Peloton Ad

[Erzengel]

I kind of feel bad for the actress in this commercial. I'm sure when she got the gig with a very well known, respected company, she thought this would be a great opportunity. Now she's going to be negatively associated with this campaign ad.

 

[TipsyTraveler]

Did no one see the prequel ad that Peloton ran over Thanksgiving that gave the backstory?

They were at Thanksgiving dinner with the extended family when he found her sitting by herself in the corner, looking sad and picking at the tiny portion of salad on her plate. He knelt down next to her and told her how many things he had to be thankful for this year. He was thankful every day for having her in his life, and he was thankful she had taken her doctor’s advice to start taking her health seriously, and that after losing those 80 pounds she was no longer pre-diabetic. He told her he was so proud of her and how far she had come.

Sensing she was upset about something, because he’s an in-tune kind of guy, he gently encouraged her to open up to him. She admitted she was starting to struggle to maintain the weight loss now that the weather had turned cold and it was getting harder for her to find ways to be active. He offered to buy her a gym membership but she said she didn’t have time to get to the gym, what between work and volunteering at the children’s hospital. He offered her some positive affirmations and told her he would do whatever it took to support her in this new fitness journey she was on that was strictly her decision, in collaboration with her doctor, that had absolutely nothing to do with him. Because he loves her no matter what she weighs — he fell in love with who she is on the inside, not on the outside. But her outside is beautiful, too. At any weight. Just want to be clear about that. (He said all that.)

Her eyes filled with tears, her chin quivered, and she blurted out “I want a Peloton!” He was quiet for a moment, then said “What the hell is a Peloton?” She explained it was a stupidly overpriced exercise bike that they couldn’t afford and didn’t have space for. He brushed her cheek with his hand and told her he would try to figure something out because he just wants her to be happy.

Then the scene cut to a montage of him working overtime, rubbing his chin while pouring over his finances, and watching the dates on the calendar slip away as Christmas fast approaches. Finally, the lightbulb moment. His eyes fall upon his beloved baseball cards that he had begun collecting with his grandpappy when he was just a wee thing, knee-high to a grasshopper. He closes the leather-bound case one last time and carries it to the door.

The next time we see them is on Christmas Eve. She says she’s heading to bed. He kisses her and says he’ll be up in a minute after he finishes the family-friendly holiday movie he’s watching. As soon as she’s out of sight, he jumps off the couch and runs to the back door to sneak in his friend and brother-in-law who had been waiting outside, because he responsibly planned the details of this Christmas surprise well in advance. Together, the three of them struggle to haul away his pool table, freeing up the space in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows.

With everything in place for the next morning, he retreats to the bedroom where the commercial ends with him smiling and gazing upon her as she sleeps. But, like, in a loving way, not a creepy stalker kind of way.

The commercial was 47 minutes long.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Oh my goodness, yes. I let my husband know all the specifics. Thankfully, we now know one another well enough to know that we are pretty picky about things so we don't just purchase anything generic unless the other is clear that specifics aren't important. For the vacuum, my husband knew how much I loved my original that was dying, and I had mentioned many times that I much preferred this brand to any of the others I had looked at, so he was confident that buying the top of the line in that brand would be what I wanted, and he was right.

For a couple years there I wasn't being as helpful about what I wanted, so my husband was defaulting to jewelry, which is fine because he knows my taste very well, but I had to put an end to that. I only have so many fingers, wrists, etc. to wear jewelry!!! I was getting sad that I wasn't able to wear some of these pieces that I loved as much as I wanted because I was having to rotate things around. We now have a no jewelry rule. I just don't need any more jewelry and my husband would much prefer that I get something I want and can use, even if it is a vacuum or dutch oven.

haha omg yes the jewelry. While my husband's taste in jewelry is more simplified than mine I had to tell him "honey I love jewelry but maybe no more " But in all honesty he was the exact same with boxers that I would buy for him. I don't say that to put TMI out there just that in our early days of dating our ideas for gifts for each other were more of the same thing over and over. We're so much more in sync now that's for sure we at least know much more of things we stay away from buying out on our own without much input and running past (and well to be more creative in our gifts lol). Still lots of room for surprising just no surprising for certain things

 

[skyblue17]

Did no one see the prequel ad that Peloton ran over Thanksgiving that gave the backstory?

They were at Thanksgiving dinner with the extended family when he found her sitting by herself in the corner, looking sad and picking at the tiny portion of salad on her plate. He knelt down next to her and told her how many things he had to be thankful for this year. He was thankful every day for having her in his life, and he was thankful she had taken her doctor’s advice to start taking her health seriously, and that after losing those 80 pounds she was no longer pre-diabetic. He told her he was so proud of her and how far she had come.

