WELLNESS AS A STATUS SYMBOL

Status symbols have usually been pretty straightforward—designer bags, luxury cars, expensive watches. But somewhere along the line, it became more subtle as to how you got your status with green juices, and hot yoga, and reformer pilates. This is the new era of wellness being a status symbol.
 
Wellness used to mean basic health like eating your five-a-day, getting 8 hours of sleep, or going for a walk.
 
But now it’s a lifestyle.
 
A lifestyle that is being commodified and promoted by social media and consumerism.
 
Scroll through Instagram or TikTok and you’ll easily spot the signs. An influencer going to reformer pilates at times that everyone else has their 9-5, cold plunges at luxury spas, and high-end skincare routines.
 
It isn’t just about being healthy anymore; it’s about looking healthy in a very curated, aesthetic way.
 
Being into wellness now signals that you have the time and money to take care of yourself in a way that seems almost aspirational when everyone else struggles to find the hours.
 
Access to these wellness habits is exclusive but that’s exactly how it is marketed and sold. Everyone strives to be that type of person, but the exclusive nature of it makes it seem out of reach and like a fantasy that everyone chases.
 
What makes it so appealing is that the dream is always unattainable.
 
This version of wellness is expensive, and heavily branded. But the irony is that many of the practices at its core don’t tend to require much money like running, or eating more fresh produce. But they aren’t aesthetic enough on their own. When you package those things with luxury aesthetics, then they become exclusive.
 
There’s also a moral element sneaking into wellness culture. Being “well” is often tied to discipline and control. The implication is that if you’re not meditating daily and doing your 10k steps, you’re somehow failing.
 
It quickly moves from inspiring to guilt-inducing. Not everyone has the same resources or energy to keep up. It’s hard to imagine a struggling, sleep-deprived mother waking up for reformer pilates at 6am when she has kids to get ready for school.
 
None of this is to say wellness is bad. Taking care of your body and mind is obviously a good thing. But the moment it becomes a way to achieve social status or moral superiority, it gets murky. When wellness becomes performative, it stops being about health.
 
In today’s culture, wellness isn’t just a lifestyle, but another luxury brand in disguise.

• exercise
• health
• wellness