content warning: racism

What is it with Gwyneth Paltrow and vaginas? From a candle that smells like her vagina, to vaginal jade eggs and vaginal steaming, she brings up taboo topics and masquerades as a lifestyle expert just for recommending eccentric products. While Paltrow is an actress and an entrepreneur, she’s definitely not a doctor or scientist. She raves about products for her own profit, similar to other wellness companies that prioritise sales over the health of their customers. Lured in by influencers’ testimonies, attractive packaging, and false promises, customers unknowingly opt for pseudoscience; a system of thought or a theory that is not formed in a scientific way.

People turn to wellness and lifestyle brands when health bills and pharmaceutical costs rise off the charts. This has led to the recent boom of the $4.5 trillion global wellness economy, as reported by the Global Wellness Institute. While the industry‘s growth may be good for the economy, consumers are left to face a grim reality. The industry reveals how money takes precedence over universal health by legitimising pseudoscience and discriminating against minorities.

Various wellness companies are based on myths that encourage an unquestioning reliance on their expertise and thus a long- term commitment to purchasing their commercial health ‘treatments’. Celebrities like Paltrow build credibility by appearing relatable and vulnerable, simulating trust akin to a professional doctor-patient relationship. Although they may throw scientific jargon here and there, ‘opinions’ are not ‘facts’ and their ‘healing journey’ remains difficult to verify. The danger lies where pseudoscience is commodified as consumers may not know whether they’re getting their money’s worth until they actually buy the products. Entrepreneurs benefit from consumerist behaviours, rather than healthy bodies and minds, so pardon them for trying to break your bank by getting you hooked on supplements and anti-aging serums (spoiler: nothing will stop you from aging). They’ll invent problems you never thought you had (and chances are you don’t) but it’s their job to come up with solutions that you think are imperative to try.

The wellness industry is not immune to racism; in fact, it perpetuates the exclusion of BIPOC. Privileged, white women are the industry demographic, fawned over and catered to by companies. Step foot into a yoga class and you’ll find it to be overwhelmingly white, as wellness companies and participants alike anticipate them to be. The lack of diversity research in this matter speaks volumes, despite plentiful accounts of minorities sharing their exclusionary experiences, showing how insignificant they are in the eyes of the industry. Moreover, western yoga companies and consumers are unaware of what they are branding and buying. The way westerners have culturally appropriated and white-washed yoga is problematic; they ignore its Northern Indian roots which date back over 5000 years, in order to appeal more to Western practitioners and customers. Centuries of culture and heritage have been diluted into a conservative concept of “wellness” packaged into an Instagram feed.

To reclaim this heavily commodified industry, check your sources! Thorough research is required for anything health-related. The corporations that actually care about societal wellbeing are outshined by others whose sole aim is to profit. Backed up by a big marketing budget and picture-perfect influencers, they dominate the industry and possess the power to alter the purchasing behaviours of their target consumers. According to a 2021 McKinsey article, more than 60% of consumers report that they will “definitely” or “probably” consider a brand or product posted by a favourite influencer. The more ‘mind-blowing’ the article that you read is, the more inclined you should be to question it, such as the Paltrow-recommended bee- venom therapy which turned out to be unsafe and extremely unadvisable.

It’s also important to acknowledge that health looks different for everyone. Health is not about appearing healthy but rather feeling healthy is all aspects; body, mind, spirit, and emotions. It’s not necessary to appear smooth-skinned, skinny, care-free, and white to be healthy. Follow a diet that fills you with nutritious food, not one that makes you feel guilty for a McChicken or eating out with friends. Take the stairs instead of the elevators and do the house chores you’ve been putting off, so you don’t have to worry if your gym membership is worth the money or spend even more on spin classes. Scroll just a bit further to find local or minority owned brands, they don’t get the spotlight but their products might be just as good or more affordable.

As nerve-wracking as a doctor’s appointment can be, prioritise reaching out to health professionals regarding your health first. Wellness brands can mislead you to spend money on things you don’t need. Influencers may claim to be nutritionists without having the credentials to share medical advice. An extreme example is Belle Gibson, an Australian wellness blogger who falsely claimed to have cured her brain cancer with natural remedies, including ‘clean eating’. To her 300,000 followers, she not only lied about her wellness journey, but also about having cancer in the first place. Professionals, however, have the knowledge and skills to cater to your personalised needs with the qualifications to back their claims.

As much as you despise the wellness industry, you’re still reading this article. In fact, there are hundreds of articles that criticise such companies, Paltrow being an easy target. But they feed off our attention, we include them in our conversations, increase their website traffic, and suddenly “The Goop Lab” is a show on Netflix. Everything comes down to how we as customers perceive them, so if we were to tweak our ignorance and naivete just a little, we’d uncover plenty of their ugly truths. With inadequate scientific foundation and lack of sympathy towards minorities, the wellness industry has shown how it is dominated by a lucrative mindset. This makes our ability to draw distinctions between fact and opinion crucial; fact-checking sources, accepting that health appears different for everyone, and seeking professional help is the best way to go.