Racism in the Pilates Industry

Incidents of police brutality and the ensuing Black Lives Matter protests have shed a bright light on systemic racism in the U.S., including in the Pilates industry. Here, Black instructors share their experiences.

- By Gerrie Summers

DURING HER TEACHER TRAINING, RHEA PATTERSON CANO RECALLS AN INSTRUCTOR JOKING THAT THE REASON SHE WAS UNABLE TO EXECUTE AN EXERCISE WAS BECAUSE OF THE FULLNESS OF HER THIGHS AND BEHIND.

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Microaggressions has become a buzzword, but they are particularly injurious, being hard to prove. “Racism in Pilates is a rampant and insidious issue in our industry,” states Bridgette Duncan of Slam Duncan Wellness in New York City. “Nowadays, it’s frowned upon to wear your racism on your sleeve. It has turned into a subtle deep sigh under the breath, the constant questioning of our knowledge, the subtle comments about our hair and clothing choices.”

Although Brett Howard, owner of The Pilates Haus in Jersey City, NJ, hasn’t experienced overt racism himself, “I know of many people who have, and unfortunately it is present in the Pilates industry,” he admits. “What I have experienced and find to be more prevalent are instances of ignorance and insensitivity in regards to issues of race, which can be even harder to address than explicit racism.”

One such episode happened during his apprenticeship when a teacher kept addressing him by the wrong name, one that “some might consider to be a black-sounding name. When someone asked why this teacher kept accidentally calling me this name, which happened to be the name of another apprentice, the teacher told me that I looked like that would be my name. I remember thinking, ‘and what does that look like?’”