Pilates can be a lifechanging routine. Hera would soon learn that the hard way. A brilliant woman, advocating for the beauty of individuality and self expression, she always had a distain for those who jumped on the bandwagon of trends. One the more recent ones that crept through the city she called home was the matcha and pilates craze. As much as she tried to stray away from it all, much to her chagrin, her workplace decided to organize one such event to boost morale. A collaboration with one of the many pilates studios in town and a big name sportswear brand she could care less of. Despite her predispositions, she decided to join in, if anything there was the promise of free breakfast.
Maybe it was the overall atmosphere caused by the bubbly catchy pop tune playing on the overhead speakers, or the insane positivity and perkiness of the trainers who were brought, or maybe the general vibes of the afterparty but Hera found herself actually enjoying it, with seemingly two and a half hours having gone by without even noticing. Later during the day, Hera found herself cruising down the makeup isle of the supermarket. She needed new products, she reasoned. Almost subconsciously however, she opted for rich, warm nude palettes instead of her usual bold and eccentric. She supposed going for more professional looks would better suit her job and get others to take her more seriously.
The following weeks however were anything but. Following the success of the first one, the company decided to make the event a weekend occurance, which Hera would always look forward to. After one of the events, Hera befriended one of the trainers, who recommended that she join the local studio stating that she had a huge potential. Hera was almost gleaming, she was never really the fitness type She found herself browsing all over the internet, mainly Pinterest, Tiktok, and Insta, for at-home pilates workouts, leading her down the "clean girl" aesthetic rabbithole. Soon, her entire feeds became oversaturated with workout routines, matcha reciepes, makeup tutorials, outfit inspirations and vlogs of women attending outdoors pilates events. Visible changes also started to occur. Outside the workplace, much of her wardrobe switched to activewear, obviously her body began to look as if it wear sculpted for magazines, and she'd spend her spare time perfecting the "clean girl" look, from the high ponytails, to the minimalist makeup. Her biggest changes were soon to come. After one of her workouts with Megan, her new friend/trainer, they went for their routinely matcha drinks at the nearby cafe
"Oh my god giirrll!! Your lips look sooo plump and pouty and perf!! How many mls?" commented Megan
"Thnxx bestiee! oh um, I'm just using a lip plumper, no fillers" replied Hera, almost regretfully.
Megan immediately grabbed her hand and dragged her to her car.
"Ok yea, we're getting fillers right now!"
Usually, such a reaction would've disgusted Hera. But lately she had been paying a whole lot of attention to her appearance, and secretly she agreed with Megan. They arrived at the clinic, and it became evidant that she was a regular. As she chatted at the front desk, Hera felt a wave of warmth and comfort wash over her. It was such a cozy atmosphere, she loved it. Apparently, Megan signed them up for a care package, which included the lip fillers, mani-pedis, and a salon trip. Hera was in a daze, overwhelmed by the comfort she felt and the smell of the clinic. When she came to, she could barely recognize the woman in her refliction. Lips puffed to a permanent pout, nails longer that she'd ever find comfortable, platinum blonde hair that looked like it belonged to Barbie. Yet she never felt so rejuvinated and amazing. The two girls giggled and squealed at eachother, firing compliments back and forth. What Hera failed to notice however, was how her body had changed. Perky DDs as if defying gravity sitting on her chest, a waist so snatched it would've made wasps jealous and an ass and thighs so thick and jiggly, she could pass for a Cardi B extra. The more of her mental fof drifted, the more she felt an intense fascination with designer activewear, more specifically Alo. The moment they left the clinic the duo immediately headed to the nearest mall and spent an entire salary's worth at Alo. And from that day, everything changed.
Hera quit her old job, and joined Megan as an instructor at the pilates studio. Her days were filled with filming content, photoshoots, shopping at Alo, at cafes, or hanging out at the beauty clinic. Essentially, her life revolved around 3 truths:
