Wellness is one of the fastest-growing and most cryptic industries in the world today. With a global market value of $6.8 trillion, having doubled its economy since 2013, its success is undeniable; however, its true extent is difficult to gauge given the broad range of products, services and practices it encompasses, from holistic treatments to health technology and even tourism. While seemingly benign, the prospering wellness industry is a unique result of modern stress. Offering solutions and treatments to aid physical and mental wellbeing, it also feeds into the cycle of constant consumerism and overreliance on unnecessary products, as well as more sinister pseudoscientific trends that offer an alternative to traditional medicine.
Wellness is not a new concept. Take acupuncture, one of the oldest traditional Chinese medicinal practices dating back over 3,500 years, or yoga, which originated in India in 2700 BCE; we have, for thousands of years, valued wellbeing. It is through the Victorians, however, that we perhaps receive a more reflective view of practices similar to our own current ones. During the tumult of innovation brought about by the invention of electricity, the Victorians became enthralled by new pseudoscientific wellness crazes heralded by technological advances. From the use of poisons such as arsenic and ammonia in women’s beauty routines to Isaac Pulvermacher’s “electric belt”, which was said to send a “titillating electric shock” through the body that could cure ailments such as migraines, fatigue and even anxiety, the Victorians were very much intrigued by these practices heralded by technological advance. Just like the Victorians, we find ourselves in a period of immense change brought about by rocketing advancements in technology and artificial intelligence. This change brings about uncertainty, and, searching for a constant, it seems we have landed on the human body and its well-being. We are clinging to the one thing we can hold control over in a constantly changing world, and yet, in this process, we are fuelling the very system that contributes to our overwhelm.
Social media, as with many emerging industries, has been essential in the consolidation of the wellness industry. Influencers are key, waxing lyrical about the benefits of weekly juice cleanses or the $475 red light therapy mask that, funnily enough, is linked in their TikTok Shop. The very existence of TikTok Shop proves the interdependence of the wellness industry (among others) and social media. Additionally, social media has consolidated the link between wellness and spiritual thinking. A more sinister implication of this ideology, referred to as “conspirituality”, is the adoption of unorthodox medicinal practices which, more than unnecessary, can lead to serious health repercussions. One search on TikTok for holistic alternatives to chemotherapy summons a mob of videos, one woman claiming to be fighting cancer without traditional treatment: “We got soursop!” – a fruit that has no clinical proof to cure cancer in humans – or… “nature’s chemo”, according to another TikTok user. Particularly pertinent in the U.S., this ideology is most likely a response to a disastrous health system under which only 49% of Americans can afford continuous medical care. While every individual has the right to bodily autonomy, so do they have the right to truthful information, and within certain (and growing) groups, pseudo-scientific wellness trends are wrongfully eroding trust in years of scientific and medical research.
It would be inaccurate to claim that we as a society simply accept and purchase what we are told to, and there has been pushback over wellness products that have more blatantly crossed the line into nonsense. Celebrity and now wellness mogul Gwyneth Paltrow’s company, “Goop”, was recently slammed for “bodypsychic healing stickers” (retailing at $120 a pack) that claim to be “pre-programmed to an ideal frequency” and “promote healing” by tackling “imbalances” (imbalances of what exactly?). The stickers, produced by a company called “Body Vibes”, were said to be made of the same material used by NASA in spacesuits to monitor astronauts’ vitals. NASA debunked this, prompting an apology from both “Goop” and “Body Vibes”.
Some products are utterly bizarre; however, one of the most comical is the “grounding mat”. One retailer of the product warns us: “electronics explode and catch fire if they’re not grounded. Your body is the same.” Never fear, though, as we are reassured that we might not “physically catch fire and explode” but are sure to “suffer health problems like inflammation, insomnia, and anxiety” without regular grounding. So “stay connected with the earth’s grounding energy” by purchasing one of the many mats they sell. Never has the saying “touch grass” been more applicable.
It is easy to laugh at more extreme versions of ridiculous wellness products, but consider the increasing popularity of supplements; for instance, magnesium for sleep: magnesium is found in several common foods such as pumpkin seeds and even dark chocolate. From these foods, we can receive more than enough of the mineral, but instead we turn to financial consumption. Our tendency to take the easy route – to buy a product in order to avoid having to implement a simple routine change – relates directly to the busyness of everyday life. It is this, and the constant cycle of work-to-earn and earn-to-buy, that fuels this lucrative industry.
For the most part, the influence of wellness trends on consumer habits is subtle, and we often accept products without question. How is it that the wellness industry in particular gets away with this? While we often apply doubt and scepticism to other sectors, for instance, technology, the wellness industry, presenting itself as altruistic and benevolent, makes it easier to forget that, first and foremost,it is a business. It is difficult to imagine an industry that could better reflect the society of today. The issue is not people seeking alternative solutions to wellbeing challenges, but rather the wellness industry’s association with untruthful, misleading and even dangerous information, all of which make the sale of products easier. Feeding on growing distrust of traditional institutions, the wellness industry profits off ignorance, overwhelm and modern time constraint. We do not have time to relax, so we must spend €95 on a sleep oil that blends “neuroscience with luxury perfumery”, and so continues the vicious cycle.
