Jane Fonda: The Fitness Diva

Tight tights, a shiny leotard, matching leg warmers and wristbands, and a beautiful girl motivating people across the world with her workout videos are a visual description of the iconic Jane Fonda. She celebrated her 85th birthday in December 2022. Her radiant smile and confidence still dazzles everyone. And she has become a stronger person over the years.

The year Jane Fonda’s Workout aerobics video was screened on television for the first time was when I was born. As a 10-year-old girl, when I saw a short video of her on television wearing that workout attire, it appalled me. She was wearing something bold and looked unapologetically beautiful. Her confidence was part of her charm. I was impressed by the aerobic workouts she was doing, and also enjoyed the rhythm.

While doing research on Jane Fonda, I got to know that she was not only a talented actor but behind her glamorous image, she has to face almost the same struggles and biases that women of that era suffered.

Jane Fonda, the talented actor

Jane Seymour Fonda was born on December 21, 1937, to socialite Frances Ford Seymour and actor Henry Fonda. At the age of 15, Jane Fonda taught dance at Fire Island Pines, New York. In her 20s, she had already featured as a model on the covers of Vogue magazine. She began her career in 1960 with a Broadway play called THERE WAS A LITTLE GIRL and got nominated for the TONY AWARD for Best Featured Actress in a Play. Soon after, she made her Hollywood debut in the film TALL STORY. Her impressive acting skills led to many successful movies and won her an ACADEMY AWARD FOR BEST ACTRESS twice, for KLUTE (1971) and COMING HOME (1978). With consecutive years of success, she also won the PRIMETIME EMMY AWARD for Outstanding Actress in a Limited Series or Movie for the television film THE DOLLMAKER (1984). 

“For her performance, Fonda won her first BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role, her second Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama, and received her third Best Actress Oscar nomination.”

Wikipedia

“In 1978, Fonda was at a career peak after she won her second Best Actress Oscar for her role as Sally Hyde, a conflicted adulteress in Coming Home, the story of a disabled Vietnam War veteran’s difficulty in re-entering civilian life.”

Wikipedia

Jane Fonda, the activist

Jane Fonda’s list of achievements as an actor is endless and inspiring. Apart from this, she also boldly participated in many political and feminist agendas of the 1970s and 1980s. She actively supported the CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT opposing the 60s Vietnam War. She is also involved in many feminist movements, and in an interview, she stated that when she started her passionate journey of fitness, there were no dedicated gyms for women. Her energetic workout videos transformed many women from the inside out.

Jane Fonda, the fitness influencer

In an interview to Elle magazine, Jane Fonda said

“I grew up thinking you have to go with the man, identify with the man, please the man…”

During her ongoing successful acting career, she got married and had two kids. Her personal and professional lives largely impacted her decisions. As an accomplished actor, she wanted to do roles that were socially significant.

In an interview with Vanity Fair magazine, she said about her second husband that, “He thought I was superficial. That I wasn’t smart enough.”

Jane Fonda’s Workout videos became the highest-selling VHS of the 20th century. The aerobic videos became such a huge trend with men as well as women that they collectively sold over 17 million VCR copies.

“She also released another five exercise videos during 2009–2012. She returned to Broadway in the play 33 Variations (2009), earning a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play nomination. Fonda re-launched her acting career starring leading film roles in Youth (2015), and Our Souls at Night (2017), and in Netflix’s comedy series Grace and Frankie (2015–2022) for which she earned a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series.”

Wikipedia

Jane Fonda, the fighter

Jane Fonda is a brave woman because she openly discussed her struggles with Bulimia, an eating disorder. Bulimia is triggered by having low self-esteem due to societal pressures or emotional stress. Its symptoms are alternate episodes of binge eating and sudden self-induced vomiting in order to compensate for the regret. Another famous personality who suffered from bulimia was Princess Diana.

As a fitness enthusiast, her journey had many ups and downs. But most of all, doing exercises became a stress buster for her. She built a healthy relationship with food while balancing her personal and professional lives.

Jane Fonda, the inspiration

Jane Fonda has written many books about her workouts and her life. She encourages women to not depend heavily on any diet or exercise trends. Or to strive for a pencil-thin or Barbie-figure physique. Instead, focus on making your body “strong, flexible, and well-proportioned.”

Now, at the age of 85, she still loves to interact with her audience through social media platforms. She posts videos and photos of her working out on a treadmill or with light weights. She told Elle magazine that she cannot do all the workouts that are in her workout videos, but she does regular workouts at a slow pace. She uses resistance bands for strength instead of exercise machines.

“the essential moves and the essential goal is the same: you want to strengthen your core and your back, which is especially important if you’re over 30. You want to be able to carry your grandchildren. And I can still do that.”

Jane Fonda

References
Physical and the Lasting Impact of Jane Fonda’s Fitness Empire, BY YOHANA DESTA, JUNE 22, 2021.
https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2021/06/physical-tv-show-jane-fonda
Jane Fonda On Feminism, Finding Motivation And Why She Does Her Iconic Aerobics Workout Every Day, BY CLEMENTINA JACKSON, 11 JAN 2023.
https://www.elle.com/uk/life-and-culture/culture/a42458137/jane-fonda-hm-move-interview/
How Jane Fonda Made Fitness a Feminist Cause,By Danielle Friedman, Jan. 28, 2023 12:08 am ET.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-jane-fonda-made-fitness-a-feminist-cause-11674882516