For many teens and young adults, the term “self-care” brings to mind face masks, bubble baths and 12-step skincare routines. However, this modern concept is not true self-care, but instead a commodified version of a vastly different concept originating in the 1950s — one that involved far fewer purchases. Society’s current version of self-care is ultimately more beneficial to capitalists than it is to consumers.
In its earliest definition — as stated in an article by mental health content strategist Martha Tesema — self-care was a process for institutionalized patients, consisting of mindful acts of preservation to strengthen and sustain their self-esteem and sense of independence. These acts could include basic habits like exercising or getting chores done: They were never about buying your way to happiness, as it is in the status quo. The Climate Leadership Initiative reports that this original self-care process went on to become a powerful tool used by 1960s Civil Rights activists to avoid burnout while fighting for justice. It was also a prominent topic later on in the 1980s, with renowned activists such as Audre Lorde framing self-care as political action. In other words, by nurturing oneself and taking care of personal well-being, a person reinvigorates their capacity to involve themselves in community causes — a quality that modern forms of self-care lack.
Today, the industry fuels and capitalizes on a different trope most familiar to youth: Self-care is merely a supplement for superficial growth. The practice has been repackaged as expensive rituals and superfluous purchases, culminating in a $450 billion industry that is expected to exceed $1 trillion by 2030, per a 2024 report by business developer Nicole Jackson. It relies on successfully convincing consumers to constantly focus on themselves and putting a price on even the most basic skincare formulas and wellness services, such as mindfulness apps, that are now embellished with flashy packaging and advertisements. The industry primarily utilizes social media marketing methods like popular influencers’ endorsement or posts following trends that prey on insecurities, continuing to profit from money spent by victims stuck in the very cycle of consumption that it actively encourages. Granted, this version of self-care has placed wellness practices and well-being at the forefront of trends.
However, visibility alone does not equal benefit. When publicity for commodified self-care grows, youth become attached to this unspoken, unsustainable and unhealthy routine of purchases. People should not reject self-care goods entirely, but rather take on the role of a consumer: to question the motives of corporations and to recognize that no purchases alone can guarantee well-being without also including authentic self-care at face value. Keep a journal, go on walks or revisit an old hobby. After all, self-care was never meant to be an end in itself; its radical roots reveal that the most profound self-care comes from using our nurtured energy to enable involvement in something other than ourselves, ultimately continuing the work that gave self-care its original power.
