t doing themselves or anyone else any favors by wearing them,” Boorman tells Yahoo Style.

In the essay, Boorman clarifies the difference between pants and leggings, with the latter, she writes, belonging in the gym. “Pants are what we wear to work. Pants are what we wear with shirts that only go past our belt line. Pants should make your rear end not look like it’s been jammed into a kaleidoscope or smooshed into a pizza.”

She also writes of leggings in general: “The legging trend is an indication that people have consigned parts of their life not to mediocrity, but chronic failure. But Americans don’t need to spend more money on clothes. We just need to respect ourselves.”

Boorman explains to Yahoo Style, “My main issues [with leggings] are that they give the impression that one doesn’t care at all about their appearances, and that they show way too much. It’s analogous to wearing a sheer top in public.

“One-size-fits-all sounds great in theory but doesn’t work out well in practice,” Boorman continues. “A shirt or leggings might technically fit over your body, but they don’t fit everyone in a flattering way. We’ve embraced one-size instead of finding things that really fit and look good on us.”

A mother herself, Boorman makes an exception for pregnant women and moms who often require stretchy clothing for comfort due to weight fluctuations and active lifestyles.

“I do have leggings that I bought when I was pregnant,” Boorman shares with Yahoo Style. “They’re black and thick. I see them strictly as in-house loungewear unless I’m wearing a long top.”

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