An exercise in self-delusion

‘Pilates princess’ is a fitness obsessive who has traded the aspirational Kardashian physique for something slimmer. But, says Ellie Muir, it’s another unrealistic beauty standard

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It’s easy to spot a pilates princess from afar.

I bet you can picture the woman I’m talking about. Her eternally youthful complexion is dusted with minimal yet glamorous makeup. She attends her thrice-weekly reformer pilates classes wearing matching pastel-coloured luxury athleisure sets. Her hair is neatly swept back into a glossy ponytail. Her carefully curated workout routine subtly dictates her schedule, as does posting pictures of her Instagrammable diet. Her occupation is unknown, but she unfailingly exudes affluence.

This is the version of young womanhood that leads the pack today. On social media, where aesthetics, self-discipline and control are all admired, she is everywhere; snapping herself while out for brunch, attending an overpriced fitness class or performing her multistep nighttime skincare routine.

On first glance, her togetherness might be the reason for the appeal. But if you put aside the Lululemon unitards, Rhode phone cases and shiny hairdos, it is not her lifestyle that's most aspirational: it's the slim, toned and straight “pilates body” that's underneath. The latter term has - depressingly - become a newly celebrated physique category in recent months, where subtly ripped wellness influencers, once committed to Romanian deadlifting their way to the Kim Kardashian hourglass figure, are now promoting 28-day weight loss pilates programmes to achieve a more slimmed-down, minimalist physique.