"Give me a break": Equinox New Year's Day controversy explained as gym under fire for banning new members on January 1

High-end fitness company Equinox has been facing the heat this New Year for not accepting new members on Sunday, January 1, 2023, in order to discourage those who hit the gym temporarily as part of their New Year's Resolution.

If anyone tried to join Equinox on Sunday, they were met with the message:

"We don't speak January. We're not accepting new memberships today."

Will Mayer, vice president at Equinox and executive creative director, explained that the move aimed to question the "norms of the wellness industry" of making short-term resolutions and giving up.

Needless to say, the fitness company faced heavy criticism for its new campaign, with many calling it a "cheap ploy." Twitter user @garnethenderson wrote:

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Netizens slam Equinox for new campaign, say it is "contributing to everything wrong with the gym culture"

Internet users were disappointed with the luxury fitness company's campaign to not let potential members join the gym on the first day of the year. Twitterati deemed the move "cringe" and "distasteful."

Some users called out the brand for never being "accessible," with their high membership charges and brand values.

Twitter user @ScottSandalow commented:

"One of my biggest litmus tests for communities is their barriers for entry, and steps people and brands are taking to ease those barriers. With this exclusionary and antiquated garbage, Equinox has failed the test."

Hoards of comments on the micro-blogging platform slammed the brand for its newest "anti-new year resolution" campaign, with many deeming it "elitist" and "exclusionary," and criticizing the company for shaming people who plan to improve themselves.

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More about the campaign

Equinox is an American luxury fitness company headquartered in New York City. To launch the new campaign, the brand took to its socials, discouraging potential members from joining on January 1, 2023.

Explaining its focus on temporary New Year's resolutions, the company stated:

"January is a fantasy, delivered to your door in a pastel-colored box. It talks about change. It needs a new outfit before it can begin. Short-cutting, giving up just a few weeks later... And that's not what being part of Equinox is about"

According to Drum, a publication catering to marketing and media agencies, Brian Collins was the brains behind the concept. Collins described the campaign as a way to "snub short-term resolutions" and get more consistently dedicated members to their brand.

Vice president Will Mayer added that these short-term resolutions are "farce, laden with mantras and affirmations" that don't push anyone further. Speaking about the brand values, he explained that the company believes that "life is forged in extremes," and that one must push themselves to achieve success. He added:

"We can’t in good conscience support the ‘new year, new me’ movement that happens every January."

Through the campaign, the company is also aiming to break the "norms" that have taken root in the fitness world. Advertising has also shifted from photographic and visual campaigns to minimal monochromatic messages to reinforce the idea of breaking the norms.

The fitness brand stated that the ban would last for the day and would happily accept new members from January 2 onwards.