Sensing she was upset about something, because he’s an in-tune kind of guy, he gently encouraged her to open up to him. She admitted she was starting to struggle to maintain the weight loss now that the weather had turned cold and it was getting harder for her to find ways to be active. He offered to buy her a gym membership but she said she didn’t have time to get to the gym, what between work and volunteering at the children’s hospital. He offered her some positive affirmations and told her he would do whatever it took to support her in this new fitness journey she was on that was strictly her decision, in collaboration with her doctor, that had absolutely nothing to do with him. Because he loves her no matter what she weighs — he fell in love with who she is on the inside, not on the outside. But her outside is beautiful, too. At any weight. Just want to be clear about that. (He said all that.)

Her eyes filled with tears, her chin quivered, and she blurted out “I want a Peloton!” He was quiet for a moment, then said “What the hell is a Peloton?” She explained it was a stupidly overpriced exercise bike that they couldn’t afford and didn’t have space for. He brushed her cheek with his hand and told her he would try to figure something out because he just wants her to be happy.

Then the scene cut to a montage of him working overtime, rubbing his chin while pouring over his finances, and watching the dates on the calendar slip away as Christmas fast approaches. Finally, the lightbulb moment. His eyes fall upon his beloved baseball cards that he had begun collecting with his grandpappy when he was just a wee thing, knee-high to a grasshopper. He closes the leather-bound case one last time and carries it to the door.

The next time we see them is on Christmas Eve. She says she’s heading to bed. He kisses her and says he’ll be up in a minute after he finishes the family-friendly holiday movie he’s watching. As soon as she’s out of sight, he jumps off the couch and runs to the back door to sneak in his friend and brother-in-law who had been waiting outside, because he responsibly planned the details of this Christmas surprise well in advance. Together, the three of them struggle to haul away his pool table, freeing up the space in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows.

With everything in place for the next morning, he retreats to the bedroom where the commercial ends with him smiling and gazing upon her as she sleeps. But, like, in a loving way, not a creepy stalker kind of way.

The commercial was 47 minutes long.

And in the sequel commercial, we see him smiling through gritted teeth as he opens his Christmas gift from his wife, a fancy new display case for his Grandpa's baseball card collection.

 

[Klayfish]

I kind of feel bad for the actress in this commercial. I'm sure when she got the gig with a very well known, respected company, she thought this would be a great opportunity. Now she's going to be negatively associated with this campaign ad.

Seriously.

Wonder when the lawsuit will follow?

 

[wenrob]

You had already quoted the other person yourself.

She quoted me asking a poster that I quoted who said the commercial objectifies women. That was my original question-would it objectify men. We all agree that it’s not nice to imply your spouse needs to workout. That’s not the same thing IMO.

I’m not trying to pick on anyone. I’m just trying wrap my head around it. For me, if I buy into the notion that she’s being objectified I have to believe she can’t be a strong woman who just wants to be fit. That’s all, nothing nefarious.

 

[Kaleidodad]

And in the sequel commercial, we see him smiling through gritted teeth as he opens his Christmas gift from his wife, a fancy new display case for his Grandpa's baseball card collection.

"Dear Ma, I'll be gone all day. I'll explain about the washtub when I see you late tonight. Love, Emmet."

 

[wvjules]

I feel like I'm the only person in this thread that isn't super "picky" about stuff. Sure, I have my likes and dislikes but I'm not so picky that the man that knows me best in incapable of buying me a gift.

 

[Imzadi]

What gets me about the car ads is how the recipient responds. Maybe they are used to getting huge, expensive presents? Well, I'm not.

My reaction would be more like this below, if I was gifted a Lexus, BMW or Mercedes (any class.) This is rapper, Megan Thee Stallion, who had an incredible year career-wise, and was able to, (just yesterday?) gift her grandmother, Nanny, who basically raised her, with a new Cadillac truck:

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[luvsJack]

Part of it might be special incentives or special financing. And from what I recall, all the finance managers I talked to hated special financing. They required "dealer participation" which the finance managers told me meant they had to do the paperwork but didn't get a commission. Another one talked me into a loan from a bank, even though it would have theoretically cost me more if I had just made regular payments. They had a deal where one could choose the special financing or cash back. If I paid it off early (which I did in less than a year), the cash back would have made it cheaper.

But yeah - selling cars is a weird business.

Their finance managers make the big $$$$. Almost twice as much as the salesmen and SIL makes some really good money selling cars. Until he started selling cars, I didn't even know the finance managers made commission.

 

[luvsJack]

You're overthinking it. The commercial objectifies a woman's body to sell a product.

So does the ads with a MAN riding an exercise bike or using some other exercise equipment objectify his body?

That has to be the dumbest conclusion I have ever seen anyone jump to.

 

[bcla]

Their finance managers make the big $$$$. Almost twice as much as the salesmen and SIL makes some really good money selling cars. Until he started selling cars, I didn't even know the finance managers made commission.

Yeah. I remember the first time I bought a car. The finance manager wasn't shy about telling me he wasn't making commission on the manufacturer's finance arm's special deals. However, they had a lot of people coming in because it was advertised and declining participation could drive business to another dealer that did participate.

