Latest / Mini Scroll / BBG to BBLs to Pilates Princesses: The Toxic Evolution of Fitness Influencer Culture

Transcript

BBG to BBLs to Pilates Princesses: The Toxic Evolution of Fitness Influencer Culture · Mini Scroll

• 0:00
  On February 13th, 2025, Kayla Isinas, one of the most
• 0:04
  influential fitness gurus among millennial women, took to Tik.
• 0:08
  T.O.K to criticize. The very industry she helped
• 0:11
  build in a TikTok. Video with the.
• 0:13
  Caption sexualization in the fitness industry, Kayla called
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  out the way fitness influencers film their content, claiming
• 0:20
  these women are choosing to present themselves in an
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  overtly. Sexual way.
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  The fitness industry has become so sexualized and it's this
• 0:30
  angle that people are filming from that is just not what I
• 0:35
  want to see when I'm having my morning coffee.
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  Adding that she doesn't want her daughter growing up in an
• 0:40
  environment where this is the norm instead of rallying behind.
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  Her TikTok users were quick to call her out.
• 0:47
  Many found it ironic if not. Outright hypocritical that Kayla
• 0:51
  was. Criticizing the online fitness
• 0:53
  community when she. Played a direct.
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  Role in shaping some of its most.
• 0:57
  Toxic aspects with programs. Like her infamous bikini body
• 1:01
  guide, she sold the dream of a slim tone physique, one that
• 1:05
  pushed countless women toward unhealthy relationships with
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  food and exercise. It's been over a.
• 1:11
  Decade. Since the bikini body.
• 1:13
  Guide took over social. Media and only now are we fully
• 1:17
  reckoning with the damage done by the 1st fitness influencers
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  and the. Culture they helped create.
• 1:23
  This is an exploration into the early days of fitness
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  influencing. The OG creators, the.
• 1:29
  Trends and the toxic culture that would come to define it.
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  Begging the questions, have we truly moved past it?
• 1:36
  Or. Are today's fitness influencers
• 1:38
  simply repackaging the same harmful ideals under new
• 1:43
  aesthetics and workout trends? From Centennial World, I'm
• 1:47
  Lauren Meisner, and this is infinite.
• 1:49
  Scroll a podcast. About Internet culture, the
• 1:52
  creator economy, and how social media is shaping Gen.
• 1:55
  Zedd. Welcome back to Infinite Scroll
• 1:58
  everyone OK this. Episode we got the.
• 2:01
  Inspiration for this? Episode, obviously.
• 2:03
  When all of the Kayla it's seen as.
• 2:06
  TikTok backlash first started. I did cover.
• 2:08
  It on mini scroll and there were so many comments and tons of
• 2:12
  people wanted us to basically dive into this a little a little
• 2:16
  bit more. Especially because I talked
• 2:17
  about my. Own personal experiences being
• 2:20
  so obsessed and like ingrained in like the online fitness
• 2:24
  influencer culture vibe around that time.
• 2:26
  I actually, you know. Had a YouTube.
• 2:28
  Channel for a few years there in my early to mid 20s, and a huge
• 2:33
  way that I built that Channel was a from talking about moving
• 2:37
  to Australia and B posting fitness content.
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  Where I would review. These guides and these programs
• 2:44
  and Kayla. Was a huge.
• 2:45
  Part of that for me. So I was very directly impacted
• 2:48
  by this culture, but I also. Kind of benefited from it as
• 2:52
  well. So this is an.
• 2:53
  Episode to do. A little bit of reckoning, A
• 2:56
  reckoning for myself, because I definitely contributed to that
• 2:58
  culture and also. Kind of look at.
• 3:00
  How the online fitness influencer.
• 3:02
  Culture has really evolved over the years, but.
• 3:05
  Before we get into it, as always.
• 3:06
  Please remember to rate. Review and subscribe.
• 3:09
  It helps us so much. It helps us grow.
• 3:11
  We're trying to get to 1000 Spotify star ratings, so please
• 3:15
  rate US on Spotify. Sign up to our newsletter, also
• 3:17
  called Infinite Scroll. On Fridays, we round up the five
• 3:20
  biggest thing pieces on the Internet from that week.
• 3:28
  Before we dive into. This week's episode, please be
• 3:31
  aware. That we'll be discussing.
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  Topics like weight loss. Disordered eating and harmful
• 3:35
  fitness practices Listener discretion is advised.
• 3:39
  A second caveat I want to be clear, fitness and exercise
• 3:43
  aren't inherently toxic. You guys know I am a gym girly
• 3:46
  and fitness is a massive part of my.
• 3:49
  Life, but the culture. Surrounding it, especially
• 3:51
  online, often can be toxic and when something holds this much
• 3:55
  influence, it is worth taking a. Critical look at it.
• 3:58
  And that's exactly what we're setting out to do today.
• 4:01
  From as early as our. Tween and teenage years, many
• 4:04
  of. Us, particularly girls.
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  Are exposed to harmful conversations and discourse
• 4:09
  around our bodies. Whether it's through social
• 4:11
  media, film or TV, this negative messaging can feel inescapable.
• 4:15
  With the pressure to. Lose weight often shaping how we
• 4:18
  see ourselves and our self worth.
