Payload
(2022)

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In the UK, 5.2 million adults possess a gym membership, with only 12 per cent of individuals

utilising these facilities.

 

That translates to a staggering more than £4 billion per year being spent

on gym memberships that go unused. This under utilisation makes it evident that gym

membership is not having a positive effect on our overall health and fitness. Despite promoting

its benefits, it has become apparent that the health and fitness industry, with its excessive

advertisement, has become profit driven with little regard for our physical and mental wellbeing.

 

Due to capitalism, fitness is frequently loaded with expensive, unrealistic expectations. There is

a belief that any exercise programme or equipment will encourage weight loss, thus facilitating

an aesthetic lifestyle. The fitness industry exploits our concerns about appearance and demand

for control, emphasised by the never-ending barrage of commercials. Today, we are brainwashed

to question our self-worth. Capitalist businesses pressure society to attempt to live up to

inevitable flawlessness. These demands raise ethical questions about our capacity for selfcontrol.

Our perception of what is ideal is never laced with confusion due to endless advertising

for fast food and supposedly healthier options. ‘Payload’ explores how these capitalist 

principles exhaust us into supporting a world of expensive ill health regimes.