Is Fitness Fashion's Latest Fad?

Sports have become a performative phenomenon among the in-crowd to signal their alignment with culture rather than the intrinsic goal of bettering one's health.

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So is this culture merely a juiced-up revival of championing skinniness? Try to go a day without seeing fitness content on Instagram Stories, especially from those who participate in dynamic lifestyles. Think glistening, activewear-clad individuals on the SkiErg machine, Strava maps overlaid on running footage, and mirror selfies taken while casually perched on the Reformer. They're inevitable. You also see the fine dining meals at 7pm, the view from behind the DJ booth at 2am, followed by the morning run at 7am. Apparently it is not just the fitness junkie who cares about creatine, but also the multifaceted creative director who is on the seeding list of Gentle Monster and who collects vintage Dries [Van Noten]. As we engage in activities from spin classes and hot yoga to bouldering and pickleball, fitness often presents itself as a trendy accessory to be seen, rather than the pursuit of wellness.

Fitness isn't a new concept. Activities like Jazzercise from the 1970s and Zumba from the aughts (which have now significantly plummetted in popularity) posit that the functional benefits they claim to imbue with consistent practice almost become secondary to the social- and aesthetic-led interests they provide. "There are just fewer people interested in spinning now," I once heard a friend say. Suppose the cardio-related benefits and boost of serotonin remain after every 45-minute session, why is there a phenomenon of phasing out when fitness has always been a game of consistency and discipline?