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Peloton, Mirror and the Illusion of Perfection
The rise of home gym workouts has promised something that is often unattainable, perfection.
Over the past year, we have witnessed the meteoric rise of companies like Peloton and Mirror as millions of people decided to ditch their local gym in favor of these company’s offerings. Peloton membership grew from 1.4 million to 3.1 million subscribers and Mirror was purchased by Lululemon for $500 million. The rise of home gym workouts has brought with it celebrity-like status for the instructors of these companies. People like Robin Arzon and Ally Love are becoming household names. These companies and the instructors that work for them promise life-changing results that often never come.
Having a Peloton machine, Mirror, or any of the other home gym machines that are popping up seemingly every day has become trendy. These machines are very pricey, costing anywhere from $1500 to $5000 with a monthly membership fee, so to own one is to signify that you made it. Live classes are held daily with hundreds of classes being added to their libraries weekly. Having a shoutout in a class almost feels like a singer reaching out to hold your hand during a song or making eye contact with you. The problem with these machines is that people often buy them assuming they will come to look like the…