This article was last updated on April 16, 2022
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‘Tis the season for sales, shopping, and — in the case of Peloton — highly questionable gift giving ads. The indoor bike startup that’s basically trying to turn your living room into a makeshift SoulCycle recently released a holiday-themed commercial. The release was nothing special — this is pretty commonplace, especially with Cyber Monday deals abuzz, but it’s the content of the ad that’s got social media screaming — and not in a good way.
Critics and Twitter mongers alike have pointed out the ad is dripping in all sorts of problematic undertones, and the internet loves to hate it.
Sorry to shake things up but I’m excited to announce I’m throwing my hat in the ring and joining the presidential race and running on the single issue platform to jail everyone involved in the pitching, scripting, acting, shooting, and approval of the Peloton ad.
— Bess Kalb (@bessbell) December 2, 2019
For starters, the commercial begins with an already-thin woman coming down the stairs of her too-immaculate, perfectly minimalist home. She’s hand-in-hand with her adorable lookalike daughter, covering her eyes from the Christmas morning surprise from her husband that awaits.
“A Peloton?!” she shouts, seemingly more terrified than thrilled. We then cut to an expertly edited montage of the woman in question — soon identified as “Grace from Boston” — filming herself seemingly every single day for a year as she rides her very pricey indoor bike over the course of a year. And thus, the ad provided a flurry of Twitter fodder provoking a number of questions: Why is she so scared of riding a bike in her own home? Isn’t it kind of a weird gift to get from your husband? And also, who is she filming this “journey” for?
So sweet. My husband was inspired by the Peloton ad to get me a pair of pants in a child’s medium and a handwritten note that says “Don’t fucking touch me till you can fit into these”
— Jess Dweck (@TheDweck) December 2, 2019
It’s not super clear why she’s documenting her entire Peloton journey (or for whom). At least not until 365 days later, on the following Christmas, when the woman presents her husband with a video of all her Peloton milestones (riding five days in a row, riding at 6 a.m., getting a shout-out from one of the brand’s virtual instructors). “A year ago, I didn’t realize how much this would change me,” she says to the camera, as Tal Bachman’s 1998 one-hit wonder “She’s So High” rises to a crescendo in the background.
In theory, it’s supposed to be an inspiring moment. But in practice, it falls flat. Some critics pointed out the inherent sexism of the ad. Good intentions aside, a husband getting his wife an exercise bike doesn’t exactly send the most, erm, loving message. In an era when body acceptance and body positivity are shifting our cultural conversations, casting a thin actress to portray her revolutionary “transformation” in a year’s time isn’t exactly impactful or groundbreaking.
All I want for Christmas is a Peloton bike in a multi-million dollar house with 35 foot windows, two brand new Lexuses out front with gigantic red bows, while I open a jewelry box for my wife while we are decked out in beige and black Banana Republic outfits.
— Jeremy Jojola (@jeremyjojola) December 2, 2019
Peloton hasn’t publicly responded to the criticism yet, and it’s unlikely they will. The company is known for its overly aspirational ads that mostly show fit bodies riding their bikes in sprawling, gorgeous home spaces. Realism certainly isn’t what the brand is known for capturing and conveying, but marketing mishaps aside, the ad definitely got people talking. And if you don’t believe it, see for yourself.
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