what a Lululemon bag taught me about authenticity.

A small moment from my life these days.

Jan 23, 2025

I’ll be honest with you for a second: I’ve always cringed at the idea of allowing myself to publicly like anything “mainstream.”

I’d keel over before admitting that I like any Taylor Swift song.

Growing up in New Jersey, surrounded by Giants and Jets fans, I asked my dad years ago who the worst team in the NFL was because I wanted to be their fan. I wanted to be the exact opposite of “on the bandwagon” or a fair-weather fan.

I recoil at having to admit how much I liked Harry Potter, even though I was an avid reader and watcher for many years.

And so when crossbody bags, fanny packs, belt bags, or whatever you want to call them started making their way back into our mainstream culture, I held out, despite their appeal.

My boyfriend got one and wore it everywhere. I got one I ultimately didn’t really like from a brand that isn’t well-known and looked slightly less like the ones everyone was getting but never wore it because I didn’t want to look like a couple that both wore crossbody bags.

I thought it was lame.

I wanted to be different. Unique. Not like everyone else. Edgy.

I can’t even identify how far back this feeling goes. I can remember wanting to fit in just enough, but not too much. I wanted to stand out just a little bit to induce some intrigue, but not enough that it was weird.

I was calculated.

I’ve worked through a lot of this on the other end of the spectrum (not being “too” different), especially as I’ve started getting certified on some “woo” practices and have began marketing those offerings.

But I still struggle with not wanting to do or like things that it seems like everyone else does.

I’ve been wanting one of those Lululemon belt bags for almost two years now. You know the one—the one that literally every girl and woman has on when they’re out running errands, entering a yoga studio, in the grocery store, at a concert, or on line at an airport. Usually in black.

And you know why everyone has them?

Because they’re awesome. They’re convenient, affordable, stylish, compact, and just generally the best.

And so for the last two years I’ve gone back and forth in my head about getting one. I always landed on “no” because I didn’t want to fall into that category of people that had one.

Then sometime this weekend I just got fed up with myself.

I opened Lululemon’s site on my phone and looked to see if there were any places near me with the bags in stock.

It said there was a Lululemon pop-up store at our local mall. Genuinely, I was shocked. We don’t usually have those kinds of niche brands/stores readily available in Western Colorado.

As I looked through the availability and different color options, my heart got absolute flutters as I clicked on the hot pink option. It was a full-body YES, which doesn’t happen to me very often.

Immediately, my head took over. No, you need to get the black one. It’ll go with more of your outfits, it won’t stand out too much, and it won’t get dirty. You can wear it with more things. It’s the safer choice. If you’re going to commit to being a basic bitch, you might as well fully commit and get black like everyone else.

Basically, I absolutely talked myself out of the option that was calling to me.

Adam and I went to the mall and wandered into the Lululemon pop-up, which I was surprised to see was housed in an actual storefront and not just a kiosk.

I greeted the greeters and scanned the walls and clothing displays for the bags, my eyes taking in a bunch of crop tops, leggings, and jackets.

Even though my brain was scanning for the black bags, my heart was scanning for hot pink. It was certain to stand out in the sea of white, black, soft blue, and tan.

And so when I didn’t find the color, I felt my entire body sink.

And suddenly I knew… hot pink was my authenticity.

If you know me, you know that my entire wardrobe is neutrals and non-bold colors. I don’t usually wear a ton of colors and definitely nothing that pops out.

My wardrobe is also 10+ years old and was curated when I was overwhelmingly concerned with what people thought about me.

To feel this pull to hot pink, at a time when I’m in this deep discovery of who I am, and at a time when there just so happened to be a Lululemon pop-up in our town, felt absolutely and divinely kismet.

And so, when I spotted the hot pink belt bag hanging on the wall behind a rack of clothes, I grabbed it and walked to the checkout counter without even thinking twice.

For the first time in a while, I didn’t feel calculated. I didn’t feel like I was filtering what I was buying, overthinking, or trying to talk myself out of something.

It just felt right.

Basic bitch, but make it authentically me.

I don’t know if any of you out there need this reminder like I do, but there’s nothing wrong with being “basic” or liking things that everyone likes if they genuinely feel good to you. There’s a reason certain things get popular. And if they fit in with your authentic joy, it’s worth embracing fully. (Seriously, please tell me I’m not the only one that struggles with this!)