• 4:21
  There has been a. Lot of discussion about how
• 4:23
  mainstream media and entertainment influence young
• 4:26
  women specifically. However, the role of.
• 4:29
  Fitness content creators in shaping body image and self
• 4:32
  perception has often been overlooked despite their massive
• 4:36
  reach on social media. Whether you exist.
• 4:38
  On the fitness side of the Internet or not, you have likely
• 4:41
  come. Across these creators.
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  Scrolling through your tik. T.O.K for you page.
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  Or Instagram feed. Sometimes they post content
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  sharing their workout routine, the food they eat in a day, or
• 4:51
  even go through some of their favorite.
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  Tips to live a healthier lifestyle while.
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  The type of content these influencers produce.
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  Has evolved over the years. One thing remains constant, even
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  when their intentions. Are positive their messaging.
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  Often leaves social media users feeling pressured to change
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  themselves. For better or worse, this, of
• 5:11
  course, was particularly. Evident among the generation of
• 5:14
  OG fitness influencers. If you think back to the late 2.
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  Thousands and early twenty 10s influencer culture was just
• 5:21
  beginning to take shape, and with it came the rise.
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  Of the fitness girlies. Much of this early content.
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  The structure of early beauty. YouTube with creators.
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  Sharing tutorials and informative videos on fitness,
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  health and Wellness. At the time, the barrier to
• 5:36
  entry into the world of fitness was relatively high.
• 5:39
  As a lot of. US would have needed to consult
• 5:41
  professionals like personal trainers to gain a solid
• 5:44
  understanding of how to exercise.
• 5:47
  So when this niche gained traction online, it undoubtedly
• 5:50
  had its benefits, giving users accessible.
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  Ways to explore exercise. And approach their fitness
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  routines with more confidence. However, the.
• 5:59
  Culture that developed. Around the early online fitness
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  era was not ideal and that is not entirely surprising,
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  especially when you consider the entertainment that was popular
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  at the time. Through this era shows like The
• 6:11
  Biggest Loser. And America's Next Top Model
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  dominated pop. Culture while they did.
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  Cater to different audiences and had a unique.
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  Purpose, both of them. Glamorized an extreme version of
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  health and fitness while using mockery and other humiliation
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  tactics. To produce.
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  Gripping stories for those unfamiliar with the biggest.
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  Loser. It was a reality competition
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  show that debuted in the United States on NBC in 2004.
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  It ended up having other franchises, including one here
• 6:39
  in Australia. The premise of the show remained
• 6:42
  relatively consistent across franchises.
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  Contestants competed. For a cash.
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  Prize by losing the highest percentage of weight.
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  Relative to their starting. Weight while there is nothing
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  inherently wrong with wanting to improve one's health.
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  The show's focus? Was less on well-being and more
• 6:57
  about. Spectacle as it so.
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  Often is. With reality TV.
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  What may have started as an attempt to encourage healthier
• 7:04
  lifestyles soon became a competition that prioritized
• 7:08
  dramatic transformation over sustainable and healthy change.
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  Many viewers, journalists and health.
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  Professionals have criticized the show over the years.
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  Where it ended up having a. Four year hiatus before.
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  Moving to USA Network in 2020. As Sophie Gilbert wrote for the.
• 7:23
  Atlantic that same year. Quote the series.
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  Like so many elements of America's $72 billion a year
• 7:30
  weight loss industry positioned. Itself as a.
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  Force for change and empowering cultural product in a country.
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  Where obesity? Rates are rising.
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  The longer The Biggest Loser went on, though, the harder it
• 7:41
  was to maintain this position. Gilbert goes on to highlight a
• 7:45
  range of concerns and allegations against the show,
• 7:48
  including claims that contestants engaged in
• 7:51
  disordered eating habits to lose weight and were given diet.
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  Pills to accelerate their progress.
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  She points to a 2016 study conducted by the National
• 8:00
  Institutes of Health quote which revealed that not only the
• 8:03
  majority of former contestants had regained the weight, they.
• 8:06
  Lost but that their. Extreme dieting had also
• 8:09
  permanently damaged their metabolism.
• 8:12
  Despite these controversies, The Biggest Loser maintained
• 8:15
  significant popularity during its run, pulling from The
• 8:18
  Hollywood Reporter and Deadline. Season 1 averaged 10.3 million.
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  Viewers per episode. Ranking 30. 7th for the two.
• 8:26
  1004 to 2000. 1005 television season.
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  The show's highest. Viewership was during season 8
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  with an average of 10.41 million viewers, ranking 30th in the
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  2009 to 2010 season. By recognizing how such
• 8:41
  programming promotes unhealthy behaviors and body image.
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  Issues. Our understanding of this space
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  has definitely evolved. But The Biggest Loser primed us.
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  For transformation focused weight loss content, something
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  that would come to define early fitness culture online.
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  Ultimately, it was. The extreme measures showcased
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  on the show that captivated audiences, mirroring a broader
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  trend in TV at the time that favored sensationalism and
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  spectacle when it came to our bodies on the other end of the
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  spectrum from the. Biggest loser was.
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  Programming like America's Next Top Model and the Victoria's
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  Secret Fashion Show over the years.
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  America's Next Top Model. Has faced widespread criticism.
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  For its toxic environment and harmful messaging.
