U.S.
Peloton Bike Ad Ridiculed and Accused of Being Sexist
Published
3 years agoon
By
Katie Calo
- Peloton, a company that sells indoor bikes, released an advertisement at the end of November that has gone viral.
- The 30-second commercial depicts a husband gifting his wife a Peloton bike. The woman then films herself using the bike over the next year and shows her spouse the compiled clips the following Christmas, thanking him for the present.
- Many have criticized the ad of being sexist and only catering specifically to an affluent audience.
- Others have defended the video and claimed that it was successful as it got people talking about the brand.
Ad Released
Peloton, a cycling brand that sells indoor bikes with internet access and virtual fitness classes, released a new advertisement at the end of November that has come under intense scrutiny.
The 30-second video begins with a man gifting his wife a Peloton bike on Christmas morning. The woman walks downstairs in her pajamas with her eyes covered, holding her daughter’s hand.
“A Peloton?” she says, elated by the sight of the bike.
The ad then switches to a montage of the woman filming herself on her fitness journey, from her first ride to clips of early morning workouts and moments of celebration. The video concludes with a scene from the following Christmas where the woman shows her husband her homemade video diary.
“A year ago, I didn’t realize how much this would change me,” she says in the vlog. “Thank you.”
Widespread Criticism
Since its release almost two weeks ago, the ad has gained much attention. Posted as a YouTube video from Peloton’s channel, the ad has accumulated over 849,000 views. However, the negative feedback far outweighs the positive which is apparent by the over eight times as many dislikes on the video in comparison to likes.
Many have taken to Twitter to share their thoughts on the video. One criticism of the ad is that it pushes sexist ideologies, as it portrays a husband giving his wife a gift designed for self-improvement as well as a woman seeming to lack confidence in certain scenes.
That ad with the husband who buys his wife a #peloton for XMAS is 100% targeted toward ex-high school jocks with a beer gut. Why improve yourself, when you can make your wife miserable? Anyway, I’m going to listen to my gf and get her something that actually makes her happy.
— Dillon Avnet (@dillon_avnet) December 2, 2019
So sweet. My husband was inspired by the Peloton ad to get me a pair of pants in a child’s medium and a handwritten note that says “Don’t fucking touch me till you can fit into these”
— Jess Dweck (@TheDweck) December 2, 2019
I'm nervous. I've never ridden a stationary bike. It is the scariest thing I've ever done in my entire life. Even worse than giving birth.
— Doug Black Jr 🦃🦃🦃🦃 (@dougblackjr) December 2, 2019
I'm terrified. Please help me, Peloton. pic.twitter.com/pmIJJSTR9I
Others are ridiculing the commercial because the woman’s physique doesn’t seem to change at all. She is slender at the beginning of the ad and appears to be the same size at the end of her year-long experience using the Peloton bike.
the lady in the peloton ad is already toned and fit in the "before" part, making it very hard to believe she would be nervous about a basic spin class. (tho that's probably the least weird thing about the ad)
— Erin Griffith (@eringriffith) December 2, 2019
[peloton ad meeting]
— Douglas A. Boneparth (@dougboneparth) December 2, 2019
Ad Exec: A weight loss journey.
CMO: Go on…
Ad Exec: But instead of featuring actual customers who’ve transformed their lives, we hire a model already in amazing shape?
CMO: Make it happen.
[twelve hours later] pic.twitter.com/Cx56YNRrRb
Additionally, the video is receiving backlash for portraying seemingly wealthy people in an expensive-looking home, a common thread throughout Peloton ads. The backdrop of the woman’s cycling vlog is her large, well-kept house, the living room window showing a view of an expansive yard.
My favorite thing about peloton ads is they don't shy away from letting you know that its for rich people only
— Bob Kurz (@BKurz12) November 25, 2019
As terrible as this ad is, it might also be a slam dunk for its target demographic.
— Mike Wacker (@m_wacker) December 2, 2019
E.g., it might convince a lot of rich housewives in LA to buy a Peloton bike.
Peloton has been ridiculed in the past for catering to wealthier people, perhaps most notoriously by a popular Twitter thread that emerged in January.
