We’ve been taught that feeling inadequate is the price of self-improvement. It isn’t.

When my client Hannah went for a massage, she expected to leave relaxed and restored. Instead, her therapist leaned in at the end to point out “signs of ageing” on her face, not because Hannah had asked for advice, but because the therapist wanted to sell £200 worth of products.

That moment wasn’t about care. It was marketing. And it left Hannah walking away deflated instead of uplifted.

This is the trick diet culture and wellness marketing have been pulling on women for over a century: convince you you’re broken, then sell you the “fix.” From flapper-era cigarettes and celery, to post-war slimming clubs, to the endless cycle of diets and guilt, the message has been the same: smaller, stricter, less of you.

But here’s the truth, you don’t have to buy it. Real wellness isn’t about shrinking yourself; it’s about nourishing your body, trusting it, and living fully in it.

Discover why self-care is a radical political act. Learn how looking after your body builds resilience in uncertain times and empowers lasting change.

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