Hailey Bieber says Pilates may be “a little over,” as teachers warn the boom is blurring authentic method, training, and quality control.
Hailey Bieber. the Gen Z tastemaker and founder of the billion-dollar skincare brand Rhode. is pushing back on the way Pilates has taken over the wellness conversation.. In an interview clip shared May 6. the 29-year-old said Pilates “might be a little over. ” while adding that she still genuinely enjoys it.
Bieber’s critique is tied to two issues: how Pilates is being sold and how easy it is for people to find good instruction.. She said it has become “a little bit of a fad” and that it can be difficult to locate teachers who care about form.. She has been practicing for years, and she framed her view as something developed through firsthand experience.
Bieber also described a long personal relationship with Pilates that began well before the current social-media boom.. She said she grew up in London with a Pilates-teacher mother who opened a studio in their home in 2011. when Bieber was 13.. As a teen, she joined a Pilates class for two years and later restarted reformer training as an adult in 2024.
The reformer, as she explained, uses exercises performed on a leather bed attached to weighted springs rather than on a mat. She said the two classes she typically attends each week have made her feel stronger and more aware of how she moves through space.
Bieber’s remarks also came with a practical explanation of what Pilates is meant to be.. She described Pilates as a low-impact form of resistance training that relies on controlled. precise movements to strengthen the core and the deeper stabilizing muscles around joints.. In her account. the method aims to teach people how to stand. sit. lie. twist. and move using the right muscle patterns.
She further pointed out that Pilates works best as part of a broader routine. Experts, she said, generally recommend pairing this kind of movement with cardio and more intense strength training to keep overall fitness balanced.
When Bieber was younger, she said Pilates felt more clinical and rehabilitative, not something packaged as an aesthetic shortcut.. She contrasted that earlier perception with today’s “TikTokified” version of Pilates that is often marketed around a “skinny and toned” look associated with the “Pilates princess” body.. In her view, that image has helped replace the previously popular “muscle mommies” ideal.
Still, Bieber argued that the modern stereotype does not reflect the method’s underlying principles. She noted that traditional Pilates was developed by Joseph Pilates in the 1920s, originally as a way to rehabilitate injured or bed-bound World War I prisoners.
Heather Andersen. a Pilates teacher with 20 years of experience and founder of New York Pilates. offered a counterpoint to the fad narrative while confirming its limits.. Andersen told her that Pilates is for “everyone. ” including athletes. beginners. people recovering from injuries. and anyone looking to feel stronger and more physically connected.
Andersen said the “magic” of Pilates is that it teaches people how to use their bodies well, and that skill carries into everyday life. Her framing puts emphasis on functional movement rather than a specific body type, and it aligns with Bieber’s focus on form.
Bieber’s mother, Alison Ashton, also weighed in on the boom in Pilates.. She said she agrees it has been brilliant for more people to discover Pilates. but she has noticed “gaps” in how some classes are taught.. In her view. some studios have simply “hijacked” the reformer to do general fitness exercises rather than follow Pilates as a mindful. technique-driven practice.
Ashton pointed to Pilates’ foundational framework. She said Pilates is built on six core principles: breath, centering, concentration, control, precision, and flow. If those principles are not followed, she argued, then it isn’t really Pilates.
Beyond training quality, the report also highlighted how the market itself is changing the experience.. It said that in 2025, Pilates was the most booked workout globally on ClassPass, with bookings rising by 66% compared to 2024.. While Andersen said she is excited about the growth, she flagged quality control as the industry’s biggest challenge.
Andersen attributed some of the pressure to investors treating Pilates as a fast-expanding profit opportunity.. She said venture capitalists and investors have joined the “lucrative Pilates bandwagon” alongside yoga. which was described as a $19.2 billion market in the US.. Her concern was that rapid expansion tends to bring challenges around quality and education.
The report also described a growing confusion between authentic Pilates and what Andersen calls “Pilates-inspired fitness.” She said some studios are using reformers and branding their classes as Pilates while prioritizing intensity, speed, or heavy repetition over form and technique.
In Andersen’s words, the term “Pilates” is being used loosely. The report added that simply offering classes that use a reformer-like machine or include core-focused exercises does not guarantee that students are being taught the Pilates method.
Ashton’s concerns returned to the same theme: people may be going through the motions without gaining deeper control. She said she is not always seeing the kind of precision and muscular awareness that makes Pilates a mindful practice, where both the mind and the body need to connect.
The training pathway is part of this debate. The report said there is no official governing body for Pilates, but candidates seeking third-party accreditation through the National Pilates Certification Program must complete 450 hours of practice, observation, teaching, and study.
It also noted why that matters for everyday instruction.. Many mat Pilates training courses, the report said, are only 40 to 60 hours.. While they are intended to be a starting point in a longer educational process. it is possible to call oneself a Pilates instructor after completing such a shorter course.
Andersen argued that this type of time is not enough to build the deep knowledge needed to teach Pilates safely and effectively. She said proper instruction requires understanding anatomy and biomechanics, including how people compensate when their form is incorrect and where injuries can happen.
In her view, teacher education should go beyond learning exercise sequences. She said choreography can be learned quickly, but movement mastery cannot be developed on a short timeline.
To help readers navigate the market, the report included practical guidance on how to find a good instructor. Andersen said it takes time and consistency to get the full benefits of Pilates, but a great teacher can change how a person moves through everyday life.
Andersen described what skilled teaching looks like: an almost “X-ray vision” approach to seeing how bones move and what muscles are driving them. She recommended looking for training details, including how many education hours the teacher completed.
She suggested seeking at least a 400-hour comprehensive certification with a strong focus on anatomy, alignment, and hands-on instruction.. She also advised paying attention to how you feel after a class. saying a strong instructor should leave you feeling more connected to your body rather than only exhausted.
Ashton added more specific teaching behaviors to watch for, including lots of instruction and encouragement to focus on alignment and stabilizing muscles. She said a good teacher observes student form and provides corrections, rather than simply moving everyone through the same motions.
The report also suggested that balanced Pilates classes move the body in many directions, including forward movements, side-to-side work, twisting, and spinal extension. Ashton’s point was that Pilates should cover a range of motions, not just one repetitive pattern.
For people who want simple, reliable guidance, Ashton’s “mom advice” was to go slow and learn fundamentals first. Once alignment and correct movement patterns are understood, she said, the strength, stability, and muscle tone goals people often pursue are more likely to follow.
She warned that rushing the process can leave people doing Pilates on the surface without building the deeper, mindful, and correct approach that makes the method work.
Hailey Bieber Pilates Pilates fad Pilates quality control reformer training ClassPass Pilates Pilates education wellbeing trends