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  The show, which debuted. In 2000 and. 3 was hosted by.
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  Supermodel Tyra Banks and perpetuated unrealistic beauty
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  ideals, much of which revolved around extreme thinness.
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  Contestants were frequently subjected to body shaming and
• 9:38
  scrutiny over their appearances in 2022, for example.
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  A clip from the show started recirculating.
• 9:44
  Online, the subject of the clip was one of the contestants from
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  the first season of the show, Robin Manning in it.
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  The judges labeled. Her as fat and huge.
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  Robin, first of all, is too old to be starting model.
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  She's huge. She's not going to.
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  Be a Top Model. She was Auk size. 10 Journalist
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  Alex ABBA Santos in a piece for Box from 2020.
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  Listed other harmful examples. Quote One contestant was talked.
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  To about her diet. During filming and encouraged.
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  To eat better to offset. Her weight gain in photo.
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  Shoots she was forced to dress. As the deadly sin of gluttony
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  and an elephant. While the show played.
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  Sound effects and zoomed in on her stomach.
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  She was scolded for. The amount of retouching
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  considered necessary on her photos in Cycle 7.
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  Another contestant had a storyline.
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  Devoted to her weight. And had to portray a giant lady
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  circus. Freak.
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  And Oprah in photo. Shoots.
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  While much of the criticism for this culture has been directed
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  at Tyra Banks herself, others have pointed to the broader
• 10:45
  beauty standards of the time, which normalized unrealistic and
• 10:49
  often harmful expectations of women's bodies.
• 10:52
  We have spoken about this before on this.
• 10:53
  Podcast, but the two. Thousands were renowned for the
• 10:56
  heroin chic aesthetic, put simply, the beauty standard of
• 11:00
  the time. Catered to a very.
• 11:01
  Specific person, a thin white woman, a flat washboard stomach,
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  thigh gap, and straight blonde hair were all integral to this
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  era which ultimately. Treated a very specific.
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  Body type as an accessory in and of itself, and because.
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  The body was treated as the ultimate accessory it became
• 11:20
  socially acceptable to go to. Any and all lengths.
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  To achieve it. Take a moment to consider the
• 11:25
  intrigue. With the Victoria's Secret.
• 11:27
  Fashion show The show has been around since the late 90s and
• 11:30
  quickly became one of the biggest fashion events of the
• 11:33
  year. Quote First streamed online in
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  1999, then televised in 2001. Victoria's.
• 11:39
  Secret Fashion. Show became a sex.
• 11:41
  Charged spectacle of lingerie. Watched by millions in 200
• 11:45
  countries at. Its peak.
• 11:47
  Tara, John. Recalls for CNN.
• 11:49
  Of course, many people tuned in to see these beautiful women
• 11:52
  walk the runway alongside iconic performers ranging from
• 11:56
  Destiny's Child to the Spice Girls to Justin Bieber.
• 11:59
  But while many women enjoyed the.
• 12:01
  Victoria's Secret brand. That wasn't necessarily the
• 12:04
  primary reason to tune in. Viewers didn't just want to
• 12:07
  watch the glamour and the performances.
• 12:10
  For many, the models represented an ideal body.
• 12:13
  Type to aspire to. Even though the show pandered to
• 12:16
  patriarchal beauty standards, women looked to the models as
• 12:19
  inspiration for how they believed their own bodies should
• 12:22
  look, however. The Victoria's Secret.
• 12:24
  Angels had their own regimented routines for how they could get
• 12:27
  their. Bodies to that state for the
• 12:29
  show. And many of them were.
• 12:31
  Glorified for It reports. Of surfaced of models hitting
• 12:34
  the gym multiple times a day following restrictive diets and
• 12:39
  adopting some extreme methods to maintain their physique.
• 12:42
  The emphasis was always on achieving that Angel body which
• 12:46
  many viewers. Felt pressured to.
• 12:48
  Mirror it also. Took years for the Victoria's
• 12:50
  Secret Fashion Show. To begin incorporating a more
• 12:53
  diverse model base, something the brand continues to struggle.
• 12:57
  With today as far as what actually.
• 12:59
  Happened behind the scenes in 2018, Jenny Stevens for The
• 13:02
  Guardian wrote quote Adriana Lima, the brand's longest
• 13:06
  serving model, told. The Telegraph in two. 1011 that
• 13:09
  she cuts out. All Solid food 9.
• 13:12
  Days before an appearance, many models do not drink fluids
• 13:16
  either. In 2016, another former Angel,
• 13:19
  Erin Heatherton, said she had been.
• 13:21
  Pressured to lose weight? By the company, Despite
• 13:23
  exercising twice a day and following a strict meal plan,
• 13:26
  she was unable to meet the targets.
• 13:28
  Set for her while. Many viewers may have been aware
• 13:31
  of the tactics that models use to.
• 13:33
  Achieve their physiques the. Fascination often lay in the
• 13:36
  extremes they went to, similar to the biggest.
• 13:39
  Loser and even. Though we can acknowledge that
• 13:41
  this. Level of discipline was.
• 13:43
  Part of their job and whether it should be.
• 13:45
  Is an. Entirely different conversation.
• 13:47
  It was easy, especially for young women, to internalize the
• 13:51
  message that this was. What had to be?
• 13:53
  Done to be beautiful and arguably.
