Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
Journalist Rina Raphael looks at the explosion of the wellness industry: how it stems from legitimate complaints, how seductive marketing targets hopeful consumers, -and why women are opening up their wallets like never before.
Journalist Rina Raphael has been there. She's bought cases of kombucha, she's paid $45 for an exercise class, she's sprinkled mushroom "superpowder" in her coffee, she's gone on luxury mindfulness retreats, and she's hung out with Hollywood's crystal healers. . . . She's a respected journalist who has specialized in health and wellness, so she should know better right? Yes. And No.
You see Raphael was once a wellness junkie. Like millions of other women out there, she held out hope that clean eating or the newest strength training class would give her the salvation she sought. Why? Because the modern American woman has been sold a bum deal. In their male dominated workplace, stress levels for women are 1.5 times higher than for men. They then venture home, only to be confronted by "the second shift."
Just how bad is it? Google searches for "self care" are at an all-time high. Dentists have seen an uptick in angry women grinding their teeth at night. What have women been sold as coping mechanisms? Meditation apps, "detoxes", manifestation gurus --things that only a few years ago might have been considered fringe that are now mainstream. But deep within the underbelly of self-care--hidden beneath layers of clever marketing--the wellness industry beckons women with a far stronger, more seductive message. It promises women the one thing they desperately desire: control. They are told they can manage the chaos ruling their life by following a laid-out plan: Eat right, exercise, meditate, then buy all this stuff. This mass consumerism is a metaphor for harnessing everything that feels untenable in their life. Wellness isn't just a lifestyle; it's become something much more. It's something to believe in. Which is why wellness is increasingly adopting patterns similar to religion.
The desire to be healthy is anything but new. But what we're witnessing today is completely unlike its predecessors. Wellness, in its current form, is almost an obsession for the American woman. What's the reason everyone is guzzling kombucha and taking to aromatherapy now? Why do women feel the weight of the world when they go to the grocery store and choose conventional over the hefty priced organic produce for their families? Why, in this moment, do we find ourselves at what seems to be the peak of alternative health practices? To quote Gwyneth Paltrow at a recent Goop summit, "Why do we all not feel well?" The Gospel of Wellness will examine how and why American women were led down this costly kale-covered path. Part investigative report, part sociological analysis, part personal account, this book will dive deep into this booming movement, bringing the reader inside the sprawling landscape of wellness and introducing them to its many trends and blind spots.
Blending traditional reporting, first-person narrative, and social critique, Rina Raphael will guide readers through a journey of the modern American woman and why she's so dissatisfied with the status quo. Wellness did not sprout in a vacuum: it's a reaction to trends building over decades. Women are searching for meaning, purpose, community, and certainty--and trying to find it in through health practices. But what happens when the cure becomes as bad as the disease?
Synopsis
Wellness promises women the one thing they desperately desire: control.
Women are pursuing their health like never before. Whether it's juicing, biohacking, clutching crystals, or sipping collagen, today there is something for everyone, as the wellness industry has grown from modest roots into a $4.4 trillion entity and a full-blown movement promising health and vitality in the most fashionable package. But why suddenly are we all feeling so unwell?
The truth is that deep within the underbelly of self-care--hidden beneath layers of clever marketing--wellness beckons with a far stronger, more seductive message than health alone. It promises women the one thing they desperately desire: control.
Vividly told and deeply reported, The Gospel of Wellness reveals how this obsession is a direct result of women feeling dismissed, mistreated, and overburdened. Women are told they can manage the chaos ruling their life by following a laid-out plan: eat right, exercise, meditate, then buy or do all this stuff. And while wellness may have sprung from good intentions, we are now relentlessly flooded with exploitative offerings, questionable ideas, and a mounting pressure to stay devoted to the divine doctrine of wellness. What happens when the cure becomes as bad as the disease?
With a critical eye, humor, and empathy, wellness industry journalist Rina Raphael examines how women have been led down a kale-covered path promising nothing short of salvation. She knows: Raphael was once a disciple herself--trying everything from "clean eating" to electric shock workouts--until her own awakening to the troubling consequences. Balancing the good with the bad, The Gospel of Wellness is a clear-eyed exploration of what wellness can actually offer us, knocking down the false idols and commandments that have taken hold and ultimately showing how we might shape a better future for the movement--and for our well-being.
Synopsis
"Next-level revelatory."
--Sarah Knight, New York Times bestselling author of The Life-Changing Magic of Not Giving a F*ck
"Excellent...Rina really knows her shit...I'm so thankful for this book."
--Jameela Jamil, actress and host of I Weigh
Journalist Rina Raphael looks at the explosion of the wellness industry: how it stems from legitimate complaints, how seductive marketing targets hopeful consumers-and why women are opening up their wallets like never before.
Wellness promises women the one thing they desperately desire: control.
Women are pursuing their health like never before. Whether it's juicing, biohacking, clutching crystals, or sipping collagen, today there is something for everyone, as the wellness industry has grown from modest roots into a $4.4 trillion entity and a full-blown movement promising health and vitality in the most fashionable package. But why suddenly are we all feeling so unwell?
The truth is that deep within the underbelly of self-care--hidden beneath layers of clever marketing--wellness beckons with a far stronger, more seductive message than health alone. It promises women the one thing they desperately desire: control.
Vividly told and deeply reported, The Gospel of Wellness reveals how this obsession is a direct result of women feeling dismissed, mistreated, and overburdened. Women are told they can manage the chaos ruling their life by following a laid-out plan: eat right, exercise, meditate, then buy or do all this stuff. And while wellness may have sprung from good intentions, we are now relentlessly flooded with exploitative offerings, questionable ideas, and a mounting pressure to stay devoted to the divine doctrine of wellness. What happens when the cure becomes as bad as the disease?
With a critical eye, humor, and empathy, wellness industry journalist Rina Raphael examines how women have been led down a kale-covered path promising nothing short of salvation. She knows: Raphael was once a disciple herself--trying everything from "clean eating" to electric shock workouts--until her own awakening to the troubling consequences. Balancing the good with the bad, The Gospel of Wellness is a clear-eyed exploration of what wellness can actually offer us, knocking down the false idols and commandments that have taken hold and ultimately showing how we might shape a better future for the movement--and for our well-being.