trigger warning; This article deals with the subject of eating disorders
Mindfulness, Detox and Co.: This is why “Wellness Culture” is just as toxic and dangerous as “Diet Culture”
With the revival of the ’00s in fashion, many are rightly skeptical about the newly launched Juicy Couture suits, but there is also emotional discussion about a possible return of the body image of the “Dirrty” era. After all, the beauty ideal of the time drove many girls and women into eating disorders. And indeed, models in fashion are becoming thinner again and are also displacing the few overweight models that have previously made it onto the catwalks. But how can that be? After all, for years we have been trying to let go of the beliefs of the so-called “diet culture”. But the reality is that the notion that being skinny is the path to social standing, success, and happiness runs deeper than any body-acceptance message, no matter how well-intentioned. The attempt to establish a new healthy lifestyle and the conditioning to size zero has therefore become a problematic hybrid, which is also referred to as “wellness culture”. And this is nothing more than old ideals in a new, green, supposedly healthier guise, which are no less dangerous for physical and mental health than what has made us ill before.
Instagram content
This content can also be viewed on the site it originates from.
“Wellness Culture”: between self-care and self-optimization
The perfidious thing about the “wellness culture” is that it doesn’t just aim at a physical ideal, but also focuses on the inside. A 360-degree optimization, if you will. Associated measures such as exercising daily, meditation, a “healthy” diet, the obligatory detox, getting enough sleep and taking a lot of time for yourself. In theory, that doesn’t sound reprehensible and even worth striving for, in fact you could assign all of these things to the label selfcare.
The problem with this new “culture” is that it’s less and less about actually feeling good. Instead, here, too, one is chasing an ideal. And this ideal is mostly white, very slim, extremely well-trained, has sufficient financial means, perfect skin and hair and, on top of that, is at peace with himself. While in theory one can still achieve the physical ideal of the “diet culture” with strict diets, starvation and excessive exercise, the goal of the “wellness culture” is unattainable for most people. Mental balance, happiness and inner peace cannot be optimized no matter how much chlorophyll water you drink, no matter how many walks you take a day. The standards are too high and, conversely, that can increase the pressure on yourself.
Especially when you have the feeling that personal development is relatively easy for others, they wake up with a laugh and their six-pack is in place, no matter what phase of the cycle they are in. Because what the “Wellness Culture” conveys is that you have it in your own hands to become the best version of yourself. External factors that also control well-being are disregarded, although they cannot usually be simply detoxified with a juice cleanse. These insecurities and a sense of inadequacy have transformed the wellness industry into a $1.5 trillion market over the past few years.
The “wellness culture” and social media
All of this is manifested in social media on the one hand in the “That Girl” or “Clean Girl” trends, on the other hand the popular “What I Eat in a Day” videos show how close we are to the beliefs of the “Diet Culture ” still are. very slim, white, In it, beautiful women not only demonstrate their flat stomachs, they also show how you can get so slim, and not by starving yourself, but simply by living a healthy lifestyle. Classics include lemon water in the morning, porridge with blueberries and almond butter, smoothies naturally sweetened with dates, and oversized salads fortified with the right protein sources and only good fats. In between, there are a handful of supplements designed to help optimize everything from nails to sleep to microbiome. The whole thing is rounded off by a daily workout.