Everything You Need To Know About Pilates, And How To Look Cute Doing It
ELLE Singapore|September 2022
Pilates is making a comeback for today’s it girls — here’s everything you need to know about the contemporary variation, and how to look cute doing it
Amanda Leo
Everything You Need To Know About Pilates, And How To Look Cute Doing It

With Instagram-worthy studios and a fresh perspective, Pilates is back with a bang. In particular, reformer Pilates — it’s a low impact but intensive workout that uses smaller, targeted movements to work the deep muscles that are often neglected in our day-to-day, while correcting posture and balance.

Interest in Pilates has no doubt grown because of the stress we’ve faced from the pandemic, resulting in the growing appetite for more mind-body connection in fitness. With its emphasis on breathing and alignment, Pilates is increasingly becoming an option that people turn to for a holistic approach — over the past year, Pilates was reported to be the fourth most popular workout on ClassPass and fitness booking platform Mindbody.

And while it was once a form of exercise associated with injury recovery or a more mature clientele, Korean tastemakers like Blackpink’s Jennie and Taeyeon from Girls’ Generation have helped to popularise the concept of reformer Pilates among a younger demographic (those in their mid-20s to 30s) with their Instagram snaps.

Julie Jang, co-founder of Off Duty Pilates, explains that the “body trend for K-pop idols is long and lean with toned muscles”, so Pilates is popular because it does not typically use heavy weights, builds muscle while retaining a slender look and helps them to recover from their hectic schedules.

“Pilates became popular in Korea because of media exposure. Many celebrities in Korea show themselves doing Pilates when they are off-duty on various TV programmes and via their social media and that creates more interest in it,” says Jang, adding that though there are many Pilates studios in Korea, classes tend to be more expensive and cater to women with more spending power.

This story is from the September 2022 edition of ELLE Singapore.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the September 2022 edition of ELLE Singapore.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM ELLE SINGAPOREView All
The Age Of Innocence
ELLE Singapore

The Age Of Innocence

What are we to make of fashion's current obsession with girlhood?

time-read
3 mins  |
March 2024
Hey There, Handsome!
ELLE Singapore

Hey There, Handsome!

Twenty years after it was first introduced and Dior’s Chiffre Rouge is making a comeback in a big way.

time-read
2 mins  |
March 2024
Do You Woo-Woo?
ELLE Singapore

Do You Woo-Woo?

Like cutting your hair according to the lunar phases, beauty and esotericism have always gone hand in hand. Here, we guide you through the latest well-being practices to invoke the hippie in you.

time-read
6 mins  |
March 2024
SECRETS OF THE Schuyler Sisterhood
ELLE Singapore

SECRETS OF THE Schuyler Sisterhood

In Singapore for the two-month long production of Hamilton: The International Tour, Akina Edmonds and Elandrah Eramiha share what it's like playing musical theatre's favourite sisters

time-read
2 mins  |
March 2024
Crucial CONVERSATIONS
ELLE Singapore

Crucial CONVERSATIONS

Higher Education professional MARIANA LOSADA had her world turned upside down when she discovered she had to undergo a hysterectomy and a double mastectomy—all within a span of three months. Her journey of se//-discovery and empowerment ed to a mission that united two countries to prioritise women’s health issues and open a women’s health centre in Singapore. Here is her story.

time-read
4 mins  |
March 2024
Woven SUSTAINABILITY
ELLE Singapore

Woven SUSTAINABILITY

With support from the 2023 Rolex Awards for Enterprise, Indonesic-based social entrepreneur Dewi Riadini-Flesch is setto accelerate efforts to transform her country's ex/ile and garment industries.

time-read
4 mins  |
March 2024
A STAR is born
ELLE Singapore

A STAR is born

Louis Vuitton’s LV Monogram Star-cut diamond is one with a big difference—and it even has a blockchain certificate to prove it.

time-read
2 mins  |
March 2024
Girl ON fire
ELLE Singapore

Girl ON fire

Actress, dancer, singer, content creator Chen Yixin is a woman who cannot be categorised. Here, the multi-hyphenate shares her love for the 7ttle red dot we all call home and her dreams of showing the world that not all Asians are alike.

time-read
6 mins  |
March 2024
THE Ties THAT Bind
ELLE Singapore

THE Ties THAT Bind

Who better to celebrate a woman than the people who love her? This International Women's Day, we throw the spotlight on three women as seen through the eyes of their mother, sibling, and husband.

time-read
6 mins  |
March 2024
On the RADAR
ELLE Singapore

On the RADAR

From head-turning silhouettes to highly textured tactility, these oca/ brands present a distinct point of view that makes them deserving of wardrobe space.

time-read
2 mins  |
March 2024