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

In this week's episode, I explore the origins and evolution of fitness influencing, begging the questions: Have we truly moved past it? Or are today’s fitness influencers simply repackaging the same harmful ideals under new aesthetics and workout trends?Timestamps:00:00 Intro4:02 What is a fitness influencer & why they gained popularity 6:10 Media that influenced early online fitness culture: Biggest Loser, VS Fashion Show & ANTM14:00 First-wave of fitness influencers & their impact16:37 Kayla Itsines20:44 Sarah’s Day23:00 Misogyny in fitness25:30 Second-wave fitness influencers: weightlifting & bodybuilding28:18 The online fitness industry now: The “Ozempic craze” & pilates princesses Find our podcast YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC18HclY7Tt5-1e3Z-MEP7Jg Subscribe to our weekly Substack: https://centennialworld.substack.com/ Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/infinitescrollpodcast/ Follow Lauren on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laurenmeisner_/ Sources:https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2020/01/the-retrograde-shame-of-the-biggest-loser/605713/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Biggest_Loser_(American_TV_series)#Television_ratings https://deadline.com/2010/05/full-series-rankings-for-the-2009-10-broadcast-season-44277/ https://www.marieclaire.co.uk/life/health-fitness/americas-next-top-model-body-standards-792363 https://www.vox.com/2020/5/8/21249408/tyra-banks-antm-backlash https://www.ladbible.com/entertainment/antm-robin-manning-plus-size-body-shaming-20220409 https://edition.cnn.com/2024/10/16/style/victorias-secret-fashion-show-return-nyhttps://centennialworld.com/fatphobic-racist-origins-y2k-fashion-trends/ https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2018/nov/22/victorias-secret-show-angels-lingerie https://sweat.com/about https://www.bloomberg.com/features/2016-cult-of-kayla/ https://extension.colostate.edu/docs/smallsteps/calorie-needs.pdf https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/fitness/inspiration/kayla-itsines-the-23yearold-aussie-personal-trainer-changing-the-face-of-fitness/news-story/dca02e8e7bc719116a138dd62805407f https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/lifestyle/young-sa-women-speak-out-about-the-negative-influence-of-kayla-itsines-original-bikini-body-guide/news-story/89c557c44633adb3810b7ee190682b4b?amp&nk=82d5ff632026fe596e041f0ca4fea95d-1650608623 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zoeWcKQynM&t https://magazine.columbia.edu/article/whats-so-feminist-about-fitness Duplaga, M. (2020). The Use of Fitness Influencers’ Websites by Young Adult Women: A Cross-Sectional Study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(17), 6360-. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17176360 https://www.tiktok.com/@oprahdaily/video/7463140577324928286 https://www.tiktok.com/@serenakerrigan/video/7460880368153939246 https://hypebae.com/2024/12/pink-pilates-princess-trend-explained-tiktok-spotify-wrapped https://www.elle.com/culture/a33635518/chloe-ting-teenage-girls-and-the-quest-for-flat-abs-in-lockdown/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6UdIgKw4dU