Luxury fitness brand Equinox escalated its provocative “Question everything. But yourself.” campaign this week with a daring AI-generated image of former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in which he is posing as a pole dancer. The photo and campaign have sparked a flurry of mixed reactions online.

The brand’s Instagram post not only stands out for its visual impact but also for what it represents: A deliberate attempt to tap into growing public unease about AI, authenticity, and what’s real online. The Trudeau image is part of an AI-ad campaign the brand launched on Jan. 1, 2026, publishing a series of reality-bending images and videos almost every day since.

The campaign began with a post captioned “happy new year we are not ok” and went on to feature a much-memed deepfake of late Pope Francis in a stylish puffer coat, followed by AI-created images of Justin Trudeau, a three-breasted woman and baby Kim Jong Un in more recent posts.

All are paired with the same tagline: “Question everything. But yourself.” Equinox says the message isn’t about mocking public figures, but to highlight the cons of AI, such as how easily bodies and identities can be manipulated.

From ‘best one so far’ to ‘y’all need a new marketing team’: Mixed reactions dominate Equinox’s AI Trudeau ad post

The Trudeau post quickly drew attention online after it was posted Friday morning. Instagram users wondered why the former Canadian leader was featured — in red short shorts and a white-and-red tank top, with Trudeau’s fake buff arms hoisting a pole — and whether such shock tactics help or harm Equinox’s image.

Equinox operates dozens of luxury gyms around the world including three in Canada — two in Toronto and one in Vancouver.

“Is that the Prime Minister of Canada?” wrote a user.

“Here come lawsuits,” commented another.

“Hahahaha you guys are wild and I love it,” said a third.

“Best one so far!” chimed in a fourth.

While others lauded the post as satire, some were clearly not fans.

“So you’re just gonna keep posting AI in a ruse to be clever?” wrote another.

“Y’all need a new marketing team,” read another comment.

What the campaign is trying to say

The creator behind Equinox’s “question everything” campaign is an ad agency called Angry Gods. The agency’s founder, Krish Menon, told The Hollywood Reporter that their ad campaign for Equinox isn’t aimed at being anti-AI, rather anti-illusion.

Menon argues that while AI, filters, and even medication like Ozempic can help alter appearances and make one look fit, feeling fit without doing the work can’t be faked.

The same message is echoed by Equinox’s leadership with the brand’s Chief Marketing Officer, Bindu Shah, describing the campaign as a response to a “noisy and fabricated” culture.

AI ads: from innovation to irritation

Why the campaign seems to be landing with a good chunk of Equinox’s growing base has a fair bit to do with the brand’s different yet adjusted approach at a time of broader existing advertising backlash against AI-generated content.

In 2025, brands like Coca-Cola and McDonald’s faced criticism for ads that their audiences found misleading or hollow. Equinox, on the contrary, uses AI “visibly and uncomfortably” to provoke skepticism rather than awe. The luxury fitness brand is betting on the discomfort caused by placing its imagery on social feeds — and soon on massive billboards in Los Angeles — to cut through the noise.

Trudeau’s post-politics image and why the AI version resonates

Ever since leaving the top job, Justin Trudeau’s public image has gone through a noticeable shift. Once defined by tailored suits and playful socks, diplomatic summits and photo-ops, he now appears in a more relaxed, lifestyle-driven manner, including casual public sightings as he debuts a relationship with pop star Katy Perry. The former prime minister, and son of a former prime minister, seems to be returning to a version of himself that existed pre-politics when he blurred the line between statesman and celebrity.

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Joy Joshi is a senior editor and writer at Yahoo News Canada.