Peloton Girl, aka Monica Ruiz, Stars in a Hilarious New Ad for Aviation Gin

From Prevention

The best holiday ads invoke whimsy, nostalgia, and all the comforts of a mug of hot cocoa by the fire. They do not, typically, merit comparisons to a dystopian nightmare.

Unfortunately for Peloton, its 2019 holiday commercial went viral last week for doing just that.

In the fitness brand's 30-second ad, titled "The Gift That Gives Back," a husband surprises his wife with a $2,245 Peloton stationary bike that she absolutely was not expecting for Christmas. We then watch "Grace from Boston" get up before dawn and pedal after work, continually mounting her luxury, WiFi-enabled steed with the determination of a warrior and the enthusiasm of a hostage. As the 1998 hit "She's So High" plays softly in the background, Grace films herself doing her daily workouts—Peloton offers a $39-a-month subscription to stream spin classes on the bike's built-in screen—which she presents as a video montage to her husband the following Christmas. "A year ago, I didn't realize how much this would change me," she tells him earnestly. "Thank you."

While the brand appears to have been aiming for a message along the lines of "Peloton is good for the soul and can improve your life even if you're already seemingly fit and doing just fine without it," it didn't land. Viewers slammed the ad as sexist, deriding Peloton's decision to celebrate a husband for his unsolicited fitness purchase and the implication that his wife (widely dubbed Peloton Girl) needed to exercise to please him. The video racked up nearly 7 million YouTube views, Peloton's stock dropped, and Funny or Die reimagined it as a haunting Black Mirror episode. It even made it into SNL's cold open on Saturday.

“Our holiday spot was created to celebrate that fitness and wellness journey," a Peloton spokesperson said in a statement to CNBC. "While we’re disappointed in how some have misinterpreted this commercial, we are encouraged by—and grateful for—the outpouring of support we’ve received from those who understand what we were trying to communicate.”

Viewer outrage and mockery outweighed that support, however, and targeted not only Peloton but the actors appearing in the ad. Sean Hunter lamented to Psychology Today that the negative response to his portrayal of an "abusive" husband could affect his career as an elementary school teacher and "developing actor" in Vancouver. (So distraught is he by his association with the ad that he's changed his Instagram handle to "@pelotonhusband.") And, in what can be read as either sympathy or overt blame shifting, he wondered "what my co-actor must be dealing with, as she’s the other 25 seconds of the story."

Well, "Grace from Boston" is actually Monica Ruiz from Hermosa Beach, CA. And she has indeed shouldered the brunt of the backlash. Many interpreted Peloton Girl's wide-eyed expression as she told the camera, "I'm a little nervous but excited," as a subtle cry for help, and Ruiz became an instant meme. The New Yorker's Helen Rosner even blamed Ruiz's "Perpetually Sad Eyebrows" for the entire ad's traumatic undertones, tweeting that "that little uptick at the center makes even joy look like apprehensive suffering!"

It's uncharted territory for Ruiz, who hadn't exactly courted controversy with her pre-Peloton career choices. In addition to guest roles on shows like About a Boy and Baby Daddy, she's modeled for Target, Gap, Old Navy, and Speedo, and appeared on the cover of Pregnancy and Newborn magazine while expecting her second child last year. Her previous commercials for a crisp and fruity rosé and the Four Seasons Lanai aired without a hitch.

So what do you do when the internet turns on you overnight? You get in on the joke and reshape the narrative entirely.

In a feat of either astounding prescience or impressively hasty production, Ryan Reynolds's Aviation Gin company released a new ad starring Ruiz on December 7. In it, a dazed Ruiz sits silently at a bar with two girlfriends (shoutout to Mercedes Yvette from season 2 of America's Next Top Model!). "This gin is really smooth," Ruiz mumbles, as her friends look anxiously at each other, trying to think of the right thing to say. They settle on "You're safe here" and "You look great, by the way," as she downs her cocktail and they all toast to "new beginnings."

The Aviation ad, perfectly titled "The Gift That Doesn't Give Back," is a stroke of genius. It's also intentionally vague, likely to avoid a lawsuit from Peloton, and could be interpreted as showing either Peloton Girl in a post-divorce haze after leaving Peloton Husband, or Ruiz herself grappling with her sudden viral infamy.

“Although I’m an actress, I am not quite comfortable being in [the] spotlight and I’m terrible on social media," Ruiz said in a statement after the Aviation ad's release. "So to say I was shocked and overwhelmed by the attention this week (especially the negative) is an understatement."

Ruiz went on to say that Reynolds and Aviation "helped me find some humor in the situation," and that she's "grateful to both Peloton and now Aviation Gin for the work and giving me the opportunity to do what I love to do.”

It's a classy move, and one that will pay off. As of Monday, the Aviation ad has had more than 9 million Twitter views, while Ruiz's humble Instagram has reached 12,000 followers and counting. Peloton Husband is still hovering around 1,000.

"Let’s make light of this!!" Ruiz posted December 7. "Cheers!!"

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