Jane Fonda joins TikTok, recreates iconic '80s workout routine in red leotard to fight climate change
Jane Fonda has recreated her iconic Workout VHS from 1982 during the novel coronavirus quarantine in a bid to raise awareness about climate change, a cause for which she has been a passionate advocate.
The 82-year-old shared a video of the workout on Instagram to her 1.2 million followers with the caption, "Join our virtual #FireDrillFriday🔥 this Friday at 11 am PT / 2 pm ET to keep the pressure on politicians to adopt a #GreenNewDeal, end new fossil fuels, and enact a just transition to a renewable economy that protects workers and communities."
"Let's tackle the climate crisis while we #StayHome."
In the video, she showed off her incredible figure in a red leotard and black flared gym leggings while lying on her side on a yoga mat and encouraged her fans to work out and keep themselves in shape during the quarantine.
"Hello TikTok, my name is Jane Fonda. I'm going to bring back the Jane Fonda Workout," she said before the clip cut to one of her in the 80s where she's performing one of her iconic routines in a blue high-rise leotard.
It then went back to present-day Fonda as she lifted her leg in the air and back down again and told the camera, "Come on and do it with me, lift up and down."
Fonda had released her first exercise video, 'Jane Fonda's Workout,' in 1982, and it became the highest-selling VHS of all-time. That was the first of 22 such videos that she released over the next 13 years which collectively sold over 17 million copies.
However, the workout ended there as the 82-year-old changed outfits and started talking about climate change and how action was needed immediately to avert a crisis.
"You know what, there's too many workouts happening right now on TV or computers," she said. "What I would really like you to do is work out with me for the planet. There's a climate crisis, which is a real emergency."
"Whether you're on your couch or yoga mat, will you join me for a virtual fire drill Friday? The future needs you, I need you."
Fire Drill Fridays were started by Fonda after she was reportedly inspired by climate activist Greta Thunberg's call to act like "our house is on fire" and moved to Washington, D.C., so she could hold weekly protests centered around civil disobedience and a demand Congress pass the Green New Deal.
Besides seeking a Green New Deal, the movement is also seeking to implement a plan for a "rapid phase-out of existing fossil fuel projects and just transition to a renewable energy economy."
Fonda's activism is not by any means recent. She was a visible political activist in the counterculture era during the Vietnam War and was photographed sitting on a North Vietnamese anti-aircraft gun on a 1972 visit to Hanoi.
That stunt earned her the nickname "Hanoi Jane" and saw her effectively blacklisted in Hollywood. She has also protested the Iraq war and violence against women and has described herself as a feminist and environmental activist.