Self-Care Culture is Evolving

Consumers aren't as impressed with bubble baths and skincare rituals.

(Melanie Lambrick / LATimes)

The concept of self-care is shifting, as I cover in my latest feature for the LA Times. We can thank, in part, Gen Z (and TikTok, where many of these wellness trends originate).

I have a whole chapter in my new book on how “self-care”—which stems from some pretty radical political and medical concepts—has been commodified and stripped down to sell us sparkly Sephora wares. What we now deem “self-care” is more synonymous with “treat yourself” culture: self-soothing activities symbolic of an aspirational lifestyle. 

There’s a big difference between health basics (sleep, movement, illness prevention / management, social support, etc.) and this new consumerist buzzword masquerading as real wellness.

More often than not, these spa activities and fitness pursuits are more aligned with leisure than with actual self-care. That’s not to say there isn’t value in leisure! (I love some shopping cardio.) But leisure connotes the ability, if not the resources, to get a pedi…