Peloton Feels The Effects Of Their Holiday Commercial—Is The Backlash Really Called For?

As we head into one of the busiest shopping seasons of the year, we are inundated by a multitude of commercials. And as with every year before, there those individuals and groups that fixate on one to two of those commercials and proceed to bring to attention all of its faults.

This year’s title of the victim goes to Peloton, the stationary bike manufacturer.

Peloton is deflecting more than its share of flak over its recent holiday commercial, although it is true that the commercial actually reveals pretty much nothing about the company, and at the same time, pretty much everything—all at once.

Let me set the scene. The commercial opens on a Christmas morning, with a mother/daughter duo descending the stairs, each with their eyes covered in anxious anticipation of what presents may be awaiting them.

When the mother opens her eyes, she exclaims ‘A Peloton?!” It is at this point, the viewer is left wondering if the statement is one of excitement or more of a question of confusion.

The scene also proves to leave the viewer somewhat confused as to whether the mother is excited, confused, or just in disbelief at the gift. It would seem to some that the husband might be making a subtle suggestion that she needs to look at the possibility of hitting the gym.

Many groups, the ones that take issue with the commercial, have brought to attention the tone that the mother’s voice makes—indicating that she is actually in disbelief that her husband had seen fit to gift her an at-home stationary exercise bike.

This is where the Peloton mom (as we will refer to her from here on out) begins a journey that she chooses to vlog. A self-journey that is embarked upon by both her and her Peloton bike.

As if the premise of the story is already pretty much riddled with issues, when the Peloton mom starts vlogging, there is snow on the ground in the background. Then, when she states, she has been at it for five days, and suddenly it is spring. Huh?

The commercial has enough problems, without individuals claiming that in some way, the husband is body shaming his wife. The internet has been blowing up lately, mostly on Twitter, that the content of this commercial is on a whole new level of—well—weird. It all makes one wonder how so much criticism can come out of just 30-seconds of content in an ad.

Is the commercial actually demeaning the female? Could it be that some viewers are taking their criticism of the commercial a little too far?