Peloton: Where You Learn to be Your Most Authentic Self

Peloton has gotten immensely popular over the last few months, and with Covid running ramped, forcing gyms to close, lots of people have had to find a new way to work out in their homes. I had just gotten into a good health routine, and then the pandemic hit and I didn't know what to do; fast forward almost a year into the pandemic, and I still couldn't seem to recreate what I did and how I felt at the gym so as a last resort to start working off some of this quarantine weight I turned to Peloton.

I didn't know if a Peloton was for me, so of course I ran to YouTube to start my research, and that's where I met Christine. Her story starts in a dark place; Christine explains that she struggled with her sexuality for years. She grew up in a conservative home and believed that her true identity would be a disappointment to her family. For years she carried around this shame and contemplated taking her own life, so she knew she needed to make a change in her life; she needed something to live for, leading her to Peloton. Christine tells us that “this bike saved her life”; it gave her a routine and pulled her out of the shame surrounding her sexuality.

Christine then walks us through her daily routine. She starts her day with a quick Peloton yoga session, gets ready, and heads to work. She comes home goes for a ride on her bike before a shower and bed. Christine takes us back to a point in her life before Peloton when she used alcohol to cope with her shame. She recalls being so drunk one night that she actually work up in her own vomit. She explains that the Peloton community is what pulls her away from that, people cheer you on as you ride and support you during your rides.

Christine mentions, Cody Rigsby — one of the cycling instructors for Peloton, she describes him as “as a flamboyant gay man, who owns it.” Cody is all about being your true self. One day Cody posts on his Instagram stories asking for anyone with questions about the LGBTQIA+ community to DM him, so Christine sees this as a moment to get support about her situation. She proceeds to ask Cody, “Do you have any advice kids that are gay that come from a really conservative background?” To which Cody responds by letting Christine know she needs to live for herself. Finally, after one of Cody’s classes, Christine finds the strength to live for herself and comes out to her mother. We then hear from Christine’s mom, who declares her support for her daughter and assures Christine that she wants her to be happy and that she's okay with whatever Christine defines as happiness.

This story uses the Emotional Appel technique to draw users in. We can all identify with Christine and her story because it’s bigger than fitness. Christine struggled to belong, struggled with confidence and self-worth, and creating a routine helped save her life. It was the emersion into the Peloton community that saved her from her guilt and shame. It was her daily yoga and bike rides that built her confidence. It was Cody, an openly gay man that she met via Peloton, that gave her the courage to come out. Christine’s story helps market Peloton as more than just a bike. Christine’s story pushed me to pull the trigger and order a bike, and I realized it wasn't to lose the quarantine weight; it was because buying this bike could also help me become my most authentic self.