I had my carpenter build a $9,000 finished wood riser for my Peloton bike in my glass-enclosed zen garden/home gym pic.twitter.com/VJSOjctYtO
— Clue Heywood (@ClueHeywood) January 28, 2019
I have a Peloton at home, at work, and also one placed by the ocean-facing living room windows of our four bedroom beach cottage pic.twitter.com/F21Y1f7eop
— Clue Heywood (@ClueHeywood) January 28, 2019
The brand’s marketing lead, Carolyn Tisch Blodgett, admitted to the Wall Street Journal in 2017 that the company had been catered toward affluent riders in the beginning, but that they hoped to shift their audience to a wider range of consumers. The Peloton bike’s starting cost is $2,245.
Defense of the Ad
While many took issue with the advertisement, some people found no problem with it, claiming that it was clear that the woman wanted the bike from the start and it was not forced upon her by her husband.
The Peloton ad is weird, but MAYBE SHE ASKED FOR IT!! Why is Twitter the only place everyone is outraged over nothing? #Peloton
— The Kool-Aid Guy (@SlappyMuppet) December 3, 2019
Why is everyone bashing @onepeloton for their ads? It’s wrong to buy women exercise equipment for Christmas? I’m so confused. If a wife bought her husband exercise equipment no one would say ANYTHING. This guy buys his wife a $2,500 Peloton which she CLEARLY WANTED.
— Antoinette Lopes (@AntoinetteLopes) December 3, 2019
Some Twitter users were also quick to point out that exercise doesn’t always involve weight loss and that the ad was not wrong to promote a healthy lifestyle without visible changes.
Stop jumping on Peloton for their new bike commercial! Exercise is not just for losing weight it’s for all over body health…heart lungs, bones and also mental health! Talk about body shaming! Body shaming isn’t just one sided….This is not ok, do better! #TODAYSHOW #pelotonad
— Leslie Varner (@VarnerLeslie) December 3, 2019
I have no issue with the @onepeloton ad. For some people working out is not just about losing weight but about endurance, strength or just feeling good. #pelotonad #selfcare pic.twitter.com/NCQOKIf7UN
— Dr. Stephanie Young Moss (@DrStephanieYoMo) December 3, 2019
Others even praised the Peloton advertisement, for despite some negative feedback it did successfully generate a lot of talk about the brand.
Genius ad campaign. Anything that gets people talking about your brand, and which puts eyeballs on your expensive ad, is a win. #peloton
— a brutal ruin (@ColdMou18809692) December 3, 2019
Everyone hates the Peloton ad (and it is SO cringey), but now because of it "Peloton" is a top trend on Twitter. Someone in that marketing department did their job.
— Daniel Savickas (@DanielSavickas) December 2, 2019
See what others are saying: (CNBC) (Vice) (CNN)
U.S.
Conservatives are Mad at “Woke” Xbox for Minor Climate-Related Updates
Published
3 days agoon
January 25, 2023By
Lili Stenn
The fury comes after Xbox announced it was slightly altering existing consoles to better utilize and save energy.
Same War, New Battlefield
Mere days after M&M canceled their “spokescandies” due to backlash from the right, led largely by Fox News’ Tucker Carlson, conservatives have found a new front for their ongoing culture war: Xbox.
Carlson spent months complaining that small character redesigns were “woke” because they made the animated anthropomorphized M&M’s — in his own words — “less sexy.” His campaign finally proved successful on Monday when the company announced it would be doing away with the spokescandies and replacing them with actress Maya Rudolph.
A message from M&M'S. pic.twitter.com/EMucEBTd9o
— M&M'S (@mmschocolate) January 23, 2023
Conservatives, now facing a sudden dearth of non-issues to complain about, quickly found a new issue to rage against. Xbox announced in a blog post earlier this month that it is making minor updates to lower its environmental impact as part of an effort to reach Microsoft’s goal of being carbon-negative by 2030.
Now, instead of having an Xbox wake up to update games, apps, and software during random times of the night, it will do that at a time of night when a user’s local energy grid is generating the most power it can from renewable sources.
Xbox also said it would automatically update some older consoles to a power-saving mode that aims to reduce electricity consumption when it is turned off — a feature that is already the default on newer consoles.
According to The Verge, the only difference for users is that an Xbox in power-saving mode takes around 15 seconds to boot up instead of doing so immediately as the console does in “sleep” mode. The change is a small price to pay for what the outlet described as “significant” energy savings.
