#fitness has been used on Instagram 264,459,752 times as of right now. This number makes it one of the most popular hashtags on social media today. One of the few hashtags that surpasses it however, is #fashion which has been used an overwhelmingly 508,782,431 times – and still, these massive numbers continue to increase by the minute! Hashtags may seem like merely a shallow tactic to gain more followers. Though this may be true in some cases, they have a much greater overall purpose. They are a direct reflection of our current popular culture, therefore giving us a concrete indication of what people are most interested in at the time. We can learn a great deal about society simply by examining the most popular hashtags. By doing this, it becomes very obvious what trends are on the rise and which have remained steady throughout the years.
Fitness and fashion are two trends that have not only been taking over the social media scene since the “birth” of the hashtag on Twitter back in 2007, but have actually been booming since workout icons like Jane Fonda and Richard Simmons first became popular.
Though it has been documented that people have been exercising as early as the 1900’s, it was not as valued as it is today. As a result, fashion did not play as big of a role in the activity. In 1905 for example, women exercised in petticoats, as seen in Figure 1.
Even 20 years later, women were still exercising in just as impractical clothing, like heels and undergarments, as scene in Figure 2.
As the years progressed however, and people became more health conscious, fitness became more of a priority. Therefore, clothes needed to be conducive to more intense movement. As fitness became popularized, so did the fashionable aspect of it. Fitness and fashion began to work hand-in-hand to help make neon-colored tights and legwarmers a widespread trend in the 1980’s. From then on, they continue to work seamlessly together to satisfy people’s desire to feel good while working out. Though it is thought to be primarily physical, fitness is equally mental. Confidence is key in performing well and fashionable workout clothes have undoubtedly given people the confidence they need to feel good while getting their sweat on.
Although fashion has definitely changed since what the stars of VHS videos were once wearing, it still remains just as influential in the workout field. Brands such as Lulu Lemon and Athleta have taken over the market in fashionable fitness. Instead of brightly-colored spandex however, the trend has shifted to an “Athleisure” style (as seen in Figure 3), which are clothes designed for movement but can be worn in a more business-like environment.
This new trend in fashion and fitness has made fitness even more of social norm as it is now accepted not only at the gym, but at the workplace as well. The rapid growth of this trend has been propagated by social media both through the fashionable fitness accounts that have countless followers (as seen in Figure 4), as well as the significant impact that these hashtags have had on its users.
Consequently, fashion in fitness is by no means a new trend, but is a definitely a growing trend thanks to digital media. Never before have these two aspects of life been so pervasive in our society. Today, they have been seamlessly combined to create a whole new genre of fashion that has taken over the fitness world. Now, it is actually uncommon to see someone not looking “trendy” while working out. It has become a sort of expectation that fitness must “look” a certain way. #fitness and #fashion therefore are not just hashtags. They are symbols of a trend that has been gradually taking over one of the most important aspects of life: health.
As a result, I am left with two questions that I seek to answer: Will this trend ultimately deter people away from exercising because they feel intimidated by the ever-changing fashion trends? Or will society continue to challenge the fitness industry with new fashion trends that people will always be excited to take on and hashtag about? Only time will tell.
By: Jaclyn Scerbak
References:
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/23/evolution-workout-clothes_n_5838164.html
http://www.businessinsider.com/the-50-best-fitness-instagram-accounts-to-follow-in-2018-2017-12
https://qz.com/135149/the-first-ever-hashtag-reply-and-retweet-as-twitter-users-invented-them/
For(war)dham Fashion 