Decolonize Self-Care

For radical twentieth-century feminists, it was a rallying cry for bodily autonomy and political power. For influencers and lifestyle brands, its buying fancy nutrition and body products at a premium. And it has now infiltrated nearly every food, leisure, and pop-culture space as a multi-billion-dollar industry. What is it? To quote a million memes: its called self-care. In Decolonize Self-Care Alyson K. Spurgas and Zo C. Meleo-Erwin deliver a comprehensive sociological analysis and scathing critique of the catchphrases capitalist, racist undertones. To decolonize self-care, they argue, requires a full reckoning with the exclusionary, appropriative nature of most of the wellness industry, but this education is only the first step in the process. We must commit to new models of care and well-being that allow for health, pleasure, and communityfor everyone.