Xbox Under Fire
To many leading conservative voices, the minimal shifts were just another example of “woke” culture.
While discussing M&M’s spokescandies Tuesday morning, “Fox and Friends” co-host Ainsley Earhardt brought up Xbox’s new changes with Fox radio host Jimmy Failla.
“So Xbox has also announced that they’re going woke too, you know, because of climate change,” Earhardt said.
“I mean, it’s crazy what they’re doing, but we understand what this is. It’s not that it’s actually going to offset emissions, okay — the level of reduction is infinitesimal,” Failla claimed, without evidence. “But they’re trying to recruit your kids into climate politics at an earlier age; make them climate conscious now.”
“Yeah, I didn’t think of that — you’re right, they’re going after the children,” Earhardt agreed, despite the fact that internal data from Microsoft shows just around 10% of Xbox owners are under the age of 18.
Other prominent conservatives also did their part to bait Americans into anger on social media, including America’s Foundation, which posted a tweet stating that “the woke brigade is after video games.”
Lol now the woke brigade is after video games all in the name of climate change.
— YAF (@yaf) January 24, 2023
Xbox will force gamers to power down to fight climate change, touting the first 'carbon aware console' https://t.co/wIwbCTh2Zy
The post linked an article from the right-wing website TheBlaze, which asserted that “Xbox will force gamers to power down to fight climate change.” That, however, is false — Xbox has said users can switch back and change the settings any time they want
Still, top lawmakers continued to share the article and spread its false claims, including Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tx.).
“First gas stoves, then your coffee, now they’re gunning for your Xbox,” he wrote in the post, which was flagged by Twitter and given an “added context” warning.
First gas stoves, then your coffee, now they're gunning for your Xbox. https://t.co/MpaH2ntWAz
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) January 23, 2023
The same warning, however, was not placed in a very similar post by Rep. Troy Nehls (R-Tx.), who also shared the article.
“They want to take your guns. They want to take your gas stoves. And now they want to take your Xbox. What’s next?” he wrote.
— Congressman Troy Nehls (@RepTroyNehls) January 23, 2023
See what others are saying: (The Washington Post) (The Daily Beast) (VICE)
U.S.
Washington State Launches Investigation Into Abuse at Private Special Ed. Schools
Published
3 days agoon
January 25, 2023By
Star Pralle
Allegations include staff kicking a fourth-grader and dragging a child with autism around by his leg.
Abuse Allegations
Washington State’s Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) has launched an investigation into a system of private schools for kids with disabilities after ProPublica and the Seattle Times reported on allegations of abuse.
The series of articles focused on Northwest School of Innovative Learning (NWSOIL). NWSOIL is a set of private schools that serve 500 Washington public school students with serious disabilities. ProPublica and the Seattle Times found years of complaints from parents and school districts against NWSOIL alleging abuse, overuse of isolation rooms, and unqualified aides teaching instead of certified professionals.
One district claimed NWSOIL staff kicked a fourth-grader. Another alleged that a child with autism was dragged around by his thigh.
Many former NWSOIL employees also claim that they were pressured by their parent company to to enroll more students and skimp on basic resources, like staffing.
Investigation Launched
In a seven-page letter, OSPI reminded NWSOIL of its authority to revoke or suspend a school’s approval, meaning that it could shut NWSOIL down.
“Given the serious nature of the allegations made in the articles, OSPI is examining what, if any, actions need to be taken with respect to Northwest SOIL’s approval to contract with Washington school districts,” Tania May, assistant superintendent for special education at OSPI, wrote in the letter.
OSPI has demanded any records of mistreatment, maltreatment, abuse, or neglect as well as documents pertaining to restraint or isolation of students and calls to the police. They are also seeking information about the student-to-teacher ratio and staff qualifications.
In the letter, OSPI claims that all of this was previously unknown to them as well as to police, Child Protective Services, and local school districts. They are asking NWSOIL for an explanation as to why the allegations were not reported.
NWSOIL defended itself in a public statement.
“Use of restraints and seclusion are always used as a last response when a student is at imminent risk of hurting themselves or others,“ it said. “We strongly deny any allegation that we understaff and/or pressure staff to increase admissions in order to maximize profits.”
Washington state representatives are considering a reform bill that will give them more oversight on the publicly funded system of private special education schools.
