Fitness (for real)
by James Allen
Much like a scoop of protein powder, the fitness industry needs a shake up.
What young people want to see vs. what fitness brands are still showing them have been growing ever-further apart, and now this separation is reaching a point of critical mass. Using vague and misinterpreted notions such as aspiration, the world of health and fitness - for something that affects us all - can often feel like an esoteric bubble detached from the real world. Now it’s time for a reality check.
More so than ever, bodies are often not just bodies, but commodities. Walking ads. While there’s nothing inherently wrong with this, it is a world permeated by fake news, misinformation and unrealistic portrayals of health.
From our conversations with the SELFHOOD Collective, we found that three core issues kept cropping up in relation to their perception of the fitness industry.
Firstly, a distaste for the unrealistic examples of what is attainable for a regular person. A quick flick through the toned tummies and bulging biceps on most fitness brand's social channels will leave almost anyone feeling as if they need to drop to the floor and do about a thousand push-ups.
But the Next Gen are becoming numb to this approach. They are becoming increasingly sceptical about how attainable these bodies are in reality. Rather than creating aspiration, these bodies are turning people off because they aren’t an authentic depiction of health. It’s clear that representation of real people and their real triumphs (and struggles) with fitness remains an issue in the industry (although some brands are heading in the right direction, as this latest ad for Wattbike shows).
The second and third issues that re-occurred in our conversations with the Next Gen are linked: oversimplifications and misinformation. Get-fit-quick fixes and miracle solutions are leftovers from the unpleasant hangover of early 2000s diet culture, and unfortunately given a new lease of life by social media in more recent times. A study by the University of Glasgow found that 9 out of 10 fitness influencers give inaccurate and untrustworthy information about weight management. This is both a product and an indication of the level of distrust that surrounds health and wellbeing and the supposed epistemic superiors in charge of the messaging.
Whilst a mistrust of influencers sits at the heart of this issue, many fitness brands are also seen as perpetuating a system that exploits and commodifies peoples’ anxieties and insecurities.
A space labelled as “health” has traditionally had a free-pass to pedal short-cuts and quick-fixes. But young people are getting wise to it.
The fundamental problem pervading all of this: a lack of realness. Our perception of perfection and how to attain it (as if that were ever possible) has been warped beyond recognition. For men, the “perfect” male body has become bigger and more muscular. A study found that 22% of men aged 18-24 reported muscularity-oriented disordered eating. Likewise for women, a Sport England study famously found that 75% of women did not exercise for fear of judgement about their appearance and ability. These are the unfortunate symptoms of the fitness industry’s image-obsessed outlook.
So what should brands be doing about this? The Next Gen grew up on the internet; they are exceptionally adept at sniffing out bullsh*t. As such, they’re able to see through a lot of what they are currently shown by the fitness industry.
They don’t just want to see the finished product. Health is a life-long journey, and they’d like this reflected by the brands in this space.
Show them the rough times as well as the smooth. The days when you can’t be bothered to roll out of bed, but you do anyway. Or even when you don’t. Show them the pain as well as the gains. Because this is what health and fitness really looks like.
As a uniquely cynical bunch, the Next Gen aren’t looking for perfection. They’re smarter than that. They just want to be shown something real.