The last time I actually had enough cash in the bank to not need to finance it. I still didn't want to pay it off all at once, and the bank financing was for a longer term although the rate was marginally higher. I think I made 6 monthly payments and then paid it off. However, the finance manager was dangling the cash back as a good reason to choose the bank financing. It was also a retail with local branches, so I could make payments in person.

 

[RamblingMad]

So does the ads with a MAN riding an exercise bike or using some other exercise equipment objectify his body?

That has to be the dumbest conclusion I have ever seen anyone jump to.

Given the huge overweight population, I’m sure there is some jealousy going on here as well.

A lot of people have trouble wrapping their head around skinny people wanting to be more fit when they’re likely overweight and unfit.

 

[bcla]

Given the huge overweight population, I’m sure there is some jealousy going on here as well.

A lot of people have trouble wrapping their head around skinny people wanting to be more fit when they’re likely overweight and unfit.

I don't necessarily equate being skinny to being fit though. It's far healthier to get regular exercise and have a balanced diet compared to stressing on looking like an Instagram model. I knew someone who some might consider overweight, but she had regular exercise, ate normally, and just dealt with how her body reacted. But she was happy and seemingly healthy.

And nobody has ever accused me of being obese. I've never had any problems with weight. However, many people are healthy at different weights, and trying too hard to lose weight because of a societal belief that it's healthier has led to a lot of unhealthy attempts to lose weight.

 

[BrianL]

Given the huge overweight population, I’m sure there is some jealousy going on here as well.

A lot of people have trouble wrapping their head around skinny people wanting to be more fit when they’re likely overweight and unfit.

I don't know that it's jealousy per se, but it definitely stems from people projecting their own feelings onto the characters in the commercial. They are seeing it through the lens of how they would feel if given an exercise bike for Christmas, and many obviously wouldn't care for that one bit for various reasons. I think that's why it has rubbed some people the wrong way.

 

[mom2rtk]

"Prequel ad"?

Life's way too short for that.

 

[skyblue17]

Given the huge overweight population, I’m sure there is some jealousy going on here as well.

A lot of people have trouble wrapping their head around skinny people wanting to be more fit when they’re likely overweight and unfit.

I think there might be some level of "lol you do what?!" going on as well. Most people are not going to get up three hours before work to spend the morning on an exercise bike. It's a foreign concept to them. So it seems ridiculous that someone does it for a whole year, while documenting it, only to show at the end that she doesn't seem any different than before (because again, she is fictional, so we know nothing about her starting off point, her reasons for wanting/needing it or what kind of progress in training she's made... she's just seen using the bike and acting "nervous" as if she can't simply get off the bike if she's not up to it that particular day). It doesn't mean doing that IS ridiculous or that people who do have such a routine aren't likely healthier than people who don't have an exercise routine, but the element of gloating about it is always going to rub some people the wrong way.

 

[Hikergirl]

Given the huge overweight population, I’m sure there is some jealousy going on here as well.

A lot of people have trouble wrapping their head around skinny people wanting to be more fit when they’re likely overweight and unfit.

I'm not sure if I agree that it's jealousy, but I know from experience when you are already thin and you choose to make sure you eat a healthy diet and exercise you get alot of "why, you don't really need to do that" kind of judgment.
You see it with those complaining that this ad is sexist. They can't accept that the thin woman wants a bike, and wants to use it, to them she doesn't really want it because she doesn't need it. Her sexist pig husband is telling her she does.

 

[Imzadi]

I kind of feel bad for the actress in this commercial. I'm sure when she got the gig with a very well known, respected company, she thought this would be a great opportunity. Now she's going to be negatively associated with this campaign ad.

According to TMZ yesterday, Peloton isn't backing down. Peloton said they were very disappointed in people's reactions, but that they didn't feel anything is wrong with the commercial.

Maybe, as a PP suggested, they will have the actress come in again, shoot a quick scene of her looking wistfully online at the Peloton. Her husband hands her a cup of coffee, (nothing too healthy like a smoothie as that will set off more people,) and somehow, without looking like a creepy Lifetime Movie stalker, obsessed husband, happens to look over her shoulder while handing her the coffee and sees what she's looking at. (She's not hiding the webpage.) And he gets the idea to give it to her. Then they just add that scene onto the existing commercial.

It would also be good to add a best female friend coming to visit her. maybe when she sees the Peloton for the first time, who approves and looks envious. So people know the husband didn't buy the Peloton to keep her locked up in the house, and she's unable to leave to exercise or do anything, like visit with friends.

 

[luvsJack]

I don’t get the pushing “losing weight” idea on this woman.

I am overweight and I don’t exercise so I can’t speak from my own experience. But I look at it from Dd’s She is the perfect weight for her height. She works out every day. She is in the gym and takes a spin class every time they have one. She does weights and other stuff. #1 she loves it. And #2 she is staying in shape for wrestling. She has to have the stamina and strength. And working out gives her that.

There are MANY reasons a woman could want to work out that has NOTHING to do with her weight and her looks. It’s not the commercial that is sexist. Its the opinion that the only reason a woman would want to work out is to lose weight or for her looks.