| “ | I wish there was a gym for us regular ladies. | „ |
| ~ Marge Simpson's inspiration for opening Shapes[src] |
Shapes is a fitness center chain that Marge Simpson opened. Its purpose is to provide a positive workout environment for ordinary women.
History[]
When Marge found out she was gaining weight, she looked for a gym to join. After a bad experience at L.A. Body Works, Marge saw the business space vacated by The Android's Dungeon.
She turned it into Shapes, a fitness center for regular women. Marge's gym quickly became very popular among the women of Springfield -- the day she opened, there were women lined up around the block waiting to get in.
To accommodate all of her customers, Marge opened a second Shapes location in a building that had previously been a Krusty Burger restaurant.
Shapes then became a resounding success, turning into a national chain and making Marge rich and famous. It also led to Marge appearing on The Opal Show, where Opal thanked Marge for creating Shapes, and added that her boyfriend thanked her too.
It's unknown what became of Shapes as it is never mentioned again and Marge is never shown doing anything related to it.
It is possible that Marge sold the chain, or is now just earning money while other people work for her. Shapes has four rules, which are posted in the entrance area:
- No men
- No cell phones
- No mirrors
- No shame
Shapes' slogan, posted on the wall of the workout station room, is "I am woman, hear me sweat."
It is possible that Shapes and Marge becoming rich and famous was all part of Homer's dream and all of these events never happened, since Marge was back in her normal clothes with no memory of being rich and famous after Homer wakes up from his dream and Comic Book Guy never really sold the store.
Known customers[]
- Luann Van Houten
- Manjula Nahasapeemapetilon
- Agnes Skinner
- Ruth Powers
- Patty Bouvier
- Selma Bouvier
- Helen Lovejoy
- Elizabeth Hoover
- Edna Krabappel
- Jerri Mackleberry
- Bernice Hibbert
- Lindsey Naegle
- Sarah Wiggum
Behind the Laughter[]
- Shapes is a parody of Curves, an international fitness franchise whose facilities are specifically designed for and focused on women.
- Shapes' slogan, "I am woman, hear me sweat," is a pun on the lyric "I am woman, hear me roar" from the song "I Am Woman" by Helen Reddy.
- Ruth Powers attending a gym for "regular ladies" is interesting because she used to be a bodybuilder who was addicted to steroids.
