Self-care wasn’t originally intended for the self
Self-care has become an exercise in intentional self-indulgence that plays itself out in compassion fatigue and treat-yourself culture. Instead, we ought to look to the origins of the self-care movement: a community project and an act of resistance through solidarity. Hello there, and welcome to your nighttime routine. By now,...
Current in Wellness
Are young people really more vain than older generations?
Several older journalists have been making the argument this week that Gen Z are vainer than their parents were at a similar age, but can you blame them? In an era of constant external pressures and smartphone cameras, the demand to be appealing has never been more overwhelming. Another...
Millie Bobby Brown pushes back against overly-critical press
The Stranger Things star Millie Bobby Brown has responded to media criticism of her appearance, rightfully likening her treatment to bullying. Millie Bobby Brown has clapped back at recent articles and stories discussing her appearance, describing it as not journalism but ‘bullying’ instead. She has been doing the rounds over...
Walking really can change your life
If you’ve been feeling stuck lately, the answer might be as simple as putting one foot in front of the other. I’m embarrassed to admit that the best thing I’ve done for my mental health recently has been the same thing most toddlers master by their second birthday. But here...
We need to talk about ‘Almond Mums’
How the fascination with our mothers’ diets has permeated social media and changed the way we think about food. There are few social trends as pervasive as the ‘almond mum’. She’s slim, she’s usually wearing yoga leggings, she shops at Whole Foods. And according to the thousands of videos featuring...
The sauna is replacing the club
Gen-Z are turning to communal saunas in place of nights out. But what’s the appeal of these steamy hang-outs? Take a look at London’s social scene, and you’ll quickly realise that the nightclub is under threat. Well, the nightclub’s reign as an epicenter of youthful connection and sweaty camaraderie, anyway. It...
Is patriarchy to blame for steadily rising male suicide rates?
Men continue to experience disproportionately higher rates of suicide, homelessness, and addiction. When will we finally admit that patriarchy is just as damaging to men as it is to women? Every International Women’s Day (8th March), Twitter is harangued by angry men asking, “and when is International Men’s Day?” Often, the sorts of accounts asking this question are also those posting sexist jokes like, “Can’t blame me for...
How to manage seasonal affective disorders
The term seasonal depression is on the rise in social media, but what is seasonal depression? What can we do to manage our winter blues and summer sadness? Seasonal affective disorder or SAD is a type of mental health challenge similar to depression. The chief difference is it fluctuates in line with weather patterns. Although most commonly related to the winter season, people can experience seasonal depression in winter...
Why we should be redirecting our gaze towards male bodies
There’s a distinct lack of body positivity discourse for male, masc, and non-binary bodies. We need to challenge the attitude that views a specific type of body as more beautiful than another and start to praise all kinds of peaches. Scrolling on social media, I come across a before and after photo, taken a year apart, of a young woman at the gym. She’s about my age and the...
Opinion – a woman’s business is not to be beautiful
From the 1874 Ugly Girl Papers to the overt normalisation – and promotion – of harmful practices such as preventative botox, are we looking at the end of variety and youth in faces which have all been touched by the same needle? ‘The first requisite in a woman toward pleasing others is that she should be pleased with herself,’ begins chapter one of The Ugly Girl Papers;...
