DN Editorial: Jumping Jack LaLanne
JACK LALANNE died Sunday at an age that proves he was right: he was 96. LaLanne entered the television age not with a bang, but with a jumping jack. His TV show, on which he proselytized about fitness, exercise and eating right, began in the '50s, so his obituaries are hailing him as the grandfather of the fitness craze that took hold shortly after and has more or less remained steady since.
JACK LALANNE died Sunday at an age that proves he was right: he was 96.
LaLanne entered the television age not with a bang, but with a jumping jack. His TV show, on which he proselytized about fitness, exercise and eating right, began in the '50s, so his obituaries are hailing him as the grandfather of the fitness craze that took hold shortly after and has more or less remained steady since.
We think his legacy is more complicated than that - and not just because obesity rates have never been higher. After revisiting his TV shows recently, we are more tempted to draw a straight line from LaLanne to one especially annoying social ill. LaLanne appeared on the scene at a time television was loathe to admit we actually had bodies or bodily functions; TV couples couldn't even share the same bed. And there was LaLanne, his biceps bulging Popeye-like, while the rest of him was outfitted in an oddly sexless jumpsuit and - get ready for this - ballet slippers. Talk about mixed signals! We now wonder if LaLanne's true legacy is that outfit: His was the first public display of gym attire outside of a gym. Maybe we can blame him for how badly we now dress, with our 24/7 uniform of sneakers, sweatpants and a hoodie. *