Peloton Ad Actress Blames Herself For Backlash
Pelotonrevealed its Christmas ad in November 2019. At first glance, the advertisement doesn’tseem to be anything special. It tells the tale of a woman’s journey towardsfitness after her partner gives her the bike as a gift. The ad supposedlychronicles a year-long journey. It seems pretty basic, that is until the internettook a closer look and began calling Peloton out as sexist. The company hasstood by the advertisement, and now the actress who appears in the ad, MonicaRuiz, is speaking out. In fact, Ruiz is taking the blame for the commercial’s poorreception.
Why is the Peloton ad so controversial?
Shortly after the ad premiered, television viewers took tothe internet to discuss the contents of the 30-second spot. The chatter was notpositive. TheNew York Times notes that many users found the commercial sexist andelitist. It wasn’t just the $2,500 price tag attached to the gift that ruffledfeathers, either.
Social media users note that not only is the woman in the adalready fitand healthy, but the commercial has some disturbing undertones. Manybelieve the ad suggested that the lady of the house needed to change to appeaseher partner. Within days of the commercial going live, there were parodies.Peloton has stood by their ad decision. They have chosen not to pull the videofrom the airwaves.
Ruiz blames herself for the backlash
Ruiz sat down with HodaKotb on Today to discuss the backlash regarding the commercial. Shetold Kotb that she honestly believes it was her face that created the realcontroversy. Drilling down further, Ruiz claims her eyebrows gave the wrong impressionto viewers.
In theory, the ad called for Ruiz to look concerned. Shewas supposed to be apprehensive about the journey towards healthful living shewas embarking on. Peloton surely meant for the worried expression to give way tofeelings of joy and success. Telling the story of a year-long trip in just a30-second ad spot is no easy task, and it would appear as though Peloton failed.
The vibe that was intended and the one that was portrayedwere not the same. Critics quickly jumped on Peloton for an ad that they consideredsexist,claiming Ruiz appeared almost fearful of her commercial partner.
“The Peloton Husband” has also spoken out about theexperience
Sean Hunter, who played the Peloton husband in the highlydebated commercial, has spoken out about the advertisement, too. While Ruiz’s assessmentof the ad almost endeared her to audiences, Hunter’s statements about thesituation have done little to shore up his image. He remains utterly obliviousto the sexist undertones, it would seem.
While Hunter claims he is neither sexist nor elitist, hestands by the ad and alleges none of the criticism has been constructive,according to PsychologyToday. Hunter is concerned about how his involvement will affect hisfuture, claiming people can’t differentiate between the actor and the person. Ruizhas already received further commercial work from the spot, appearing in an adfor a gin company owned by RyanReynolds.
Hunter had precisely one line in the entire video andappeared much more briefly than Ruiz. He, apparently, still views the adpositively, even after the collective internet has raised serious concernsabout its undertones. Hunter told Today that he simply doesn’t “see it”regarding the sexism of the ad, according to FoxBusiness.
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