On TikTok, the “Pilates Princess” embody an ideal of well-being all in powder pink.
The trend appeared in 2023, driven by young women displaying a healthy and perfectly controlled lifestyle, between yoga mats, green smoothies and coordinated sports outfits.
Their videos give off an impression of balance and softness, a virtual world without fatigue or disorder. But behind this soothing aesthetic, psychologist Amélie Boukhobza warns of the excesses of a cult of control.
The “Pilates Princess” phenomenon: between well-being and obsession with control
Inspired by “clean girl” culture and wellness routines popularized by American influencers, the “Pilates Princess” advocates a minimalist, healthy and orderly lifestyle.
She practices Pilates, drinks from a Stanley flask, dresses in pink and white, and portrays a flawless daily life. As American psychologist Dr. Michael Wetter explains, “the ‘Pilates Princess’ phenomenon illustrates the convergence between culture of well-being, aesthetics of social networks and identity construction among adolescents. It depicts the search for control in an uncertain world, the idealization of appearance and the quest for digital validation.”
An ideal which appeals to teenage girls in search of benchmarks, but which can also reinforce pressure to achieve perfection. Indeed, these videos sometimes glorify thinness, self-control and productivity, to the detriment of spontaneity and listening to the body.
A soft aesthetic that hides invisible pressure
The idea here is not to question the practice of Pilates, which remains beneficial in itself. The problem comes from the fact that the image takes precedence over the practice: the appearance of a perfectly aligned life becomes a goal in itself.
Consulted, the psychologist Amélie Boukhobza details the problem in more detail. “This recent trend on the networks shows a wave of young girls who display a well-being, pastel and perfectly calibrated lifestyle: coordinated outfits, smoothie in hand, soft lighting, promise of health and serenity. Brilliant on paper!” she exclaims.
But it quickly nuances. “Behind this image of absolute mastery and calm, there is necessarily another reality: tired bodies – it happens – stressed minds from time to time, and above all this quest for validation which only (or almost) comes through likes.
And here is the main risk: that of an insidious drift. “Well-being at all costs, which becomes decor, performance, injunction. Through this trend, we no longer move to feel better, but to still correspond to an ideal” warns the psychologist. Ultimately, it is the confusion between self-care and self-image that lies in wait.
How to talk about this movement with your teenager without dramatizing?
For parents, the key is not to demonize this trend, but to place well-being in everyday reality.
“There is nothing photogenic about true well-being. He goes through moments of boredom, relaxation, even disorder. rightly recalls Amélie Boukhobza.
She invites us to encourage young people to reconnect with what really matters. “Real life is not on the networks, but in reality” she insists. “Because deep down, what makes you lovable is not being pretty in the golden light of the morning, but being yourself – truly – with your flaws and your clumsiness” she concludes.
A gentle approach, far from injunctions, which helps to give meaning to the notion of well-being without transforming it into performance.