As a matter of fact, fitness fashion requires people to identify with a model. People start buying the same sportswear of the chosen icon they want to imitate, and then chose to act like him/her.

Sportswear is strictly correlated with fashion not only because of a trend, but also for the so-called social learning theory, which
hypothesizes that almost all behavioral and cognitive learning is a result of direct experiences that are acquired through vicariously observing behaviors and the subsequent repercussions of such actions.

It is also for this reason that Nike and other retailers specialized in sportswear are experiencing an increase in profits (Nike saw an increase of 8 million dollars capital in just three months, that is a 15% more than 2014’s revenue, when the soccer World Cup took place).

Athletic identity is a central dimension that influences social relationships, types of chosen activities, and perceptions of life experiences, allowing an individual to benefit from a salient sense of self.

It is accepted that sports prepare individuals psychologically for daily life together with cultural activities.

In this view, fit people are sexier and happier than non-fit people, they are well-accepted from society as successful persons and in this way they are taken as models, influencing a large part of the social media audience. Since
clothing comfort is related to raising standards of life,

fitness fashion icons wear expensive and colorful sportswear (which represents the most visible part of the message, acting as the main instrument of the symbolic meaning delivering), and also show how happy and self-confident they are in it. Furthermore, fitness influencers are showing lifestyles that involve health-care and appearance-care as well, especially through social media.