Olylulumpics?

Indulging in the Lulu scheme

You too can pay an outrageous amount to look like Canada’s 2022 Olympians

Elvert Barnes via Flickr You’d think with how much their clothing costs, they would be able to afford a better window display.

The world’s most expansive global event is back, with another Canadian powerhouse company behind the gear campaign. Just after the conclusion of the Tokyo Summer Olympics, advertising outlets are hightailing it into campaigns for the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing this January.

On September 23, Lululemon launched their Team Canada Olympic gear campaign. This had mixed reactions from spectators eager to dress like an athlete. Criticism is drawn from Lululemon’s “transformative” outfit construction. While some see the designs as a step into the future, looking sharp and futuristic, others are disappointed with them, saying they look like a Christmas ham. While both criticisms are completely perpendicular in my

mind, they oddly make sense when you see photos of the Olympians – I hope they win big looking like futuristic hams.

All criticism I have seen in the campaign is valid. As a constant critic of capitalism, I completely understand the frustration with the pretentious idea that a piece of clothing can be life changing. However, before going into a rant about overpriced capitalist fashion that will ruin the environment, I should say that I have come to enjoy some of the designs and the emotional meaning behind the patriotic apparel. Sometimes you must pick and choose your battles, and I cannot believe I am defending dressing like a ham hanging in a butcher’s shop – but here we are.

Lululemon’s campaign as the Team Canada Olympic outfitter containing the slogan “Feel Canada” has drawn in criticism from Canadians. The campaign is set up to convince consumers that they can be “more Canadian” by purchasing the Olympic outfit. The entire campaign has been marketed to invoke nationalistic pride and convey the feeling of being a part of the larger picture: being Canadian. Invoking emotion in campaigns is a classic strategy that has been used in many sports’ equipment and clothing campaigns, as we have seen with brands like Nike and Under Armour – it takes an item and gives it symbolic meaning and emotion. Wearing the Team Canada outfits gives fans a rite of passage feeling as a supporter of the Olympics, and a sense of belonging to Team Canada. Each Olympic Games marks a new possibility. The innovation and resiliency that Lululemon is trying to market sucks in fans, making them want to buy their product. It is genius. Making an

object a part of a larger whole is beneficial to generating income for a company. It can create customer loyalty because they represent a large extension of the population’s pride.

On the other hand, some are not buying into the transformative, innovative, and exciting themes Lulu is trying to uphold. Maybe it makes me pretentious to buy into this entire capitalist concoction that makes you look big, red, and puffy. A part of me believes that there is something a little more to the Lululemon haters out there. Many are labeling the campaign as cringey or a capitalist money grab, but what campaign trying to sell you something isn’t? Lululemon is the brunt of the joke this time, but other athletic brands are doing the same thing. Some of the criticism stems from the fact that a women’s athletic brand is dressing team Canada. That takes away from the issue, especially considering their effort to be inclusive to athletes of all genders and disabilities. Also, an incredible amount of feedback has been given from Paralympic athletes to manufacturers to make their clothes more functionally sound - a real A+ attitude from Lululemon.

Another beautiful aspect of the clothing line is that it is seamless between Paralympic and Olympic athletes alike. The coherency between clothing shows the equality between teams, which enforces Olympic ideals. Another zinger that hits the campaign is how it took them 18 months to construct puffy coats and leggings through detailed scientific evidence. Laying it on thick like this is a little bit embarrassing for stretchy pants, I will admit. When you put out how long and hard you work on something, it takes away the prod-

uct’s beauty because you know that you are being oversold on it.

Honestly, I am glad they are putting in the effort to consider the needs of athletes. I hope it creates a special and functional product for them. Finally, I think that many are frustrated because of the cost of dressing like an Olympian. Prices for Lulu apparel have been steep as the alpine skiers who wear it for years. Paying $100 for a pair of leggings is awful, let alone $500 for a parka, and mostly for the maple leaf on it. Just because some people are not interested in it does not make me want it any less. I think it is a fresh and different design from anything other retailers have created, and I think it would be fun to wear to represent Canada.

Lululemon being selected to be the Olympic clothing sponsor for the 2022 Winter Games comes after the Hudson’s Bay Company’s 16-year reign creating and marketing Olympic activewear. Lululemon will overtake Beijing and the next three Olympic Games as the clothing designer, which makes perfect sense. Unlike the Bay, they are an activewear brand, giving them hands-on knowledge on practical and comfortable clothes for athletes. Lululemon was originally more of an athletic brand for women, but is now expanding to more consumer categories. They have begun marketing their clothing by developing their men’s section. Along with expansions in design, they have introduced more “athleisure” clothing that customers can wear off the field, even while hanging out watching Netflix. The campaign appeals to those who like to participate in sport as well as spectate. The brand has truly started to evolve in the year through pandemic

sales promoting comfort and functionality, which is what people want to wear considering many are working from home.