In this legislation, OSPI and at least one district that sends students to this program would be required to visit before approving the contract. It would also standardize district agreements with programs like NWSOIL, including financial safeguards to make sure funds are being used appropriately.
See the full series: (ProPublica) (The Seattle Times)
U.S.
Mass Shootings in Half Moon Bay, Oakland Rock California
Published
4 days agoon
January 24, 2023By
Lili Stenn
Just since Saturday, at least 19 people have been killed and 17 have been injured in mass shootings in California.
California Sees Third Attack in Under a Week
Two California localities experienced separate mass shootings Monday, just days after an attacker killed 11 and injured nine others in a suburb of Los Angeles.
The first of the most recent shootings took place in Half Moon Bay, a small coastal town about 30 miles outside of San Francisco, where a gunman killed seven and critically injured an eighth at two different locations.
According to authorities, police were dispatched to the first location around 2:20 pm and found four people shot to death and a fifth victim also suffering gunshot wounds. Shortly after, three more people were found dead at another site nearby.
About two hours later, police discovered the suspect in his car in the parking lot of a San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office substation with a semiautomatic handgun in the vehicle that officials later confirmed he had purchased legally.
Sheriff Christina Corpus said the man was taken into custody “without incident” and is “fully cooperating.” He has been identified as a 66-year-old Half Moon Bay resident of Asian descent.
Currently, the gunman’s motive is unknown, but the Sheriff told reporters Monday that both of the locations he targeted were nurseries, and it has since been reported that they were mushroom farms.
“All evidence we have points to this being an instance of workplace violence. The Mountain Mushroom Farm, the first location, is where the subject was employed,” Corpus said in a press conference Tuesday, though she added that, so far, the “only known connection between the victims and the suspect is that they may have been coworkers.”
As of writing, it remains unclear why he targeted the second location. A mushroom farm called Concord Farms has told reporters that it was the site of the second shooting — which a law enforcement official confirmed to The Washington Post.
In a statement to the media, a spokesperson said the farm had “no past knowledge” of the alleged gunman or his possible motives. Little has been released about the victims, though Corpus said Tuesday they were all adults and a “mixture of Asian and Hispanic descent,” some of whom were migrants.
Authorities had previously stated that, because people both live and work on the farms, children were among those who witnessed the shooting. However, on Tuesday, one official walked that back and said while children were indeed in the vicinity, police do not have information about specific witnesses.
Just hours after the violence in Half Moon Bay, seven people were injured, and one other was killed during a shooting at a gas station in Oakland. Very little has been reported about the incident, but police have said that the shooting was “between several individuals.”
Renewed Calls for Gun Control
Californians continue to reel from the rapid succession of mass shootings in a state known for its strict gun control laws.
According to Everytown for Gun Safety, a nonprofit that advocates against gun violence, the state ranks No. 1 in the country for gun law strength. An analysis led by the organization found that California has the sixth-lowest rate of gun ownership and the eighth-lowest gun death rate.
Many of California’s top lawmakers have argued that the state’s relatively low gun violence statistics emphasize the need for more federal regulations.
“The Second Amendment’s becoming a suicide pact,” Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) told CBS News in an interview.
“We’ll continue to find whatever loopholes we can and continue to lead the national conversation on gun safety reform. And the data bares out. It works. It saves lives,” he continued. “California’s 37% lower than the death rate of the rest of the nation, and yet, with all that evidence, no one on the other side seems to give a damn. I can’t get anything done in Congress.”
Following the Monterey Park shooting, U.S. Sen. Diane Feinstein (D-Ca.), alongside other Democratic colleagues, introduced two gun control bills in the upper chamber. The first would ban assault weapons, while the second aims to raise the minimum age to purchase assault weapons from 18 to 21.
President Joe Biden quickly threw his support behind the measures, urging Congress to pass them.
“The majority of the American people agree with this commonsense action,” he said in a statement Monday. “There can be no greater responsibility than to do all we can to ensure the safety of our children, our communities and our nation.”
Editor’s Note: At Rogue Rocket, we make it a point to not include the names and pictures of mass murders, suspected mass murderers, or those accused of committing violent crimes who may have been seeking attention or infamy. Therefore, we will not be linking to other sources, as they may contain these details.

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