The Fitness Boom in India

Health consciousness and the need to be fit is on a rise in India. Fitness centers and gyms have mushroomed all over India, in small towns and big cities. Yoga, Aerobics, and Zumba are becoming popular among the middle and upper class public. Advertising for diet pills, supplements for building muscles, and other similar products have also increased. On Indian television, infomercials for weight-loss and weight-gain supplements have particularly increased. The weight-gain supplement advertisements exploit the insecurities of Indian men who are not tall and big and promise them increase in height and weight, which is then linked to their success in life, particularly with women. Weight-loss ads on the other hand exploit the insecurities of women, particularly housewives.