My Search For a Unicorn

I’ll admit it. I wear leggings a lot. Okay, pretty much all the time. I’m either in yoga pants or leggings, with the occasional slip of judgement when I toss on jeans. This isn’t out of laziness. I want to be comfortable, and quite honesty, there’s nothing more comfortable than leggings.

On a typical morning, I exercise at about 8 AM. I stay in my workout clothes until I have to leave in the morning and most times I change into new workout clothes or leggings. Leggings are easy, they don’t make weird popping noises when I walk (yes, my jeans do this), and let’s face it, leggings/yoga pants are so darn cute these days.

About two months ago I began seeing posts on Facebook and Instagram from some of my fellow authors. They all wore these crazy leggings with outrageous designs. I hated them. “Too wild,” I thought. “Those look like leggings a six-year-old would wear.” I was lying to myself, though. I. Loved. Them. They had spunk, personality, and, from what people were posting, they were butter soft. These weren’t ordinary store-bought leggings. These were LuLaRoe.

LuLaRoe was new to me. The name wasn’t one I had heard before, so I did a search online. I couldn’t buy these leggings on their website, and needed to find a consultant to buy them. The website didn’t really help in finding one, so I typed “LuLaRoe” into Facebook.

Whoa. Mind. Blown.

Tons of consultants were out there, and each had a special group on Facebook — many with thousands of members. I was that far out of the game, apparently. I attended a few parties and the way it worked confused me a bit. I saw some leggings I liked, but for $25 a piece, I was scared to try the outrageous designs. What if I hated it once I put it on? I bought one pair — red with paw prints, perfect for a dog lover like me. When I got them I put them on and … oh, my. Butter. Soft. So. Warm. I was in love. I needed more. So what’s a girl on a budget to do?

I did what anyone would do. I hosted a party. I actually cohosted one with a friend and earned myself 3 pairs of leggings and a pair at a discount. I got some fun designs and while choosing them by looking only at a picture scared me, I love them.

Enter the unicorn. I kept seeing these posts about Unicorns. Most consultants have an album dedicated to this. I found out Unicorns are the one pair of leggings you want but can’t seem to find.

I should back up here and tell you that there are only a maximum of about 2000 of each print made. When you attend a party, the consultant posts the leggings (they also have dresses, shirts, etc). into an album. You flip through as fast as you can and when you see a pair you want, you type SOLD. If someone already claimed the item, you usually type SOLD NEXT. And so on and so on. You have 24 hours to pay your invoice once received or the next person gets them. Buying LuLaRoe is, essentially, a rat race.

My mouth dropped to the floor the day I saw the solar system leggings. Yes, black leggings with planets on them. How awesome! I needed these. The thing is, so did everyone else. Finding these was difficult and when I did see them in a party, they were 15 people claiming them before me. Chances were 15 sales weren’t going to fall through.

The solar system, along with an umbrella print, became my unicorn.

I joined group after group. Attended party after party. I stared at my computer one night for two hours hitting refresh like a madwoman until leggings were posted …. only for the consultant to not even have any to offer. I dreamed about these leggings. They were starting to control me.

I know, that sounds crazy, and it IS! Here I am trying to finish a book before its deadline and when I should be writing, I’m searching for my unicorn. The ones I do find are ones other people bought and are now hiking up the price and selling for a profit. I didn’t think I hit rock bottom until I paid double the price.

I didn’t pay double the price for the leggings. In fact, I gave up. I decided maybe spending ALL my time joining FB groups and searching for this pair of leggings was my rock bottom. Maybe now was the time I realize I have an addiction.

Here’s the thing about LuLaRoe — not only are the clothes the most comfortable you’ve probably ever worn, but there’s community around it. It’s a shared interest for a lot of women and a way for us to band together. We post our leggings with the hashtag #HowIRoe and complement each other. That’s something women don’t do enough — complement each other. It just sucks when it becomes a race and people get upset when they don’t get what they think they claimed. Attending a party can be fun and it’s kind of a game to see who has the fastest fingers, but technology can mess up.

LuLaRoe began as a dream for one woman, as most companies do. DeAnne Stidham started this company and has given women clothing they are comfortable in, no matter what their shape or size. That’s amazing!

For now, I’ve stepped back on my purchases, but that doesn’t mean I’m not lurking in the groups. Will I still buy LuLaRoe? You bet. I just don’t think I’ll be in as many groups and even though I want the umbrellas, I won’t stalk photo albums for them. I love seeing the different patterns and even if I don’t wear all the styles, seeing others wear them is giving me more confidence to experiment with my wardrobe. I love LuLaRoe and suggest you try it.

And did I ever get those space leggings? You tell me.