By now, you’ve probably seen the controversial commercial for a Peloton bike. You know, the one where actress Monica Ruiz receives the bike as a Christmas gift from her husband and is excited about working on her fitness every single day, feeling super peppy and great about herself.
The ad went viral, but not for the best reasons. People found it sexist and a little offensive. Not only does the ad portray her having a somewhat clueless husband, but the actress was already pretty fit, and it seemed to forge an unrealistic view on exercising.
Well, now Ruiz has appeared in yet another commercial, but one with an entirely different vibe. The commercial is to promote Ryan Reynold’s Aviation Gin label. Though subtle, the ad seems to poke a bit of fun at the previous Peloton ad.
In the commercial, we see Ruiz enjoying drinks at a bar with two other girlfriends (no Peloton husband to be found). While she was super upbeat in the Peloton ad, she’s much more toned down in this one—almost as if she’s been through some type of unfortunate circumstance. After having a sip of her drink she says, “This is really smooth.”
“Yeah,” one of the other girls replied, offering to get her another one, looking a bit concerned. Ruiz accepts with a nod and then raises her glass, stating, “To new beginnings.” She then downs the rest of her drink.
If we weren’t 100% sure if the ad played off the Peloton ad, the end is what makes it obvious: When the bar scene cuts to a bottle of the gin, we still hear one of the girls in the background saying, “You look great, by the way!” A clear poke to the original Peloton ad.
Recently, Ryan Reynolds posted the video to his Twitter with the caption, “Exercise bike not included.”
Check out the ad in the video below!
What did you think of the original Peloton ad? How about this new one?