(Newser)
– If there is one thing that fans of renowned fitness trainer Stacey Griffith can console themselves today, it is that she is the rare celebrity who knows how to deliver an unqualified apology. “I want to apologize wholeheartedly for my recent action on receiving the vaccine,” wrote the SoulCycle instructor on Instagram. “I made a terrible error of judgment and that’s why I’m really sorry.” As references to her apology, Griffith had problems with her COVID vaccination – specifically how she cut the queue to get it. Roof:
- The shot: On Friday, the 52-year-old boasted in a deleted Instagram post that received the first dose of “Modern magic” on Staten Island, reports Washington Post. She also thanked some people for helping her deal with the paperwork involved. The reaction was quick and furious, with critics wondering how and why a SoulCycle instructor jumped ahead of health professionals, the elderly, teachers, etc., who are still waiting for their vaccines, for People. Fitness instructors should not be among those currently receiving injections in New York.
- Your defense: Griffith initially defended herself, telling the Daily Beast that she was an “educator” in her own way. “It is my daily priority to keep my community and its respiratory systems operating at full capacity so that they can fight this virus if they are infected with it,” she said. “I can only teach them if I am also healthy.”
- The company replies: That justification did nothing to appease critics, including New York Mayor Bill de Blasio. “I don’t think anyone who comes up and says, ‘Hey, I’m a SoulCycle instructor’ should qualify, unless there is some other factor there,” he says. “This should have been detected in the application process.” SoulCycle itself responded to the controversy by declaring that its instructors are not “educators” and should not do what Griffith did, reports Vox. I also found it hard to notice that Griffith was acting on his own.
- Larger image: Alex Abad-Santos’ Vox post sees the controversy as part of a bigger problem. “While there are rules about who can get the vaccine, being rich and having good relationships can help someone jump the line.” What doesn’t help is that SoulCycle is generally seen as a luxury product for wealthy people. “The fact that Griffith can get the vaccine symbolizes how easy it can be for the rich to get what they want, before anyone else, especially those who qualify under the New York guidelines and haven’t yet been able to schedule an appointment.”
(Read more SoulCycle stories.)