• 13:55
  This was Co opted by OG fitness creators.
• 14:00
  Now, whether fitness influencers were simply a product.
• 14:03
  Of this culture or actively? Made it worse is.
• 14:06
  Up for debate? On one hand, they came about in
• 14:09
  an era already obsessed with transformation, discipline and a
• 14:13
  skinny aesthetic. On the other, their content
• 14:16
  repackaged. These body ideals.
• 14:18
  In new ways, making fitness routines feel more personal,
• 14:21
  attainable, and even necessary. As we've seen time and time
• 14:25
  again, influencers are largely. Perceived as regular people.
• 14:28
  During their rise to This was especially true in the early
• 14:32
  days of influencer culture before the.
• 14:34
  Creator. Economy was entirely
• 14:36
  professionalized in the context of OG.
• 14:39
  Fitness creators, they helped. Democratize exercise by offering
• 14:43
  relatability and access. That shows.
• 14:45
  Like the biggest. Loser and celebrities.
• 14:47
  Like the Victoria's? Secret angels never could.
• 14:50
  As a result, many. Of their followers.
• 14:52
  Perceived their routines and. Tips as universally attainable,
• 14:56
  overlooking that these creators were often health and fitness
• 14:59
  professionals, in other words. They had the experience.
• 15:02
  Training and capacity to commit to intense regimens, something
• 15:06
  that the average person consuming their content simply
• 15:09
  couldn't replicate. This.
• 15:11
  In turn contributed to a toxic environment where unrealistic
• 15:15
  body standards and unsustainable fitness routines became the
• 15:18
  norm. It became all about self
• 15:21
  optimization. Previously, strict diet and
• 15:24
  fitness regimes were largely. Reserved for the elite.
• 15:27
  Like athletes, models and celebrities.
• 15:29
  But through these OG fitness influencers they were.
• 15:32
  Marketed to everyday people. And to be clear.
• 15:34
  This isn't. Necessarily a bad thing, Wanting
• 15:37
  to be healthy and finding sustainable ways to do so is
• 15:40
  important, but the challenge comes from the sheer amount of
• 15:44
  noise and conflicting advice that is put.
• 15:46
  Forward, especially when these. Creators were operating within
• 15:50
  an already deeply toxic. Culture the advice and behavior
• 15:54
  of these influencers. Are extremely consequential,
• 15:57
  especially for social media users who were introduced.
• 16:00
  To the digital fitness. Space from a young age,
• 16:02
  according to an article in the International Journal of
• 16:05
  Environmental Research and Public.
• 16:07
  Health quote fitness and. Nutrition is the most frequently
• 16:10
  searched topic online by teenagers. 42% of teenagers aged
• 16:15
  11 to 18 in a nationally representative sample in the USA
• 16:19
  searched for information on fitness and exercise and 36
• 16:23
  percent on diet and nutrition. That said, being influenced from
• 16:27
  such a young age has the potential to develop talk.
• 16:30
  Basic behaviors and. Self perception that may take
• 16:33
  years to overcome. We only need to look to.
• 16:36
  Kayla at Cena. 'S who was already mentioned in
• 16:38
  the intro as an example Kayla. Is arguably the most.
• 16:41
  Famous fitness creator from this era.
• 16:44
  She first started her career on. Instagram As a personal trainer,
• 16:47
  she grew a following through sharing before and after
• 16:49
  pictures of her clients, feeding into our obsession with all
• 16:52
  things transformational. Quote I built up my client base
• 16:56
  and started my own business running small group training
• 16:59
  sessions out of my parents parents backyard in Adelaide.
• 17:01
  I was using Instagram to store my clients progress photos and
• 17:04
  over time people started discovering my page and I had an
• 17:08
  influx of women from Interstate reaching out if I could train
• 17:11
  them, Kayla explains in a piece for.
• 17:13
  Harper's Bazaar, but was started as a simple.
• 17:15
  Instagram page soon turned into something much bigger.
• 17:18
  Kayla has expanded. Her career into a number of
• 17:21
  different categories. Perhaps one of her most.
• 17:23
  Significant business ventures is sweat.
• 17:26
  A popular workout and. Wellness app that Kayla Co
• 17:29
  founded back in 2015. Quote originally.
• 17:32
  Sweat with. Kayla the app launched in 2015
• 17:35
  as a digital home for Co founder and head trainer Kayla.
• 17:39
  It's seen as his popular 28 minute workout program.
• 17:42
  Today, SWEAT is home to over 50 unique programs and more than
• 17:46
  13,000 workouts designed by women for women the about.
• 17:50
  Page of the sweat website reads but.
• 17:52
  Sweat. With Kayla.
• 17:53
  Wasn't her first foray into programs and guides.
• 17:56
  In 2014, she launched a series. Of fitness.
• 18:00
  PDFs called Bikini Body Guide, commonly known as BBG, which
• 18:05
  quickly gained massive. Popularity the program was.
• 18:08
  Split into multiple guides, 1 focused on fitness and the other
• 18:12
  on nutrition. While Kayla led the charge.
• 18:14
  On the workout routines alongside her then boyfriend
• 18:17
  Toby Pierce, she reportedly sought guidance from Julie
• 18:20
  Dundon and Anne Schneider, directors of Nutrition
• 18:23
  Professionals Australia, for the nutrition component.
