Is Pilates a Cult?
I’m sure when you saw the title of this blog you had one of 3 reactions:
1. Who the hell does this person think they are saying my beloved Pilates is some sort of sordid entity like a cult?! You may have already started screaming a response without reading the next line.
2. Uh, it absolutely is, and I can’t believe it’s getting said “out loud”. Well, slow your roll, because this might not be the hammer you think is getting brought down on Pilates.
3. Hmmm….I love Pilates, but I’ve had my moments where I definitely wondered. To be honest, I’m writing this more from your point of view, and it is the one I hold myself.
I hope I can put all your opinions to the test, as well as maybe ease your discomfort as you read on. Not that my goal is to kowtow to anyone is these groups. After all, this is my blog, and therefore my opinion. Much of this blog is somewhat in jest, but many a truth is said in jest, is it not? My real aim is to just make us all think for a bit, and to hopefully inject enough humor to keep any mobs from grabbing their pitchforks.
Also, before anyone (especially non-Pilates practitioners) start reveling in the idea that I’m making light of some funny connections between Pilates and a cult, just know that I equally believe these can pertain to other hobbies and workout methods. Hey Crossfit warriors, love y’all – I was one too at one time! Yogis, I love you too – just stay away from Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh (iykyk). Of course, I’m kidding with you all. Just a little needling before getting into things.
What is a cult?
Before I start tying Pilates to a cult, it’s important to at least describe the parameters of which I’m working in to compare the two to begin with. Obviously, this is in actuality a serious subject, so I’ll just choose a handful of characteristics to keep things on the lighter side. Moreover, my sources are not super scientific, because I am not writing a research paper. If you’d like to delve deeper into the psychology of cults, I would direct you elsewhere, as this blog’s intention is not scientific or academic in nature. The definition of a cult, according to Wikipedia (a sure sign of how serious you should take this) is: In modern English, a cult is a social group that is defined by its unusual religious, spiritual, or philosophical beliefs, or its common interest in a particular personality, object, or goal. Here are some of the characteristics of a cult that I have compiled from reading up on the subject, but do not reflect a true or singular source of expertise.
· A group that shares a common social, philosophical, personality, interest or goal
· Has a charismatic founder or leader
· Has “disciples” or followers that aim to gather more followers to the cause
· The teachings of the leader are largely unquestioned
· There are rituals performed in groups based on the instruction and standards of the leader or disciples
· Quotes and musings of the leader & disciples are taken as truth and passed on as doctrine.
So what does this have to do with Pilates?
If you haven’t picked up on any of the similarities yet, or you just skipped past the whole last segment of my post, then this portion will surely be more enlightening. For those of you who have followed along, I hope you take this with a heaping mound of salt, and not as a serious equivalency. This is for fun, and AT MOST, thought provoking. You’ll certainly not find me protesting a PMA conference, because I (again) am writing this as a playful piece. Alright, now that we have our humor hats on and thoroughly pulled any possible sticks out of our asses, let’s compare! I’ll use a scale of 1-5 (1 being not at all, and 5 being full cool-aid-drinking nuts).
1. A group that shares a common social, philosophical, personality, interest or goal
Ok, duh! We all like doing Pilates, and we have a common goal of making ourselves happy by doing more Pilates. Are we a little coo-coo-bananas sometimes? Absolutely. Trust, me there’s some seriously “eccentric” people in the Pilates world, but that’s found anywhere. I guess we get a check next to this one, though, because we share a common interest, and maybe some of us make Pilates a little too much of our personality. I give this a 2, only because there are some crazy Pilates people out there – otherwise it would be a 1.
2. Has a charismatic founder or leader
Well, shit. You really don’t get more charismatic than a guy that runs around in his tidy whities all the way into his 80’s, telling everyone that they need to practice his particular method of exercise. This one is kind of indefensible, because Joseph Pilates was quite a character, and he absolutely believed in the benefits of Contrology. I guess he could have leaned into the cultish thing a bit more had he actually called his method “Pilates” after himself (just feed the ego all the way), but he didn’t. So maybe I’ll give this a 4.
