EDIT: I can’t do math. 2015-2023 is 8 years, not 7. 🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️
My calendar got in my face yesterday to remind me that we’re springing forward… and that AthletiKaty’s birthday is also this weekend. Found myself with a work schedule full of Tuesday night games where I literally cannot pay attention to anything but getting on the air and keeping us on the air (I work in TV)… so it’s taken me two months to muster up the energy to hit post in this little corner of the internet.
I know, “where there’s a will there’s a way”… and I just haven’t felt strongly enough to post a 5 Faves & a Dud. lululemon’s been playing it safe lately and uploads are pretty much same font different color. Like this:
By the time I’m in the airport the next day, I’m tying up loose ends in the form of expense reports, time sheets, and looking ahead to where I’m off to next. Once I get home, I don’t want to simply ignore Nate for the few hours I see him before I pack up and leave again 48 hours later. By that time, it feels like it’s too late to post. The people who want to know what’s up have already been bombarded with variations of the same low-effort videos from the same 5 creators.
The formula is simple: screenshots of newly-uploaded items, maybe using a green screen to show how excited they are… all of which conclude with a plea to “shop with my link!!”
These posts are not low effort because the creators don’t care, they’re low effort because it’s a race to get onto someone’s FYP first so *their* link gets used. They’re after the 15% commission of your $250 haul, so that they can continue hauling new items on a weekly basis without making a dent in their bank account. By the time you shoot, edit, and post something a day or two later the window has opened and slammed shut in your face already. Too slow.
r/lululemon & TikTok = haul culture on steroids
The current state of lululemon reddit and TikTok can be summarized in two words: urgency and excess. There are purchases that I’ve sought out just to be one of the “lucky” ones to find a coveted item… only to turn around 3 months later and have the tags still attached. Sonic Pink Belt Bag? I’m giving it to my sister. Strawberry Milkshake Scuba Half Zip? I wear it never. The richer colors are my jam, and this winter I have happily switched back and forth between Green Jasper and Pomegranate without feeling the need for more.
Can’t help but wonder every once in a while if I’m the drama? I guess not me personally, but as a creator who has definitely engaged in OMG GO GO GO activities from time to time, I’m part of the problem. One thing that I’d like to get back to is remembering why I started this site in the first place. I wanted to geek out and share opinions, and if I tried a piece, to let people know how it looked on a very middle of the pack sized person. Size inclusivity wasn’t a thing back in the day.
The Math Ain’t Mathin’
Last year, I went 17/52 on 5 Faves & a Dud. Only showed up 32% of the time. That’s a pretty pitiful stat for something that is supposedly a “weekly” thing. I can’t fit any more tights in my closet. I don’t want to say I’m “over it” entirely, but it’s pretty clear that we always find time for our priorities, and pretending I’m excited about a new color of something we all already own 5+ of ain’t it lately.
I’m currently evaluating how much and in what form I want to show up in here. AthletiKaty on TikTok runs a lot, AthletikatyOOTD talks about lululemon, on Instagram she does a little of both. Here? I don’t know.
I enjoyed posting the #SeaKatyWheeze Training Logs, but I remember one single person responded on my end of year readers poll a few years back they didn’t like them… and ever since I’ve let that one rando scare me away from sharing something that I really enjoy with the world. How lame am I that I’ve allowed on comment from anonymous keep me from posting about something I love for the last few years. Hell, I trained for and completed the NEW YORK CITY MARATHON and you’d have never known it by reading this blog.
Starting to go off the rails now.
The gist of it is that it’s SO easy to create content that’s immediately published for everyone to see, that I’ve accidentally made myself feel obligated to be a breaking lululemon news reporter. In reality, I can’t do that. I don’t have the bandwidth. There are bots for that. There are people who make that type of thing their full time job. I’m not one of them.
I’m here for fun commentary and advice. I’m not here to pressure you to buy something just so I can make a quick buck. I’m here to connect with people, share how pieces from our favorite brand look and perform in real life, and hopefully make you laugh in the process.
Thanks for making it this far down the page. You’re a real one. ♥️
XOXO
Katy