• 18:26
  Soon the Internet was flooded. With reviews of BBG.
• 18:30
  And social media users began exchanging copies of the.
• 18:33
  Guides with their friends. By October 2014, the guides have
• 18:37
  been downloaded more than one million times, with people
• 18:40
  following Kayla's tips and guidance all.
• 18:42
  Over the world as Kayla. Toldnews.com dot AU at the time
• 18:46
  quote girls are loving the fact that it's.
• 18:48
  Easy, they can. Download it by an ebook.
• 18:51
  It's high intensity, it challenges you, it's something
• 18:53
  new. It's not a quick.
• 18:55
  Fix. It's real hard work and it's.
• 18:57
  A lifestyle change, although. The program made.
• 19:00
  Structured nutrition and exercise.
• 19:01
  Accessible, it soon became. Evident that some of the advice
• 19:05
  wasn't necessarily the best the sample meal plans for weight
• 19:08
  loss initially recommended as. Little as 1200.
• 19:12
  Calories. Per day before later.
• 19:14
  Increasing to 1600 to 1800 given that these programs were
• 19:18
  designed for women aged 16 to 25.
• 19:21
  This fell below the. Generally recommended daily
• 19:24
  intake of 1800 to 2400 calories. Though of course.
• 19:28
  Individual needs do vary, while many women.
• 19:30
  Swear by the program. Others have reflected on its
• 19:33
  impact with a more critical lens, expressing concerns about
• 19:37
  the messaging it promoted and the way it may have encouraged.
• 19:40
  Disordered eating in a. Piece for the.
• 19:42
  Advisor A. Publication based in Adelaide.
• 19:45
  Where Kayla is from? Numerous women share their
• 19:47
  experiences of. How the guides affected them.
• 19:50
  As one woman told the journalists quote.
• 19:52
  I would absolutely say that Kayla's guide.
• 19:54
  Was the beginning of my negative relationship with my body.
• 19:58
  I think a lot of women have a very similar.
• 20:00
  Similar story of going through cycles.
• 20:01
  Of restriction and. Dieting using the guide, then
• 20:04
  feeling like they'd burn out from doing that unachievable
• 20:07
  load. This backlash has only.
• 20:09
  Intensified since Kayla found herself at the center of
• 20:12
  controversy in February as one creator named Laura Cohen fit
• 20:16
  put in a TikTok video. I just.
• 20:18
  Think as a. Woman who contributed so much to
• 20:20
  body image in the fitness industry and how women should
• 20:23
  look a certain way I'm doing it in a way that was so unhealthy
• 20:26
  and triggered so many people's. This.
• 20:29
  Statement just was never going to go well for you.
• 20:31
  Of course, Kayla wasn't the only.
• 20:34
  OG influencer who helped? Shape fitness culture.
• 20:37
  Online, other popular creators included the likes.
• 20:40
  Of Ashy Bynes. Jen Selter and Sarah's day.
• 20:43
  Sarah's Day, whose full name? Is Sarah Stevenson was another
• 20:47
  popular. Australia based fitness.
• 20:49
  Creator. She first gained attention by
• 20:51
  sharing her struggles with hormonal acne online seeking.
• 20:54
  Advice while also offering. Tips to others Over time, she
• 20:58
  expanded her content and into broader lifestyle.
• 21:00
  Topics with a strong. Focus on fitness and Wellness.
• 21:04
  As of this recording. She has over 1.5 million
• 21:07
  subscribers on YouTube and 1.2 million followers on Instagram.
• 21:11
  Like many other creators within this niche, she has.
• 21:14
  Also developed various workout programs and.
• 21:16
  Recipe books that are. Available for purchase.
• 21:19
  In an episode of the Working Hard, Hardly Working Podcast.
• 21:22
  With Grace, Beverly, Sarah. Opened up about the realities of
• 21:25
  being a fitness influencer and the toxicity of the 20 tens we.
• 21:29
  Discussed the pressure. Of content creation during that
• 21:31
  era, explaining how she felt. Compelled to conform.
• 21:34
  To the Fitz. Bo aesthetic so.
• 21:36
  Much so that at one point she was eating quote protein powder
• 21:40
  on toast and even lost her period seemingly as a result.
• 21:44
  Of her dietary habits, I looked. Like a shredded 12 year old.
• 21:47
  I was going through a breakup, my job was to work out, I was at
• 21:51
  the gym for three hours, 3 hours a day and I only ate protein.
• 21:55
  Bread, protein powder, fish, pumpkin.
• 21:58
  That's it. But I was so encapsulated in
• 22:01
  that life. I genuinely thought I was being
• 22:03
  so healthy and so hashtag Wellness on top.
• 22:06
  Of this, Sarah reflected on why she had internalized these
• 22:10
  habits, pointing to her age at around 22 years old.
• 22:13
  She noted how young she was and acknowledged that she was still
• 22:16
  learning even though she was. Also offering.
• 22:19
  Advice to her followers? While creators like Sarah should
• 22:21
  take. Responsibility for promoting
• 22:23
  unhealthy habits. She.
• 22:25
  Reminded listeners that she was navigating the space in real
• 22:28
  time, making mistakes along the way in the moment.
