Barre with Justine

In a few weeks, the Autumn 2023 Wellness Book Club will begin with Rina Raphael’s The Gospel of Wellness and I couldn’t be more excited to dive into this book with a group of students! Raphael’s book explores the elements of wellness culture that are perhaps a little less “well” than others – the financial implications of wellness, the questionable claims, and simply the exhaustion that anyone might feel in the pursuit of wellness.

The Gospel of Wellness is one of many excellent books on the topic of wellness that have been published in the last few years. There is also Who is Wellness For by Fariha Roisin, The Wellness Trap by Christy Harrison and, here in Canada, books by Timothy Caulfield (with the delightfully titled The Science of Celebrity…or is Gwyneth Paltrow wrong about Everything?) and Dr. Joe Schwarcz. I am personally excited to hear that Jessica DeFino, former beauty editor and now author of The Unpublishable on Substack has a book coming out on beauty culture in the very near future.

These publications allow us, as librarians, to give students a broader perspective on wellness in all it’s beauty and brokenness. It’s very easy to get caught up in a new title on beauty or health when a celebrity is on the cover. Consider how quickly cookbooks by celebrities climb their way to the top of bestseller lists, even if they don’t necessarily have the training to be dispensing diet advice (which is often a big part of these cookbooks…e.g. ‘why I cut out 3 different food groups and feel amazing now…’)

In addition to the books mentioned above, I would love to add a few titles I’ve read in the last month that have illuminated the struggles that many of us feel around beauty. In some ways, beauty and skin care are still considered an act of self-care and doesn’t seem to be discussed quite as much in the ‘anti-wellness’ books. I think about how different the pressures are on young adults these days, with celebrities like Hailey Bieber and Selena Gomez (had to name these two!) coming out with skin care and makeup lines that are PRICEY and contain so many steps that are unnecessary.

These books offer a unique perspective:

Beyond Beautiful by Anuschka Rees

This is a beautifully designed book that includes 600+ women who contributed their feelings and ideas about beauty. Rees covers everything from social media to beauty routines, with reflection questions and practical tips to improve the relationship we have with our appearance. It’s powerful to read the quotes from the women who contributed and also see the statistics of how women feel about the pressures to conform to a certain ideal of beauty.

Jessica DeFino’s The Unpublishable

This is not a book, but rather a Substack account* – without exaggeration, her writing has changed my thoughts on beauty culture! I think because DeFino was a beauty editor gives her articles so much weight since she unpacks the incredible amount of unnecessary and expensive beauty products that are relentlessly peddled to men and women. As an example, DeFino points out that the $75 serum that Jennifer Lopez is selling is NOT what gave her that beautiful glow, despite what she says. Her emails and her articles counterbalance the pressures that I think we all feel to buy the latest product, pay for the next procedure, or just generally feel badly about our flaws.

*anything by Kate Bowler*

Kate Bowler is a Duke University Professor who has written extensively about what it means to be human – the highs and the lows. She writes from a Christian perspective on topics ranging from her experience with cancer to the self-help industry and toxic positivity. My favourite book that she has written is No Cure for Being Human, but each of her books offers an honest perspective of the difficulties of life combined with a recognition that the highs and lows are exactly what it means to be human. Her quote: “Life is so hard. Life is so beautiful.” is one that resonates so deeply with me, and I’ve shared it with so many friends who are going through challenging times.

Do you have any titles that you think are worth adding to a wellness collection? Please add yours in the comments or send me an email at jcotton@brocku.ca!

*some of her content is freely available (including her emails), but some you pay a subscription to read…I do have some free 1-month subscriptions to gift, if anyone is interested!