Trad Men Can’t Stop Talking About 'Pilates Girls' – And The Reason Why Is Creepy

The low-impact workout has surged in popularity – but social media is reshaping what it represents for the worse.

Lifestyle Reporter, HuffPost

Bad news for anyone who loves Pilates: Trad men have discovered the exercise and taken a liking to the “Pilates girl”.

Pilates – a low-impact, full-body movement method focused on core strength, control, alignment and breath – has surged in popularity in the past few years, especially among women.

The celebrity-favourite workout can be done on a mat at home or with a specialised machine that uses springs and pulleys for resistance. Those who practice it swear by its ability to tone the body and reduce stress.

But Pilates also has a certain reputation it can’t seem to shake: People think it’s for rich white women. Like yoga before it – the last “It” girl exercise of this scale – the practice isn’t inherently exclusionary, but the way it’s marketed tends to centre around a narrow body ideal and women of a certain tax bracket. An average 60-minute group class typically costs $30 to $65.

Then there’s the “look” it gives you. Instead of focusing on bulk, regularly practicing Pilates achieves a toned, lean and elongated body. You build strength, not muscle mass.

All of this has made it appealing to a certain type of man, who, as The 19th recently reported, expects their partners to devote hours to the workout.

“If your girl goes to Pilates, wife her up immediately,” online business entrepreneur Christian Bonnier said in a recent viral Instagram Reel, deeming the exercise “wholesome” and “the biggest green flag ever for a girl”.

“If your girl goes to Pilates, she’s probably staying in on the weekends so she can get up early and go to a Solidcore or BodyRok class,” he says in the clip. “And she’s going to come back from the Pilates class in a great mood because she went with her friends and didn’t get hit on by any creepy guys and got a great workout in.”

In another video, which racked up 564,000 views, Bonnier declares, “Bring back stay-at-home Pilates wives.” He’s not buying that women find greater fulfilment in a 9-to-5 job rather than staying home with their kids – but if they are working, it should be a job that leaves ample time to “tan by the pool, go to Pilates, go to farmers markets in a sundress and raise a family”.

Then........

© HuffPost