• 22:31
  You're doing your best. You're you're trying to give, I
• 22:34
  guess, some helpful advice. And that's the core of my
• 22:38
  channel was always trying to be vulnerable, give helpful advice.
• 22:41
  But I look back and I'm like. No matter how you feel.
• 22:46
  About the OG fitness. Influencers these points hold
• 22:49
  merit like. Every other.
• 22:50
  Niche on YouTube. It's clear that these.
• 22:52
  Early influencers were feeling out the space.
• 22:55
  Whether or. Not this should excuse them from
• 22:57
  promoting problematic messaging is not the main point, rather
• 23:00
  it's just something we should consider.
• 23:02
  In a similar vein, it's important to note that many of
• 23:05
  the OG. Fitness creators were operating.
• 23:07
  In a male dominated space. That being said, I do want to
• 23:11
  acknowledge that we've primarily focused on female content
• 23:14
  creators, not out of any misogynistic intent, nor to.
• 23:18
  Perpetuate stereotypes about women.
• 23:20
  Not knowing how to exercise. Or go to the gym.
• 23:22
  Many Jim Bro influencers have also promoted similarly harmful
• 23:26
  content, but that's a whole. Other topic for another.
• 23:30
  Deep dive. The reason?
• 23:31
  We focused on these. OG fitness influencers
• 23:34
  particularly and how they've impacted women is partly
• 23:37
  personal. This is the content that we're
• 23:39
  most familiar with. But on top of this, given that
• 23:41
  this episode was inspired by the recent backlash against Kayla
• 23:45
  and her comments, focusing primarily on women is warranted,
• 23:49
  especially considering her preoccupation with how female
• 23:52
  fitness influencers seemingly sexualize themselves for
• 23:55
  engagement. The problem with Kayla's
• 23:57
  comments wasn't that they weren't true.
• 23:59
  It's fair to say that some women may use certain angles to
• 24:03
  highlight their figures and engagement farm, and this is
• 24:06
  something that Kayla herself has done in the past.
• 24:08
  However. The issue lies in.
• 24:10
  The way she framed it, blaming women for showing off their
• 24:13
  bodies when many of them are operating in a space designed to
• 24:16
  make them feel insecure, partly. Due to the way.
• 24:19
  Men undermine female fitness creators, and partly.
• 24:22
  Because of the toxic culture. That many of these creators
• 24:24
  emerged from is not something they should be ashamed of,
• 24:28
  moreover. Women's fitness has.
• 24:30
  Long been an integral part of the feminist movement aimed at
• 24:33
  empowering women to take control of their bodies and health.
• 24:36
  As journalist Danielle Friedman tells Julia Foy for Columbia
• 24:40
  Magazine Quote starting in the 1960s, around the same time that
• 24:44
  second wave feminism was taking off, public perceptions began
• 24:48
  changing around exercise and its health benefits, and female
• 24:51
  fitness pioneers began to proselytize.
• 24:54
  About the. Benefits of regularly.
• 24:56
  Breaking a sweat? With the rise.
• 24:57
  Of aerobics, jogging. And strength training during the
• 25:00
  1970s and 80s, women found community and liberation and
• 25:04
  working out together. Fitness gurus like Jane.
• 25:07
  Fonda promoted the idea. That physical strength.
• 25:09
  Was vital for women. With that in mind, commentary
• 25:12
  like Kayla's only serves to reinforce harmful narratives
• 25:16
  feeding into conservative and misogynistic views of women in
• 25:19
  the fitness space. Ultimately.
• 25:21
  Reinforcing the very stereotypes and insecurities that female
• 25:25
  fitness influencers are allegedly trying to dismantle.
• 25:29
  Now we did start to. See a shift away?
• 25:32
  From the extreme culture that once defined OG fitness
• 25:35
  influencer content coinciding with the rise of the body.
• 25:39
  Positivity movement if you're. Interested in learning more
• 25:42
  about the emergence of this movement?
• 25:43
  We've covered it in previous episodes, especially in our
• 25:46
  episode about how TikTok has become the new Tumblr when it
• 25:49
  comes to body image. Additionally, Anna North in her
• 25:52
  comprehensive article for Vox. Pinpointed 2000 and. 8 as a.
• 25:56
  Pivotal year for social. Media in this space.
• 25:59
  However, it's clear that this shift.
• 26:01
  Took time to reach mainstream fitness influencers.
• 26:04
  By the mid twenty 10's, the focus of the most popular
• 26:07
  fitness influencers shifted. Away from.
• 26:10
  Promoting HIT workouts and cardio, and instead began to
• 26:13
  emphasize strength training with weights.
• 26:15
  This shift was. Undoubtedly a more positive
• 26:17
  message compared to what had previously been fed to users, as
• 26:21
  it championed the idea of being strong rather than just thin.
• 26:25
  Through this era, creators could move away from selling exercise
• 26:28
  as a beauty tool and instead promote strength for strength's
• 26:31
  sake. Think of some of the most.
• 26:33
  Popular fitness. Creators of This time it was
• 26:36
  influencers like Tammy Hembrough who were known for their strong
• 26:39
  but curvy figures leading the charge.
• 26:41
  Tammy gained popularity for posting fitness and Wellness
• 26:44
  content after getting pregnant and having a baby.
