Though the docuseries offers countless illustrations of the Stidhams engaging in extreme and narcissistic behavior, two in particular stand out. This is just one example of “malignant narcissism,” a characteristic commonly associated with leaders of destructive mind-control groups. Some can be harmful - especially when those in the highest-ranking positions manipulate other members for their own gain, and establish themselves as untouchable, infallible leaders who are owed obedience. And the Stidhams’ focus on the family unit didn’t end there: They regularly reminded LuLaRoe sales reps that they were part of their family, too.īut not all families are functional. So when LuLaRoe really started taking off, the Stidhams - neither of whom had previously managed or operated a company of this size - did what any parents overwhelmed by their new professional responsibilities would do: installed several of their (for the most part equally inexperienced) children in leadership roles. From there, the devout Mormons and residents of Corona, California, adopted two more boys and a girl, bringing them to a total of 14 children - two of whom are now married to each other: a fact Mark and DeAnne excitedly share in the documentary (before immediately clarifying that the couple are not biologically related, nor did they grow up under the same roof). When Mark and DeAnne got married in 1998, they combined their 11 biological and adopted children from their previous marriages into one family, Brady Bunch-style. How Tom Cruise Got Us to Forget About His Scientology Ties The matter was settled out of court in February 2021, when it was announced that the company would pay $4.75 million to resolve the lawsuit - $4 million of which would go to Washingtonians who lost money as the result of their deceptive business practices and false promises, Ferguson explained in a statement earlier this year. In 2019, Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson filed a lawsuit against LuLaRoe on the grounds that it was operating a pyramid scheme that left many of the company’s sales reps with unsold inventory and massive debt. An assortment of lawsuits soon followed, including complaints of copyright infringement and low-quality products, as well as a class-action lawsuit filed in California accusing the purveyor of stretchy clothing in wacky prints of being a pyramid scheme. Throughout 2017, LuLaRoe’s wide network of sales reps flagged problems including stale inventory that was difficult to unload, a misogynistic company culture, and the company’s abrupt reversal of their refund policy. But like the clothing they sold, it didn’t take long for their empire to start unraveling at the seams. At LuLaRoe’s peak in 2016, the company reported sales of nearly $2 billion and had close to 80,000 independent retailers pushing their products, Vox reports. And based the testimony of several people in the series, as well as one expert Rolling Stone consulted, the way LuLaRoe interacts with past, current, and potential members makes the organization seem like no ordinary MLM (think: Mary Kay, Tupperware) but something dangerously close to a cult.Īfter founding LuLaRoe, husband-and-wife duo Mark and DeAnne Stidham swiftly amassed a fortune selling women two things: leggings and lies. Over four, 45-minute installments, co-directors Jenner Furst and Julia Willoughby Nason expose the dark side of the brand known for colorful leggings available in a dizzying array of prints, offering a glimpse into what went on behind the scenes when the company, founded in 2012, began expanding at an unbelievable - and unsustainable - pace. Most are dancing to *NSYNC’s “I Want You Back.”īut this isn’t some type of religious ceremony, or all the chaperones of a junior high mixer enthusiastically shaking it to a song they actually recognize: It’s an event for sales reps working for LuLaRoe, a multi-level marketing (MLM) apparel company that’s the focus of LuLaRich, a new docuseries currently streaming on Amazon Prime. Quite a few have made it up onto the stage. With the exception of a baby, the audience is a sea of white women wearing brightly colored and in some cases heavily patterned articles of clothing. At first glance, it’s unclear whether the auditorium - filled with rows of theater-style seating broken up by wide aisles that lead to what appears to be either a stage or an altar - is a place of worship or the largest available conference room at the local Marriott.
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