Wellness Whiteness: The Monochrome Monopoly in the Health Industry and its Effects on Women of Color

Wellness, a term synonymous with health and well-being, has become a buzzword in America right now. It’s often associated with a lifestyle that entails healthy eating, exercise as a lifestyle, a spiritual quest for enlightenment, and over abundance of self-care.

As a student, and now budding practitioner in this space, I can’t overlook the fact that wellness culture, as we know it today, is largely dominated by white women. This leaves women of color, particularly Black women, feeling excluded, misrepresented, and alienated. And when you layer on age (over 40), and body size, that further exacerbates the problem.

Despite the fact that many wellness practices have deep roots in Asian, Indian, and Indigenous cultures, the commercial wellness industry often presents a whitewashed version of these practices. This article aims to highlight the need for greater inclusion of women of color in wellness and discuss ways to achieve it.

The Whitewashing of Wellness

The wellness industry, valued at around $4.5 trillion globally, is booming. However, a closer look reveals an uncomfortable truth: it is overwhelmingly white. The faces that dominate the industry, from health influencers (many of…