Wellness will become a cultural anthem, reverberating in Sunday reset inspired by Tiktok feeds, branding campaigns and spas. But it forgets the diversity of the body.
For many plus-size and curved women (especially black and brown women), self-care shiny marketing rarely reflects true body diversity. Instead, it often feels like a “thin, white, wealthy” code.
The mainstream wellness industry is over $5.6 trillion worldwiderarely talk to women who don’t suit those narrow ideals. Include Instagram or Pinterest under #Wellness, and reveal the same aesthetic over and over again. Neutral tone athletes sipping green juice and relaxing in a cryotherapy spa. These images are everywhere, but not the expression of health for plus-sized women. And for us, who span across the intersection of race, size and class, the message is even more clear. There is no space created for you at the top of the list.
From the early days of the famous soul cycle to the current Ele grocery obsession with Tiktok to Jadelor to micro-drugs, today’s version of wellness often feels like an aesthetic performance rather than an overall journey. The cost and exclusiveness of access to the locations that provide these services are also a common turn-off for the average woman. The rise of “that girl” culture, hardened on Tiktok and YouTube, has strengthened this narrow lens of self-care. You know the atmosphere: 5am wake up, celery juice, hot yoga, journaling in a $40 notebook, single rolls, scars, stretch marks invisible.
Then, of course, they make money from brand deals that they can easily access for their appearance, and therefore do not have a challenging work routine in which women have to incorporate health and self-care. Why can’t the plus size and curve influencers supported by these wellness campaigns not be able to see more? Because our appearance is not usually a desire, but is usually a warning substance. Our bodies are often Depicts what health means repairmore than that celebrate. When body diversity is removed from the conversation, it sends a clear message. Wellness is already reserved for those who fit the industry’s aesthetic ideals.
But what happens if your body doesn’t fit that aesthetic? What if your body is round, soft, or visibly different? What if the wellness industry still lives in a body that we see as “front of the photo”? This is why not only is the importance of body diversity within the wellness industry, but it can also damage many women in the long run.
Pop culture has begun to tackle these questions, but refuses to keep the conversation going. Shows like Harem and And just like that… Dipping the toes and featuring characters like Angie Who owns their body and style. Voices like Lizzo, Tabitha Brown and Ashley Nell Tipton are also helping to change the story, while still receiving constant pushbacks from society in most cases. But these moments remain exceptions.
Plus-sized women deserve a real expression of body diversity
In many cases, fat and curved women are only at the centre when they are either excluded from the conversation, or when the body is “transformed” or used for comfort. Remember when Rebels Wilson and Adele were praised primarily for losing weight rather than their achievements? We were representatives of Hollywood’s physical diversity and celebrated on-screen, so why did the public change their tone when they lost weight? Or what about social media users who often describe plus-size women as “brave” with confidence in the photos and videos they post? that’s right.
The bittersweet truth about these issues is that for us it is the real space of the present. do They exist for exclusivity, cultivated by women who are tired of being erased and decide to build lanes. These are more than just brands. They are movement.
Nap ministryFounded by Tricia Hersey, reconstructing rest as resistance, especially for black women. Jessamine Stanley abdomen and All Body Yoga Invite people to practice yoga without literally or figuratively reducing. Black girl breathing Create a digital breathing workspace for black women who navigate anxiety, burnout and emotional weight in everyday life without prescribing weight loss as a solution. and Physical politics It provides comprehensive support for chronic diseases with its core.
These communities provide important reminders. Health for plus-sized women is not a luxury. it’s necessary. It’s not ambitious – it’s survival. And we should not demand that we constrict ourselves.
Wellness must extend in its true form beyond the aesthetics of green juice and spa. For many of us, it appears to advocate for ourselves with a biased health care system. It seems they are looking for a therapist who understands the difference between trauma and fat phobia. It appears that you can move, breathe, heal and rest without apologies or expectations.
True health isn’t about becoming someone else. It’s about taking care of the body you already live in. Softness, strength, and no embarrassment. If self-care doesn’t include body diversity, it doesn’t bother you at all. It’s just branding and marketing.
Source: The Curvy Fashionista – thecurvyfashionista.com
