WATCH: The 'X-rated' Prancercise video that is far from X-rated
Joanna Rohrback prances back to YouTube for another 15 minutes of fame
Joanna Rohrback took the internet by storm in May when her original "Prancercise" video went viral. Her exercise routine didn't exactly take off, but the clip — demonstrating her horsey moves in spandex that left too little to the imagination — inspired amazement, admiration, and guffaws.
The video got 7.6 million views. It earned the Prancercise lady an appearance on the Today show, where she taught Al Roker to Prancercise, and got her included in John Mayer's new music video.
Now, she's back. Rohrback has released a new video, entitled "Uninhibited Fitness," to show the haters who mocked her online that she will not be laughed off the Prancercise track. And, according to a warning at the start of the clip, this video is "X-rated." Only, it's not.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"Do not fret: The clip is not obscene or lewd, unless a fully-clothed woman frolicking through Florida greenery offends you," says Dodai Stewart at Jezebel. "Basically, she's referencing the fact that her previous video included what some call 'camel toe.' This has been remedied."
Instead of nudity, viewers are treated to more Rohrback. She greets her audience in black tights and a lime-green top, and says, "There are many imitators out there, but there's only one me!" At the end, she prances off into the sunset.
The main takeaway is that Rohrback has had her 15 minutes of fame, and she wants 15 minutes more. By labeling it X-rated, says Terrence McCoy at the Broward-Palm Beach New Times, she's making it clear she's just out to grab an audience. "This places her closer to a one-trick act than ever before," McCoy says, "because she's now conscious people are watching. And that strips her of the earnestness that made her so endearing in the first place."
It may be just a sequel, but it's still mesmerizing. Ami Angelowicz at The Frisky says the Prancercise guru has a "specialness I never questioned." Good for Rohrback for "refusing to be embarrassed by her camel toe, a term she admits she was unfamiliar with at the time her Prancercise video went viral," Angelowicz says.
And good for the Broward-Palm Beach New Times for getting an unprecedented full-length interview with her, which includes exercise legend Richard Simmons describing Rohrback as being "like Judy Garland walking down the yellow brick road."
He adds, "If she was here, I'd do her nails."
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Harold Maass is a contributing editor at The Week. He has been writing for The Week since the 2001 debut of the U.S. print edition and served as editor of TheWeek.com when it launched in 2008. Harold started his career as a newspaper reporter in South Florida and Haiti. He has previously worked for a variety of news outlets, including The Miami Herald, ABC News and Fox News, and for several years wrote a daily roundup of financial news for The Week and Yahoo Finance.
-
5 hilarious cartoons about the RNC's MAGA takeover
Cartoons Artists take on RNC funding, Lara Trump, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Trump's presidential run: a bad bet for Republicans?
Talking Point The GOP is taking a 'big gamble' on former president's 2024 White House bid
By The Week UK Published
-
Iran at the crossroads: have the mullahs lost their grip?
In Depth Iranian voters delivered a 'stinging rebuke' to the regime in parliamentary elections
By The Week UK Published