I completely understand the criticism of the entire campaign. It is completely pretentious to think that a piece of clothing can transform you into a better, new version of yourself. I would like to think that people will pick and choose what to wear, making them feel good about how they look or wearing what their role model will don the day they compete in Beijing. I’m a proud Canadian girl through and through, and I will set aside my capitalist rage for two weeks to wear a $100 moisture wicking shirt that I could probably buy for $10 anywhere else.

You win this round, consumerism.

“Invoking emotion in campaigns is a classic strategy that has been used in many sports’ equipment and clothing campaigns, as we have seen with brands like Nike and Under Armour – it takes an item and gives it symbolic meaning and emotion.

– Gillian Massie

Easy ways to enjoy taking a break

Students are some of the busiest people in the world. With midterms, papers, jobs, and course work, it can be difficult to find time to do the things you love. It can be difficult to catch your breath in such a fastpaced environment. It is important for people to find ways to rest that are unique to themselves. Not everyone rests the same way, and not everyone considers the same things to be relaxing – that is the beauty of self-care and rest. It must be completely tailored to meet an individual’s needs. There are those who go for walks or take their dogs out to the dog park. Some might even enjoy getting their nails done on a weekly basis. Journaling is also something that works for some. There are many diverse ways for people to give themselves a break and allow them to catch their breath for once. Self-care, for me, has been something that has taken a few years to perfect. I never understood the importance of self-care and rest until I got into university. I have no idea how I was even functioning prior to this, but I am glad that I finally understand how crucial it is to my mental, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing. When it comes to rest, I like to do social media detoxes when I need to. Every single day, we’re bombarded with everything going on in the world. It is getting more and more difficult to read the news today or to go through my timeline. In fact, it is mentally taxing. I notice that at times I become so desensitized to other people’s suffering and instability that it makes me feel empty inside. In some instances, it makes me feel apathetic. Of course, I don’t mean to feel that way. However, when I am confronted by those feelings, I realize that I need to take a step back and do things that make me feel joyful in my core. This forces me to go back to my roots and take a detox to gain my sanity back. I am a firm believer that we absorb everything we read on the internet, whether it is directly or subconsciously. The most important way for me to rest is to not be on social media; it is common for the people in my life to see me deactivate my accounts for months at times.

I also enjoy going outside, or on walks

in my neighbourhood. I find that it is the closest thing to therapy for me as nature is something that truly makes me feel well rested and healed. When I don’t feel well rested, I get stressed much more easily. Of course, going on walks is not sustainable all the time, especially in the harsh Saskatchewan winters. In these cases, I like to do yoga and Pilates. All I need to get me in the right mood are my diffuser and my mat.

Making time for the activities I love grounds me. The biggest thing that I like to make time for is painting. When I don’t paint, I don’t feel like myself. Painting requires your energy and time, and it is not every day that I have the time to paint, but I try my best to find the time to paint every month. I like to turn it into a whole set up. I love having a show playing in the background that I can watch whilst painting. I also lay out some snacks such as rice krispies or cookies. Lately, I have been watching Anne with an E every time that I paint.

I think the best way to calm your spirit is to read. Reading can take you to an entirely different world. It makes you visual-

ize your way through books. I love reading fantasy books when I need an escape from the busy life of university. It takes me to a world of magic and magnificence. It makes me focus entirely on what I am reading. It’s as if I’m entrapped in the world of the books myself.

The most important thing that ensures that I am well rested is having a morning and night routine. I like to wake up early. The first thing I do is light my morning candles. I try to get a workout in early in the morning, drink some herbal tea, journal, shower, and listen to a podcast on my commute to school. My night routine is one that helps me take the edge off from the day. I like to light my night candles, usually warm and cozy scents. I also turn my diffuser on every night like clockwork. I cannot go to sleep without a diffuser in the background. The cozy light and the sound of it helps me sleep better.

I am someone who’s always overthinking everything, so I make the effort to essentially turn my brain off as soon as I am home. It helps me clear my head. I simply listen to or observe things, but I limit the internal monologue. It was difficult at first, but it has gotten easier over the years. It is important to have a night routine because it helps with winding down.

It is important to understand that lack of self-care leads to lack of rest, and lack of rest eventually takes you down the path of burn out. It can be inevitable at times which is why it is important to practice habits that will help you make time to be there for yourself. The most important relationship you will ever have is the relationship that you have with yourself.

We owe it to our bodies and our minds to take care of ourselves. The older we get, the busier our lives will get. It will be even harder to make time for the things we love. But it is important that we at least try, even if it is something we do for 10 minutes every day. Consistency is the most important thing when implementing rest into our daily routines. Being well rested allows us to be efficient. It makes it easier for us to be pleasant people. It allows us to be there for the things and people who are important to us. Without rest, catastrophe is bound to happen.

“Not everyone rests the same way, and not everyone considers the same things to be relaxing – that is the beauty of selfcare and rest. It must be completely tailored to meet an individual’s needs.

– Amina Salah

amina salah staff writer

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editors: sarah carrier, rooky jegede graphics@carillonregina.com the carillon | nov 11 - nov 24, 2021