Why wellness is a $6 trillion confidence trick

The self-health industry is booming in the age of coronavirus, but its dark side promotes pseudo-science, entrenches inequality and celebrates narcissism.

The rise of wellness reflects our collective disempowerment, the sense that we are buffeted by economic forces beyond our individual control.

Sophie McBain

Jul 3, 2020 – 10.02am

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On a recent “wellness Wednesday”, Australian model Miranda Kerr burned a stick of palo santo, an aromatic wood used in South American spiritual rituals or by Instagrammers seeking to clear out bad vibes, before reaching for her pack of “Empower Yourself” cards, available for $15 from her skincare brand, Kora Organics.

“I like to shuffle and randomly pick a card because I feel like that’s the message that’s meant for you on a particular day,” she told her followers on Instagram. The card instructed her to “smile often” and when she did, she revealed teeth as bright as lightbulbs.

New Statesman