WHY I DISTRUST THE RISE OF #WELLNESS
Like everyone else I was astonished by Adele’s remarkable weight loss in her recent Instagram post, however I found the focus on her body really reductive, in fact it really triggered me.
I like Adele, though I have never had any strong feelings towards or against her either as a musician or as an individual. On reflection I think my frustration stems from a form of empathy for her. I can’t say I’ve won 15 Grammies, neither have I been in the position to lose 7 stone. I’m not even going to stand with the for or against camp of her weight loss, quite the contrary. I feel that there is an unaddressed angle to the argument which I will express in mind of my own experiences. Adele’s weight loss is not to the concern of a wider society, just like weight gain is of no concern to us. In arriving at some form of conclusion regarding her weight loss is implying that we know Adele better than herself. Gah, our ignorance! I want to delve deeper into the root of both arguments.
It would seem that I am an advocate of the body positivity movement. I embrace the premise of body positivity, though unfortunately I struggle to sympathise with some of its zealots and I want to explore why.
What I dislike about the body-positivity movement:
“Body positivity is a social movement rooted in the belief that all human beings should have a positive body image. The goal of the movement is to address unrealistic beauty standards and to build the confidence to oneself and others, subsequently changing people’s behaviours towards certain products and services as we know them”.
For the record: I am all for this. I am all for opposing the long-established beauty standards ingrained in our society. I am completely against cruel comments by keyboard warriors regarding someone’s appearance, whether they be underweight, overweight, conventionally beautiful (please take this with a pinch of salt), youthful, old, disfigured, unusually dressed, cross-dressed, yada yada yada. It is third wave body positivity I feel conflicted with.
As a standpoint against the institutionalised standards, I agree that no-one owes anyone else the justification that they are physically healthy. I believe that such debate perpetuates the unjustified abuse by individuals to whom it is of no concern. However, I do acknowledge that there is an undeniable health concern for obesity and I believe that it is equally irresponsible to glorify it (as the third wave tends to do so). I want to avoid delving deeper into the debate because I believe that this is ultimately for the discussion of medical professionals.
What I dislike about the wellness industry:
Did you know that the global wellness industry is now worth $4.5 trillion, with $828 billion contributed by the physical activity market? (Global Wellness Institute, October 2019).
Strip back the modern obsession with shaping a particular physique through exercise. Exercise releases endorphins which enhance a feeling of pleasure and well-being. We naturally seek pleasure and avoid pain. From an evolutionary standpoint it ensures our survival, thus proving that exercise doesn’t, and isn’t a means of fixating on the appearance of our body. I have previously shared that I believe there is an energy for movement within everyone, and this energy merely needs tapping into by exploring all kinds of sports or movement whether that be running, functional fitness, yoga, hiking, a team-sport, etc. Secondly, I love that there is more readily available information for people to improve their health and wellbeing.
Food and exercise undoubtedly gives you life. Fact. However, health and wellness, like many other movements, is becoming commodified; on Instagram, in our communities, in shops, everywhere. So many are frantically doggy paddling their way to the surface, attempting to prove the next ground-breaking point in mind of their recognition as pioneer’s for “health”. Ironically, the many are detracting from the true meaning of what it means to be healthy; obsessing over what they post on Instagram, the shading of their abs for followers to see and validate, sponsorships with the often unverified supplement brands simply jumping on the bandwagon for financial gain.
This commodification is exposing us to immeasurable pressure to accept ourselves in alignment with what’s already out there. We all want a seat at the tea party, so we alter who we are to fit in; influencers competing for your screen time, and we as a collective want to follow the lifestyle they present through our screens. It is proving toxic and ironically opposing health itself. A lot of us (I have been guilty of this too) are following others rather than our intuition; the antithesis of wellness. (Disclaimer: I do believe that there are still lots of influencers out there with powerful, non-superficial messages to genuinely empower their followers).
I have practically experienced the learnings of a right vs wrong mentality, labelling foods as “good” vs “bad”, excessive over-exercising (in contrast to the exercise I actually wanted to do). In short, subscribing to the trend detracted from my love for certain exercise and food. Instead of living “well”, I threw a black cloud over the things I loved such as sharing dinner with my family, eating out, and less intense forms of exercise which I now saw as inferior. A key learning from this experience is that I had to establish what living well means to me.
I don’t think wellness can be defined as wholly objective, and I believe that there is an element of subjectivity. Over-exercising can form a disorder, under-eating can form a disorder, overeating can form a disorder, obsession with eating healthily can form a disorder. Wellness entails how you feel and no-one has the right to label you this, that or the other (perhaps with the exception of a medically trained professional whom you have consented to providing this advice). Wellness is about establishing a healthy balance or lifestyle which works for you, whether that be exercising three times a week, or six times a week, practicing pilates or running marathons, intermittent fasting or intuitively eating.
There are two factors to my learning:
1) There is no one-size-fits all diet (by this I mean our lifestyle around food, not the commodified term of diet).
2) Health means establishing a sustainable lifestyle that works for you. Not all healthy foods can be on your plate at one time. Not every training session is a measurable, physical step closer to your goal. It is lifestyle and routine which depicts who you want to be, and there is no finite ending of success or perfection.
Though there are scientific, objective facts to living well, health and wellness remains considerably subjective. I therefore question if platforms such as Instagram are disempowering us to make our own decisions and #wellness is merely yet another modern day trend.
Back to Adele
It is so uninspiring to learn that typing Adele’s name into Google now comes up with countless weight loss reports, fitness regimes, diet programmes, even “Adele v food” memes. Why is Adele being re-defined by her weight-loss? Why are people speculating whether she lost-weight for instrumental reasons such as societal pressure and acceptance? The speculation is feeding the skinny v fat debate and is equally as dangerous.
A point I have not yet touched on is that Adele liked her own Instagram post. This is commonly denounced by the standards of society. We are socialised to play down our achievements and to bat away compliments, such that liking one’s own post is seen as an act of arrogance. In liking her own post Adele is giving a public reminder that she is happy with herself. And good on her! Adele owes no-one but herself anything. If Adele feels fulfilled at 7 stone lighter, good for her for pursuing a goal and making certain lifestyle changes. She is leading her subjectively meaningful life. Should Adele still be 7 stone heavier, that’s up to her. Just because she decided to lose weight, this does not mean she decided to embark on this journey for external validation. End of speculation.
Messages to take away
If you love green-juices, drink green-juices! If you love training 5 times a week, twice a day, or three times a week, train to the level where you feel great and enjoy yourself. If you are happiest feeling lean, or feeling strong, pursue a lifestyle that provides for this! If you have lived through an eating disorder and know you are far healthier a few kilos heavier, you should be proud! You do not need to justify yourself to anyone. You should not be made to feel bad for pursuing a lifestyle which ensures subjective, optimal health both physically and mentally.
My message to take way is to pursue a lifestyle that is shaped by your vision of a meaningful, happy and fulfilled life which is subjective to you- not to anyone else. Have clarity on your purpose. What are you here for and how do you feel fulfilled? Shape a life that you love in the following ways:
Move at an intensity that works for you
Find a routine that works for you
Wear what you feel works for you
Pursue work which matters to you
Eat foods that make you feel a way that is desirable to you
Nourish your body!
Live in a way which feels authentic to you and have integrity. Feel empowered to explore what a meaningful life looks like to you without the noise of the trends and societal standards surrounding you. This is a reminder that you owe no-one an explanation.