• 26:47
  She has since parlayed her viral.
• 26:48
  Fame into Saski, an athleisure e-commerce brand, and Tammy Fit,
• 26:52
  a fitness app. While the fitness community.
• 26:54
  Shifted from promoting a stay skinny mentality to encouraging
• 26:59
  women to build muscle, this transition wasn't without its
• 27:02
  cons. Around this time, a new form of
• 27:04
  deception emerged among fitness. Creators as cosmetic.
• 27:08
  Surgery, particularly. The BBL Brazilian butt.
• 27:11
  Lift became more popular and normalized, and this introduced
• 27:15
  a new set of toxic behaviors pushing women to chase yet
• 27:19
  another unattainable beauty standard.
• 27:22
  Over the years, social media users.
• 27:24
  Have taken to platforms. Like Reddit to.
• 27:26
  Call out fitness. Creators who have undergone
• 27:28
  various body altering procedures without.
• 27:31
  Disclosing. Them to their audiences.
• 27:33
  For many, this lack of. Transparency has had deeply.
• 27:36
  Negative consequences. Distorting.
• 27:38
  Their expectations of what's achievable.
• 27:41
  Through exercise. Alone and impacting their own
• 27:43
  fitness journey and body image as one user shared on the R
• 27:47
  slash beginner fitness subreddit quote.
• 27:49
  Found out my favorite fitness influencer had a BBL and it gave
• 27:53
  me body dysmorphia. I've been following her workout
• 27:56
  for a while. And I couldn't achieve her.
• 27:58
  Build at all. Even a year of eating and
• 28:00
  working out right, it made me want to quit until I found out
• 28:03
  she got. Exposed for having a.
• 28:05
  BBL I'm so mad while many social media users have.
• 28:09
  Called out these behaviors, that hasn't stopped fitness creators
• 28:12
  from misleading. Their audiences.
• 28:14
  Bringing us. To the current state of the
• 28:17
  fitness influencer landscape. In recent years, the ideal body
• 28:21
  standard has shifted once again, moving away from the curvier.
• 28:25
  Aesthetic of the 20. 10s and back toward.
• 28:27
  The ultra thin. Heroin chic look of the.
• 28:30
  Early 2000s. While the rise of strength
• 28:32
  training helped showcase different body types online,
• 28:35
  skinniness never truly went out of style.
• 28:38
  Many strength focused fitness influencers were still
• 28:41
  incredibly. Petite with defined.
• 28:43
  ABS and toned figures. That reinforced specific beauty
• 28:47
  ideals and while. We all understand that body
• 28:49
  shapes and sizes shouldn't be treated as trends.
• 28:52
  Celebrities and influencers alike seem to be going to
• 28:55
  extreme lengths to maintain the illusion of thinness in 2025.
• 28:59
  This. Shift, arguably.
• 29:00
  Started around 2020, not only did we see.
• 29:03
  Celebrities, seemingly. Opting to have their BBLS
• 29:05
  removed, but fitness influencers also made a major mainstream
• 29:10
  comeback. Much of this was driven by the
• 29:12
  fact that we were all. Stuck.
• 29:13
  Indoors during COVID-19 lockdowns, but that didn't mean
• 29:17
  it was entirely. Positive looking.
• 29:19
  Back at this time, Chloe Ting's two week.
• 29:22
  Shred workouts exploded. In popularity on YouTube writing
• 29:26
  for Al in 2020, Dana Liebelson noted quote the past several
• 29:30
  months as many people hunkered down inside the Chloe Ting
• 29:34
  Challenge has flourished on TikTok on the video sharing app
• 29:37
  hashtags. Related to Chloe Ting.
• 29:39
  Clocked more than 800 million views as of mid August.
• 29:44
  While these challenges kept people.
• 29:46
  Active. They also led.
• 29:47
  Many social media users down a dangerous path.
• 29:51
  After spending two weeks doing her workout program, the
• 29:54
  transformation seemed effortless for some.
• 29:56
  For others, the pressure. To achieve instant.
• 29:58
  Results continued quickly following new fitness challenges
• 30:02
  to glow up. As.
• 30:04
  One user on the R slash. XX fitness subreddit shared
• 30:07
  quote I have struggled heavily with my.
• 30:09
  Body image since I was a young child and the comments Chloe
• 30:13
  Ting makes just make me a little more discouraged.
• 30:16
  This. Then leads to a cycle of
• 30:17
  punishing myself and it's just not good for me.
• 30:20
  I know it's an inner thing slash mental health issue for myself
• 30:23
  and maybe she doesn't realize the impact she can have on
• 30:26
  someone else, but I'd rather not support.
• 30:28
  It or restart that cycle by. Watching her videos.
• 30:31
  Of course. This came just before the
• 30:34
  Ozempic craze, an insulin regulator for pre diabetic
• 30:38
  individuals whose most well known side effect is rapid and
• 30:42
  dramatic weight loss. As social media users have
• 30:45
  noticed celebrities shedding weight seemingly overnight,
• 30:48
  speculation has run rampant. From Kim Kardashian's dramatic
• 30:53
  transformation to fit into Marilyn Monroe's Met Gala dress
• 30:56
  in 2022 to Oprah Winfrey openly admitting to using weight loss
• 31:00
  drugs, Ozempic has been dubbed Hollywood's worst.
