An Ode to the Original Fitness Influencer

Today we have an endless sea of fitness influencers across all social media platforms, and it is easier than ever to find advice, tips and guided workouts that suit our lifestyles and goals. However, there was a time when informative and entertaining fitness programming was harder to obtain. Prior to 1951, mass media lacked any type of influential fitness personality. Then a California-based bodybuilder named Jack LaLanne debuted The Jack LaLanne Show, and the rest is history.

I remember turning on my ten-inch black and white television set circa early 1990s, and seeing the Bally Total Fitness commercials. That was my introduction to the name Jack LaLanne. I was no fitness buff then, as I was ten years old. However the commercials have clearly stuck in my mind, and as I sat down to write this post I could vividly recall their use of sex appeal and sensationalism to entice an audience of potential customers.

One of the most astounding examples is the one below, which aired in 1993 and features black and white vignettes of men and women working out in sheer ecstasy. Although incredibly idealized and problematic with regards to body image and gender roles, this commercial did portray some truisms about the connection between body, mind and spirit. “Body = temple, act of worship and baptism by sweat” were truly provocative declarations, and while some might find offense to the use of religious language to sell gym memberships, the statement that our bodies are sacred is a good message to spread. Our bodies should be venerated universally, which will mean different things to different people, but the message is clear: treat yourself with love and kindness.

My ten year old sensibility did not form a riveting critique of the ad, but revisiting the commercial today (as a 39 year old with a Master’s degree in art history), I am amazed to see an appropriation of Barbara Kruger’s iconic artwork. You are likely familiar with her work, including her most famous pieces Untitled (I shop therefore I am) and Untitled (your body is a battleground). Kruger’s style and process consists of taking black-and-white photographs and overlaying them with declarative and critical captions, which are boldly presented using white-on-red text.

Below is a side-by-side comparison of Kruger’s Untitled (your body is a battleground) from 1989 and a still from the aforementioned 1993 Bally Total Fitness commercial:

I have been unable to find any existing comparisons of Bally’s advertising and Kruger’s art, but I would really love to hear the perspective from the commercial’s art director(s), as well as Kruger’s response to her work being referenced so clearly in a sensationalist commercial. As an artist Kruger also assumes the role of a social critic by addressing the grip of media, consumerism and politics on shaping our behaviors and ideologies, such as body image.

While Bally Total Fitness was the most renowned gym franchise in the United States during the late 1980s and throughout the 90s, it owes its success to Jack LaLanne who opened the first public gym in 1936. He actually sold his very successful brand of gyms and health clubs to Bally in the late 1980s, hence why the commercials have his name underneath the Bally logo. If you have used a Smith Machine, resistance bands or eaten a protein bar, you have LaLanne to thank. He invented them all!

LaLanne was both the premier gym advocate and the first major fitness influencer in the United States. The Jack LaLanne show is the fitness equivalent to Julia Child’s The French Chef and Bob Ross’ The Joy of Painting. Each of these programs made their respected craft (fitness, cooking and painting) accessible to the masses. LaLanne understood that everyone’s body and needs are distinct to their own lived experiences. Therefore, he acknowledged modifying and pacing certain exercises so that they can be performed by everyone watching his program.

It is because of people like Jack LaLanne that I realized I can carve my own niche in the fitness community. I intend to incorporate my background in art and education throughout this blog/newsletter in order to present exercise and fitness topics through a variety of different lenses. I hope that you’ll find Artfully Exercising to be a mix of inspiration, entertainment and accessible approaches into the world of exercise and wellness.