Originally designed by Joseph Pilates to rehabilitate wounded soldiers and prisoners of war during WWI, Pilates is now a low-impact, mind-body exercise focused on core strength, flexibility, posture, and controlled movement. It's also the fastest-growing workout in the U.S., with participation rates up by 40% since 2019 (Sports and Fitness Association). Since its inception, it has sculpted fitness culture and created a larger conversation about sexism.

Gen-Z has shifted away from the “no pain, no gain” mindset to one of wellness encompassing mind, body, and soul, enticing younger people in particular to flock to the practice to stay in shape.

As one of those Gen-Z women who has found Pilates in the past couple of years, I can say it has felt like a saving grace for both my physical and mental health. Pilates offers a workout that feels both empowering and fulfilling.

Even though the practice was originally designed for men, Pilates today is overwhelmingly female. When my boyfriend looked around our packed, 40-person class and asked, "Am I the only man here?”, it was a harmless observation. But it made me wonder why men who have never even set foot in a pilates class, unlike the few respectful guys actually trying to keep up in class, feel so empowered to police the space online.

‍

‍

Online, the term “Pilates Girl” is an aesthetic defined by $150 Lululemon sets, slender "Pilates arms," and quietly sculpted abs.

This aesthetic has fueled the manosphere's demoralizing fantasies, skewing it to fit their reasoning as to why women should be “trad wives” who live by conventional gender norms and wait hand and foot on their husbands.

Because the "Pilates Girl" often pursues a slender, non-bulky physique rather than lifting heavy weights, these men view her as a symbol of submissive, unintimidating femininity. They believe women plainly do Pilates for men, and that this prized woman is exactly who they want to run their household.

Yet, at the same time, these are the exact same men who get upset when women feel that men should not "invade" their workout studios. Defensively pointing out that Pilates was designed by a man.

‍

‍

This conversation has been fueled recently by a TikTok trend of "conventionally fit" males being recorded trying the workout and looking like they are suffering, with some even tapping out. In the eyes of the manosphere, Pilates is simultaneously too "weak" to be considered a real, rigorous exercise, yet somehow too grueling for the average gym bro to actually finish.

These videos perfectly highlight their hypocrisy. By dismissing Pilates as a 'sissy' routine, they avoid admitting that the women doing it are actual athletes putting in grueling work, instead of just ornaments exercising to look good for men.

To see a fitness regimen that is incredibly rewarding and positive for many people get weaponized into fuel for misogynist narratives is incredibly frustrating. I speak for many other “Pilates Girls” when I say we do these routines to feel strong, and to take care of the bodies that help us break down these gendered norms and stereotypes. And God forbid we want to wear a cute workout set while doing it.