• 31:03
  Kept secret because apparently. Everyone's on it.
• 31:06
  And by everyone, I mean everyone, including creators who
• 31:10
  previously claimed they lost. Weight through exercise, but
• 31:13
  we're actually using a. Weight Loss Drug Amid the
• 31:16
  uncertainty of a potential US TikTok ban, creators began
• 31:19
  sharing their secrets, something that in hindsight, might have
• 31:22
  not been the smartest move. Now that TikTok.
• 31:25
  Is back online. For American users, while not a
• 31:28
  fitness. Creator Serena Kerrigan made a
• 31:30
  surprising. Admission in her version of the
• 31:33
  trend, she revealed. That she had been.
• 31:35
  Using an Ozempic adjacent medication after previously
• 31:38
  denying it. Naturally, this has only
• 31:40
  deepened distrust in influencers whether they.
• 31:43
  Exist in the Wellness. Niche or not, around how they've
• 31:46
  lost weight and whether their claims are genuine, once again
• 31:50
  we're seeing a new iteration of physique altering tactics,
• 31:53
  moving beyond diet and exercise into other solutions that
• 31:57
  influencers present as natural transformations.
• 32:01
  It's almost as if Ozempic is the new BBL.
• 32:04
  Beyond Ozempic and quick fix workouts, a new kind of fitness
• 32:07
  influencer has taken over the Pilates Princess.
• 32:11
  From creators specializing in Pilates content to companies
• 32:15
  like Spotify jumping on the trend giving users the Pink
• 32:18
  Pilates Princess label in last year's.
• 32:20
  Wrapped, this aesthetic has. Become inescapable.
• 32:23
  But of course. It did.
• 32:24
  Emerge before 2024 writing for Hype Bay Amber Chow.
• 32:28
  Traced its rise back. To the end of 2023, explaining
• 32:32
  that the pink Pilates Princess aesthetic quote revolves around
• 32:35
  a pastel hued. Love affair with Pilates.
• 32:37
  Wellness and premium everything Athleisure, beauty products and
• 32:42
  accessories. But the.
• 32:43
  Essence of the Pink Pilates Princess is a mindset, a mindset
• 32:47
  of Wellness and joy in the small rituals.
• 32:50
  Whether it's. Meditating, buying flowers, or
• 32:53
  simply swapping doom scrolling for a good book?
• 32:56
  Commentary creator Mina Lee recently posted a video essay on
• 32:59
  the topic, exploring every everything from the culture
• 33:02
  surrounding Pilates. To its actual effectiveness.
• 33:05
  As a workout pulling from exercise specialist and
• 33:08
  journalist Anna Maltby, she explained that Pilates is a
• 33:11
  great method to support posture, improve upper back strength and
• 33:15
  scapular stability, and build a stronger mind body connection.
• 33:19
  However, she also writes that Pilates is not a cardiovascular
• 33:22
  workout and does not build muscle mass.
• 33:24
  It doesn't increase agility, speed or power and is unlikely
• 33:28
  to change your body composition. Now this is where Pilates
• 33:31
  Princess aesthetic and lifestyle gets complicated.
• 33:34
  It doesn't necessarily. Deliver on.
• 33:36
  Everything that fitness influencers promise, but many
• 33:39
  Pilates. Focus creators blur the.
• 33:41
  Line between fitness and Wellness selling an aesthetic
• 33:45
  rather than a comprehensive workout regime.
• 33:48
  As Mina put it, the Pilates Princess aesthetic is an
• 33:50
  amplification of the Air One juice cleanse clean girl
• 33:54
  aesthetic commonly associated with Pilates.
• 33:56
  What's also clear is that both these aesthetics glorify a
• 33:59
  certain thin, toned body that was similarly associated with
• 34:03
  jazzercise and bar. Ultimately, it seems like the
• 34:06
  Pilates Princess is just the. Latest evolution of.
• 34:09
  Fitness, culture and influencers on social media.
• 34:12
  One that like its predecessors. Sells.
• 34:15
  An ideal lifestyle as much as a workout.
• 34:18
  All in all, while the fitness influencer space has.
• 34:21
  Evolved since the. Days of the OG fitness girlies.
• 34:24
  So. Social media's obsession with
• 34:25
  transformation, extremes and aesthetics continue to drive and
• 34:30
  repackage the same toxic body standards that have shaped
• 34:34
  beauty. Ideals for decades.
• 34:36
  And while conversations around inclusivity and diversity have.
• 34:39
  Allowed for progress the. Battle feels never ending,
• 34:43
  especially as users and creators continue to.
• 34:46
  Grapple with patriarchal expectations.
• 34:48
  Of how women should exercise what their.
• 34:50
  Body should look like. And who gets to define health
• 34:54
  and Wellness in the 1st place? Infinite scroll is a.
• 34:57
  Podcast produced. Presented and Co written by me
• 35:01
  Lauren Meisner for Centennial world this.
• 35:03
  Episode was researched and. Written by Annabelle Ben David,
• 35:06
  it was Co. Researched by Danny.
• 35:08
  Fennick and Emily Griffiths editing is by Danny Fennick.
• 35:12
  Thank you so much for listening. I love you guys so much and I
• 35:15
  will talk to you next week. Bye.