LuLaRich

TV review by Marina Gordon, Common Sense Media
LuLaRich Poster Image

Common Sense says

age 13+

How FOMO, fear, and Facebook helped fuel a pyramid scheme.

Amazon Prime Video Reality TV 2021
Rate TV

Parents say

No reviews yet.

Add your rating

Kids say

age 11+

Based on 1 review

Common Sense is a nonprofit organization. Your purchase helps us remain independent and ad-free.
Rate tv

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

A Lot or a Little?

The parents' guide to what's in this TV show.

What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that LuLaRich is a docuseries about the multi-level marketing clothing company LuLaRoe. U.S. women, particularly stay-at-home moms, will be most familiar with the company that claimed its "retailers" could support their families, look cute, and find a community all thanks to comfy, colorful leggings. That dream was true for a few early adopters, but as with all pyramid schemes, the further down the pyramid you go, the heavier the burden. In a company that celebrates a lot, there's drinking and drunkenness. The frustration and anger of former LuLuRoe employees and consultants comes out in swears ("f--k," "s--t"), and the lure of making fast money is depicted as intoxicating, as are its trappings (luxury cars, clothing, trips). Most upsetting is the despair of the people (women and couples) who bought into the fantasy and promises only to be left with closets full of thousands of dollars of leggings.

Community Reviews

There aren't any reviews yet. Be the first to review this title.

What's the Story?

It started innocently enough: DeAnne Stidham was selling dresses with unique patterns for years and doing well financially, then she and husband Mark decide to take it up a level. In a remarkably short time the couple and their vast Mormon family -- they have a blended family of 14 biological and adopted children, two of whom married each other (they weren't brought up together) -- created LuLaRoe, a company built on colorful leggings and the requirement that new consultants bring in other consultants to make money. DeAnne tells a childhood story of her mother literally making it rain money ($5 bills), and the Stidhams did indeed make it rain for themselves and the early participants in LuLaRoe. The company's rapid growth and its business model turned out to be as flimsy as much of their merchandise; many lawsuits followed that have threatened to topple the company.

Is It Any Good?

For every viewer who wonders "How could these women have been taken in by LuLaRoe?" there will be a stay-a-home mom who says "I get it." LuLaRich is as much an indictment of the precarious financial state of so many families in the U.S. and the lure of quick-money capitalism as the company that took advantage of them. LuLaRich documentarians Jenner Furst and Julia Willoughby Nason showed in their Hulu documentary about the comically overhyped Fyre music festival, Fyre Fraud, that people with too much money can fall prey to FOMO. This story is more complicated and touched tens of thousands of "retailers" who wanted to be home with the kids and bring in some income. If your friends on Facebook appear to be showing how to "have it all" selling LuLaRoe, how do you say no?

It's a sign of either their arrogance or their naivete that DeAnne and Mark Stidham sat down with the documentary crew for six hours to describe the LuLaRoe's origin and rapid rise. They seem sunny and enthusiastic -- it's easy to see how consultants fell for them. In contrast are depositions from a State of Washington pyramid scheme lawsuit in 2019 (LuLaRoe settled for $4.8 million in February 2021) and other behind-the-scenes footage that show how leaders and retailers were gaslit and bullied. Regardless, LuLaRoe does still live on, and who knows, there may be renewed demand for their "buttery soft" leggings.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • How are women and mothers depicted in this docuseries? What led to many being lured into a pyramid scheme? What role did social media, particularly Facebook, play?

  • Many LuLaRoe employees and consultants point out that the company focused on White women. Of what significance, if any, is that?

  • Multilevel marketing and pyramid schemes. How are these related? What kind of research can you do into a business before investing your money, time, and energy?

TV Details

Our Editors Recommend

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate