You’ve seen them countless times…the slick promotional photos splashed across gym websites, posters, and social feeds. The same faces, the same bodies, the same formula: slim, young, perfectly groomed people in matching lycra, striking poses on treadmills or with dumbbells. So familiar, so predictable, they’ve become almost invisible. By Kiesha Meikle
But anyone who’s been inside a real gym knows that image is a mirage.
Step onto the gym floor and you find something far more complicated: a diverse community of people of all ages, ethnicities, and sizes. Sweaty, red-faced, breathing hard, some unsteady, some fierce, all imperfect and all present. Fitness is a process, a journey, not a glossy snapshot.
So why do brands cling to this outdated ideal?
Because it’s easier. Because marketing loves simplicity and aspirational imagery. Because for decades, fitness advertising has been trapped in a narrow idea of beauty and success. But here’s what we’re missing: by sticking to this template, the industry excludes the majority of people who actually make up gyms, those over size 12, disabled athletes, older adults, people with scars, wrinkles, or imperfect hair. Those who sweat and stumble but keep showing up.
It’s not just about appearance either. It’s about belonging. When your body type or ability is never seen, you start to believe you don’t belong in that space. First-timers who don’t look like the “ideal” can find gyms intimidating or alienating. That’s a real barrier to fitness that no clever slogan can fix.
And then there’s the influencer culture. Scroll through Instagram or TikTok and you’ll find endless fitness videos with perfect lighting, zero sweat, and hair that never moves. These curated moments create an illusion of effortless fitness, when in reality, it’s hard work … often messy and uncomfortable. This ‘highlight reel’ culture deepens the disconnect, reinforcing impossible standards that few can or want to live up to.
What complicates this even more is the rise of AI-generated images and videos in marketing. Brands can now produce flawless, hyper-idealised fitness models with a few clicks – perfect bodies, perfect poses, zero imperfections. On one hand, AI offers creative freedom and cost-efficiency. On the other, it risks deepening the divide between marketing and reality, erasing any chance of authentic representation.
Will AI become the new gatekeeper of our fitness ideals? Or could it be harnessed to amplify diversity, showcasing a wider range of bodies, abilities, and ages? The technology is neutral, but the choices brands make will shape how inclusive or exclusive fitness culture becomes.
At its core, this issue is about more than just images on a screen. It’s about who gets to see themselves in the story of fitness, and who is left out. Until fitness marketing embraces complexity, the sweaty, the imperfect, the diverse, it will keep telling a story that excludes more than it includes. The real gym is a place of struggle, joy, failure, and progress not just perfect bodies in perfect light. It’s time for marketing to catch up with reality before it loses relevance entirely.