3. Has “disciples” that aim to bring more followers to the cause
Certainly this part is true. However, it doesn’t mean it’s always in a cultish way. The fact that we have Pilates “elders” can and does certainly raise the eyebrow for people who aren’t in the community. Personally, the only other time I’ve heard the word “elders” used in any other way other than plainly describing people older than you, is in a religious setting. Therefore, my ears tend to perk at the term a little differently than if you did not grow up in a religious background. When I hear this term, I can very-much liken it to the word “disciple”, because it refers to the people who learned from the leader and spread the word/practice (dare I say evangelize) to others, in order to grow a larger following. But, hey, you can also call that word-of-mouth advertising, right? Maybe it’s that we (the Pilates community) revere the elders so much, due to their closeness to Joe (the leader), that makes it seem so cultish. Yet, if it weren’t for their efforts, would the Pilates practice be as big as it is today? This could be a case of grassroots marketing playing the long game. I give this one a solid 3.
4. The teachings of the leader are largely unquestioned
Well, this can go a couple ways. Over the years (or decades), Pilates has spawned philosophical differences that have led to arguments over what is the true religion – I mean practice. Apologies for my Freudian slip. All jokes aside, the divergence of those that feel like Joe’s teachings are the best and groups that have accepted modifications or straight up new-age exercises that use more modern functional exercise science is very real. The champions of classical Pilates and contemporary Pilates have been in disagreement for some time (sorry megareformer warriors, but I’m not including you in this fight). I suppose those that subscribe to the classical method will have to take the brunt of this cultish accusation, seeing as though they fervently cling to Joe’s teachings, even when common sense or science has proven there are better methods to build upon the original exercises. As a classically trained instructor, it doesn’t bring me joy to say this, but this one is on you, and Pilates is overall saved from being a cult by the contemporary side - at least when it comes to this topic. I give this a slightly begrudgingly 3.
5. There are rituals performed in groups based on the instruction and standards of the leader or disciples
Ok, this is a little unfair. Rituals performed in groups? That’s a Pilates class! You can tack this accusation onto any workout, social, or hobby group. Sure, the Pilates method was put forth by a leader (Joseph Pilates) and carried on by the elders and others that practiced under him/them. How the hell else is something supposed to get started and gain traction? I’ll admit that the exercises and order can be too religiously adhered to, and they really l don’t have to be so stringent – I don’t even think Joe would stick to that kind of teaching either. If you are looking for a reason to call Pilates a cult, then you can use this as a weak-ass argument. Surely, this isn’t the best evidence, and thus I proclaim this point comes in at a feeble 1.
6. Quotes and musings of the leader & disciples are taken as truth and passed on as doctrine.
Who among us doesn’t like a good inspirational quote?! I’ll admit that it’s important to do your due diligence before plucking a quote out of context to use in any circumstance. There is responsibility in making sure the full picture of a person’s words is understood before cherry-picking the phrases that seem to suite your agenda. With that said, quoting Joseph Pilates, the elders, or really anyone else that piques your interest and aligns with your ideals does not a cult member make. Of course, blindly following and reciting what you have been taught, namely if you are an instructor, can be problematic. Use what you have learned to think for yourself! If you find no issue whatsoever with what you’ve been taught, then that’s fine! However, for many instructors, asking questions and poking philosophical holes in your particular school of Pilates just might make you a better, more informed instructor. Plus (and here’s a little instructor secret), the more you learn and advance in your practice or certification, the more you realize how much wiggle-room and freedom you have. I give this a 2.5, because you can absolutely be indoctrinated into a certain way of teaching/doing Pilates, but there is also so much push-back on that way of thinking nowadays. Also, can I use the word “nowadays” without sounding like a complete old fogy? Whatever, I’m tired, so let’s wrap this up.
So where did we land?
Considering I decided on this arbitrary 1-5 scale of how cultish I grade Pilates - based on a list of criteria that I also chose – it appears I get to be judge and jury. Therefore, Pilates rates as a 14.5 out of a possible 30 cult points. Not quite halfway to Heaven’s Gate status, but still a contender for some to keep their wary eye on. Now, of course, I’m kidding with all of this, because I sincerely do not believe Pilates (an exercise method) is not a cult at all. I do find it extremely funny to make silly connections between the two, knowing that many out there (including my own close circle of loved ones) make jokes about this topic. Why let other people have all the fun? Let’s take this opportunity to laugh at ourselves, because we may take Pilates seriously, but we definitely shouldn’t take ourselves so seriously.