When we think of the term ‘self-care’, it may conjure up images of elaborate smoothie bowls, morning yoga routines or fancy face masks.
Yet, how did self-care originate?
According to slate.com, the notion of self-care was originally a medical concept. It was viewed as a way for patients to help care for themselves with diet, exercise and healthy eating habits.
In the 1960’s and 70’s academics defined self-care as a way for people with highly emotionally draining or stressful jobs to help cope, such as EMT’s, social workers, trauma therapists or other emotionally taking professions. Self-care was used in these positions because it was understood that these individuals could not properly take care of others if they were not taking care of themselves. This notion of self-care could be as simple as taking the time to read a good book or having time to take a vacation.
With Second-Wave feminism and the Civil Rights Movement, self-care became a political act, especially with women of colour. Women of colour saw how the healthcare and medical system, which is a patriarchal and white-centric system, had failed their needs such as being forced to receive subpar treatment, which was due to intense segregation and Jim Crow laws created understaffed and under resources health hospitals care networks.
Thus, women started to care for themselves. Alondra Nelson’s book Body and Soul discusses the 1971 Black Community Survival Conference held in Oakland, California, which was headed by The Black Panthers. This conference offered a ton of free community-driven services that were not available to communities of colour. This conference embodies an example of political self-care.
Self-care also historically extends to LGBTQ folk and disability rights activists who also did not receive the social or medical support needed to care for themselves, so they created it for their respective communities.
However, if we fast forward to 2018, self-care has turned into an expensive, capitalist and consumer-driven act. Arwa Mahdwai’s article Generation treat yo’ self: the problem with ‘self-care’ notes that “there are more than 1.4 (million) photos hashtagged #selfcare on Instagram. Many of these seem to consist of skinny women doing yoga poses legs in bubble baths, non-caffeinated-non-dairy hot drinks, gluten-free berry-based frozen yogurt ” and so on.
Sites such as Instagram, YouTube, or Facebook, show how the #selfcare has been equated with a symbol status. In addition, self-care has become a sort of competition that women are expected to be good at. Examples including getting up at 5 a.m. for a yoga class, making an excellent vegan breakfast or buying an expensive green smoothie. Consumer-driven self-care and ‘wellness’ movements tell women that they need to have everything figured out and to effortlessly balance all aspects of their lives through consumption of products, but we need to re-define self-care.
Self-care does not need to be beautiful or impressive. It can be as simple and as radical as letting yourself have a good cry, writing in your journal or going for a walk. Self-care should be about doing things that make you feel whole and happy.