Woman Buys $199 Pilates Class, Fitness Ball, Lip Stain, and Regret on TikTok Impulse
KEY POINTS
- •Joseph Pilates created his eponymous exercise during WWI internment on the Isle of Man, inspired by cats' agility.
- •In 2024, Pilates became the fastest-growing fitness class and TikTok-driven cultural phenomenon, including mandatory matcha.
- •Antoinette Hocbo grudgingly spent $199 on an online Pilates class and various related purchases, now questioning her own autonomy.
Joseph Pilates invented Pilates while imprisoned on the Isle of Man during WWI, watching cats stay limber despite starvation — truly a luxury workout birthed in a cage. Fast forward to 2024, ClassPass crowns Pilates its most popular class, fueled by sweaty TikTok videos featuring slender women and mandatory matcha. Enter Antoinette Hocbo: she hated Pilates once in her 20s, vowed never to return, then caved to a $199 online class after TikTok influencer praise. Alongside Pilates gear now gathering dust, she impulsively bought an iPad to try Procreate and a peel-off lip stain from TikTok Shop she ‘gets mad every time’ she uses. All while questioning if she ever really chose any of it, or just surrendered to the relentless influencer ad-mill chasing the half-trillion-dollar influencer gold rush.
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TikTok turned $199 Pilates classes, dusty workout gear, peel-off lip stains, and iPads into a personal identity crisis factory. Welcome to modern wellness capitalism!
Nothing says fitness like spending hundreds on Pilates stuff you hate, an iPad you didn’t want, and a lip stain you regret—TikTok is peak capitalism.
Joseph Pilates dreamed up his method in a prison camp, now it’s a $199 subscription and a guilt trip curated by TikTok influencers.
Source: Theverge | Published: 12/8/2025 | Author: Mia Sato
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