The Rise and Fall of LuLaRoe
Associate Producer
In 2015, thousands of hopeful retailers bought into LuLaRoe, one of the largest MLM clothing companies, only to have their dreams dashed. Before long, lawsuits and allegations that LuLaRoe was operating a pyramid scheme started filing in from retailers, many of them women and stay-at-home moms who had risked their homes, their bank accounts, and their relationships with close family and friends in an effort to be their own boss by selling LuLaRoe leggings.
Join BuzzFeed News reporter Stephanie McNeal as she chronicles how so many people got caught in this scheme of leggings and lies with expert interviews and first-hand accounts from the recruits who lived it—and are fighting back.
The Promise of LuLaRoe
Former LuLaRoe consultant Heidi Castellani joined the company in 2014 after moving to Connecticut and becoming a new mom. She was drawn into the multilevel marketing company by the comfortable leggings and instantaneous community of women she found. Heidi shares her experience, and why after two years, and tens of thousands lost, she was done.
#BecauseofLuLaRoe: The Dream Vs. Reality
LuLaRoe’s rise coincided with the rise of influencers and these platforms became the perfect medium for depicting the aspirational lifestyle that LuLaRoe was selling. So what was the reality vs. the image they were creating? Under the Influence podcast host Jo Piazza joins us this week to break down how social media and influencer culture contributed to LuLaRoe’s success.