Whether you like it or loathe it, fitness influencers matter in the grand scheme of the industry and its members. That's why they're called influencers, after all. Their opinions and advice, their ability to motivate and inspire and innovate -- there's a reason so many of us follow them. There are many reasons the industry rewards and pays them for their efforts, sponsored or otherwise.
And that's where the issue arises. More and more people, on TikTok and Instagram especially, are looking for influencers with a "real" approach to health and fitness. They don't want it to look too easy, or fake, or universally attainable. They want their own struggles and fears not just validated, but amplified. Why don't we see more of that, despite the desire? Because many influencers are driven by profit. And that often means they're forced to promote products they don't believe in, products that advertise results that don't reflect the real, raw aesthetic they would much rather live by.
Not all fitness influencers are like this, for the record. In fact, we're seeing more and more of them in the online space do their best to prioritize audience loyalty over brand deals (as much as many of them can afford in this economy). There are plenty of "fitfluencers" who genuinely value their business over their followers. But the reason many of the ones who don't want to do that still struggle to attain that desired "I'm a real human being" vibe is still because of money. If your job is to influence, and that requires a brand deal here and there that you can't refuse -- more followers should understand that, but many of them do not.
We all want to believe that caring for one's followers more than an income is sustainable for everyone. It just isn't. You can post about not wanting to work out, or failing to cook healthy meals you enjoy, or "get real" about wanting to lose weight even if that isn't the most important end goal of everyone's wellness journey. But this is the internet. "Real" is less profitable than "influential."
The only way to combat this is to support your favorite honest fitness influencers -- especially the ones who aren't living off major brand deals -- in any way possible. If you can't afford to financially support them -- trust that many influencers really do hate asking for money from people who might not be able to give -- help game the algorithm. Like, comment, follow, share. It's become a joke that anyone who asks for engagement has bad intentions, but for some, that's the best they can do. And thought it might seem not to make much of a difference, you never know if it will. The least we can do is give that post a chance at landing on more people's FYPs.
Teach the algorithm to value honesty. If you want to see more honest takes on fitness on the internet, give those posts your praise. You aren't totally powerless. It takes a community to change an industry.