An exploration of the multibillion-dollar wellness industry— about why women are feeling so un-well and how this trend has shaped our thinking about health and self-care.
Larocca’s tour is a lively one, full of information and humor ... The second half of How to Be Well reads like a survey course, cramming the industry’s relationship to politics, men and the environment into single chapters when each could fill a whole semester ... But when Larocca goes deep, as she does on self-care, body confidence and sex positivity, she’s at her best—authoritative and witty, personal without being chummy ... And finally, refreshingly, she’s honest about the money at stake for the wellness-industrial complex—not just for stylists turned wellness coaches or models turned nutritionists, but for massive corporations cashing in on an age of worry ... And that, as How to Be Well wisely shows us, is the bottom line.
Larocca offers interesting portraits of famous people like Goop founder Gwyneth Paltrow (a wellness 'she-god') and regular people like herself, admitting the 'embarrassing truth' that her socioeconomic status is most relevant to her health. Readers will find lots of informative and entertaining food (or juice) for thought.
Larocca takes on the wellness biz with a healthy dose of skepticism, and the result is both eye-opening and good fun ... A sharply pointed look at the vast wellness industry and 'the burden of being healthy and attractive' it places on consumers ... Larocca is excellent on the New Age aspect of the wellness business, with its mantras and microbiome-supporting organic coffee and mindfulness.
