Les Mills 'people with ovaries' and the Less Mills FB group

[Abra1t]

I've just left the official Les Mills group on FB as I don't think my blood pressure can cope. LM sent some of their female members an email about approaching menopause and what they need to know. All very sensible and useful and I wish they'd done it years back when I was approaching that stage.

The email was addressed to 'people with ovaries'. Gratifyingly quite a few people have posted saying they find that expression reductive and they are women.

Quite a few people with testicles have told them how they don't know anything, are TERFs, etc.

I'm hearted that a number of younger women are saying they don't like the expression but won't be rejoining for a few months as I'm so fed up.

It's such a shame as LM itself is such a great resource and the FB group has some very useful posts and recommendations on workouts and help with technique, etc.

Well, it's blatantly misogynistic to reduce women to a collection of body parts by calling them "tits n ass". This is so much more respectful, humanising and progressive.

I would say women need to start voting with their feet but we all know the punishments for noncompliance are real. Time for our leaders to start leading!

I cancelled my LM online membership when o noticed they support Stonewall

Oh no! I have an annual membership so I’ll have to wait until January.

How have they been referring to men or haven't they had reason to yet?

I saw this and am bloody disappointed because they are so good on women specific information and work outs.

I think we have to view this through the lens of where they are based - they will have the full on NZ social media capture and they have a trans man as part of the presenting staff.

The email was interesting in how studiously they didn't mention women/females but the linked article mentions women several times https://www.lesmills.com/fit-planet/health/menopause/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=customerio&utm_campaign=weekly_24apr23&utm_content=fp-cta so on balance, I think they did as well as they could given where they are based. I haven't watched the videos to see if it is all about people who happen to be carrying ovaries around or women.

I think what was frustrating is that women who are experiencing surgical menopause due to a health condition are excluded from the headline of this email. They could have titled the email ‘fit for the menopause’ or something similar and included everyone that this is relevant for.

I really like Les Mills - they have several older women presenters/ course leaders who are hugely respected. They are also trying to be more inclusive in having presenters with different body types. Many other programmes feature thin younger women only. I think they have dropped the ball on what should have been a really positive introduction.

It was more thr comments on the FB group by men that were making me turn puce!

Yes. I might have ovaries removed soon.

Do the workouts not apply to me?

I saw that. I cancelled my membership at the end of last year and told them why. I can’t remember exactly what I said but it was do to with them supporting trans ideology and supporting certain organisations etc. I stayed in the fb group just to see how woke it gets. So bloody disappointing.

I had a surgical menopause and would rightly be excluded from this as I don't have ovaries. They took them.
So when relating to menopausal issues, unless they are referring to those who have very recently had their ovaries removed, then they are surely correct?
The email is for people with ovaries 🤷‍♀️

This is not a workout that will help ailing ovaries! It’s to combat the effects of low oestrogen levels. Many women who have surgical menopause experience menopausal symptoms for a number of years after their surgery. It’s just that this happens suddenly rather than gradually as with perimenopause. Given that this is a programme for women in the perimenopause and menopause I can’t see why you would be excluded.

But it's only relevant to those with ovaries of certain age, so it's a useless term. It's only relevant to peri or menopausal women so why not just say that?

Exactly- they’ve tried to make it inclusive but ended up making it pretty meaningless.

MoonriseKingdom love the name btw

I’m getting so fed up of this. One of the biggest, most annoying arguments TRAs throw out on SM is ‘GCs are obsessed with genitals’ (as they can’t possibly understand male/female differences are more than just ‘genitals’) yet it seems only women are constantly reduced to the sum of our body parts.

Its as a PP said - women have been referenced for years as ‘that piece of ass’ or other dehumanising language and I thought real progression was supposed to be putting an end to that and calling us women. This is just the other end of the same misogynistic stick.

As for Les Mills - well it’s a shame. I enjoy their workouts. I cancelled my subscription during pregnancy but actually had budgeted to buy a smart bar bundle and a years sun for mat leave which I guess I won’t do now.

I’ve cancelled my subscription- I hope they ask why

Men are never referred to as people with testicles are they 😡
I was going to sign back up but I won’t now!!

I only have one ovary so I am not a 'person with ovaries', therefore this cannot possibly be relevant to me!

I must have been asked why as I know I ranted at them!

I need to get back into exercise. Was thinking about some of the Les Mills workouts, but I'm glad to know not to bother.

Oh for goodness sake!
i muted the Facebook group for thirty days as they can be a bit much and I didn’t get that email.

I think companies will only take note if you remove your custom.

I have an annual membership until the end of the year but I’ve just cancelled because of this. I can access content till what would have been my renewal date.

Les mills have taken the fb post down and told us to ‘be kind’. I will never subscribe to them again.

I’ve cancelled my annual subscription and told them why.

As so many of the older presenters have been replaced by younger ones I don’t think 59-year old women are of much interest to them anyway.

If they wanted to be inclusive there are so many better ways to have worded this. "If you're going through the menopause"...."workouts for menopause"...."new menopause classes available".

It could have been anything but this! So clunky, not true (surgically induced menopause etc, and girls have ovaries they aren't menopausal are they!)

Heartening to see some posters rightly annoyed but also very disheartening to see the usual "you're just bigots, so much hate" posts, usually coming from men with no skin in the fucking game. I read one yesterday that sounded very much like 'of course women's rights are important, but these people need more focus than you'. From a man 🤬

Then another man posting about transgender, non binary and genderqueer folx, us cisgender people, basically a smorgasbord of genderwang from someone who will never be affected by menopause, or have his language trampled over.

Of course, the first post about it all got deleted, with a lovey dovey Les Mills let's all get along post, the "comments were hateful and unnecessary", "sorry if we offended anyone" gubbins. And of course, not good enough for some, someone commented they wanted a specific trans support message from Les Mills. Surprised I've not seen one asking Les Mills to cough up some cash 🙄