The eighties, writes the German pop theorist Jens Balzer, were the probationary decade of our present. A look back at hopes and excesses, including a playlist.
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–“Work-out”: Jane Fonda trained in the eighties.
Photo: Keystone
They are the Amazons of a new physical culture. They wear full body latex dresses and move to the instructions of their instructor. “Aerobics” is the name of the new movement that elevates self-optimization to a popular sport. Jane Fonda helped develop her, the politicized actress. She calls her sport work-Out. The first exercise video appears in 1982; it sells worldwide.
Work–out: Sport as work on the body. And as a symptom of an expanding performance society that demands the same from employees as aerobics does from the body: flexibilityifor all requirements, i.e. flexibility. Only those who have the stamina can keep up with the competition.
