Historically, self-care has focused on meeting a person’s basic survival needs: food, water, shelter and hygiene. Today’s culture as self care grows as a trend, the perception of self care is portrayed as luxurious and expensive, creating an infatuation with buying the seemingly “correct” products to achieve societal standards of beauty. Self care has grown so much in popularity that it has strayed away from its original purpose. Notably in developed countries like the U.S. and Japan, self-care has been monetized by companies prioritizing their profits over the well-being of their customers, misleading people for financial gain.
Indeed, earnings from the wellness industry total to 1.5 trillion dollars. Wellness companies monetize the illusion of quick fixes and instant results that seemingly solve all of the customers’ problems, sometimes even solving problems customers didn’t know they had in the first place. Take Goop’s facial exfoliator, for example. Do you want smoothing and glowing skin? That’ll start at $125. This is only one of 753 corporate wellness services in the U.S. that exploit U.S. citizens for monetary gain.
Another example are diet pills, which are aimed at achieving weight loss “faster and easier,” and which are advertised to work without having to exercise. These pills are a dangerous conundrum for vulnerable, insecure individuals to fall into. If such pills are abused in the consumer’s desire for a “perfect body,” more serious health consequences are at risk, such as insomnia, rectal bleeding and heart palpitations. Many weight loss pills contain two to three fat-burning stimulants stacked together, such as the herb-derived stimulant, ephedrine, which can raise blood pressure, potentially causing strokes and heart attacks. The FDA has found that hundreds of dietary supplements like these contain potentially harmful drugs. Weight loss pills are classified as dietary supplements, not as drugs, and according to the current FDA regulations, they have not been proven to work as dietary supplements.
The same companies that advertise for the health of their customers also capitalize on customers’ deep insecurities and vulnerabilities, such as low self-esteem, body image issues and mental health struggles. Companies use sociocultural theories primarily conveyed through social media and the Internet, like ideal body shape, weight and appearance. These ideals are easy for companies to profit from because the idea that happiness comes from their external beauty and validation are rampant in society today. Because of this false advertisement, people go to great lengths to achieve beauty that corresponds to these archetypes. The products advertised to these audiences make them believe they will feel better about themselves if they buy them, which is often not the case and leads to a waste of their money. Or worse, they actually do believe their self-esteem is being enhanced and continue investing in products with little to no tangible results.
Fear-based marketing is everywhere, and is a particularly powerful marketing strategy that lures many customers into the illusions of perfect health or standard beauty. According to the National Health Service (NHS), fear appeals to the brain, causing it to process information more quickly and remember things more vividly. This type of manipulation in advertising means consumers are more likely to remember the advertisements that elicited fear, keeping that product in mind. Similar to how cybersecurity advertisements intentionally use dramatic scenarios such as identity theft, data breaches or financial ruin to persuade customers to buy their protection solutions, wellness companies utilize the same technique. Goop’s article on liver detoxification, for example, states that livers have toxic chemicals that continue to build up and cause inflammation until something is done about it. These statements often have no references to support these claims. The reader is supposed to feel afraid when the phrase “vicious cycle” is used to describe the “inflammation” of their liver, thus feeling inclined to buy their products to protect themselves from a problem that does not exist.
The FDA has broadly adopted the position that it will exercise “enforcement discretion” and refrain from aggressively regulating low-risk products as medical devices if they are meant to promote health and wellbeing (instead of providing a diagnosis or a treatment for illnesses). However, general wellness products are exempt from FDA regulation and supplements are barely regulated in the U.S, meaning companies can make vague claims about their products without backing them up with research. Their only requirement is to list the ingredients used on the label accurately. These are the only regulations required, leading to harmful or ineffective products reaching consumers.
Herbal medicines and remedies have been a part of civilization since ancient times, yet Western culture still relies on brand names and standardized synthetic drugs to improve their ailments. However, herbal medicines, with enough thorough research, could be utilized safely without containing any toxic ingredients used in healthcare facilities like mercury, benzodiazepines or anticoagulants. The NHS has even stated that products made from herbal medicines have shown promise in treating a range of illnesses, such as respiratory diseases, chronic pain and digestive issues.
But true wellness is found in sustainable, evidence-based health improvement, not unregulated and short-term fixes to consumers’ insecurities.. The truth to actual healthiness lies in regular exercise, a well-balanced diet, sleep, stress management and avoiding drugs. Implementing more of these behaviors creates lifelong healthy habits, and makes one generally less susceptible to ailments that would cause a consumer to seek treatment through the wellness industry. The CDC even claims a balanced diet aids in the management, prevention and postponement of heart disease, Type 2 diabetes and other chronic illnesses. The greatest way to serve yourself is to make long-lasting lifestyle adjustments rather than relying on a short-term solution or fad diet.
