In the days before the US midterm elections, Pilates and yoga studios across the country used Instagram to encourage clients and followers to vote. Posts ranged from short messages and videos to offers tied to “I voted” stickers, with engagement ranging from about 70 likes to more than 10,000, depending on the account.
Pilates instructor Frederick Ocansey, who posts as flyfreshfreddy to nearly 25,000 followers, wrote: “A strong core is cute. Having a voice is powerful. Go vote.” A studio in Brooklyn, KGC Pilates, contrasted skipping a class with skipping an election, while Kore Pilates, a Black-owned studio in Nassau County, posted the message “Pilates Girls Vote.” Mome Studios in South Portland, Maine, shared a sign reading “No Pilates on Mars. Vote,” a reference to Elon Musk’s ambitions to colonize Mars.
Some yoga studios offered free drop-in classes to people who showed an “I voted” sticker. Others said they would waive late cancellation fees so clients could go to the polls.
Kiersten Gibson-Cooper, owner of KGC Pilates in New York City’s Flatbush neighborhood, said the connection between wellness and elections was direct. Voting, she said, can affect healthcare, wages and grocery prices. She added that she did not want clients to have to choose between paying for a Pilates class and affording food.
Gibson-Cooper acknowledged that political posts might be viewed as a way to attract attention or business, but said community activism was not a one-off effort to bring more people into her studio. She described it as something she genuinely supports.
The voting push also moved beyond social media. In Houston, the League of Women Voters worked with fitness nonprofit Fit Houston to hold a free, hour-long Pilates class in a park that also had a polling location. The event was promoted as “Pilates to the Polls.” Sabine Hodge, a League development manager and Pilates instructor, said the organization’s work to empower voters and defend democracy resonated with the sense of empowerment and community she finds in Pilates.
The election-themed events built on the popularity of Pilates pop-ups, which had been appearing in settings such as rooftops and parks. They also reflected the role fitness studios and other local businesses can play as places where people gather in person. Ahtasham Azim, owner of Shaam Chai and Coffee in Katy, Texas, said encouraging customers to vote could benefit his business, but argued that it mattered because it was good for people and community first.
Sources: The Guardian Technology.