The research presented, takes a look at what self-care looks like in those who are in a lower class. Within doing that, what is also being presented is the “one size fit- all” aspect of self-care, but the “one size” is typically white people and in this case white women. Self-care ideas go back centuries and many of the tools used in the industry stem from Buddhism. As the years continued, self-care became a booming 11 million dollar industry due to the simple fact the industry has expanded. There are books, videos, social media accounts, retreats, etc, all created about self-care. But this increased commodification has drawn the industry even further away from being a “one-size-fits-all” fix because those who want to practice the self-care that is presented and do not come from a place of privilege, are now limited in their ability to do so. Poverty can affect people of any ethnicity and race but this research dives deeper into how self-care looks for BIPOC who are from a lower class. In the era of The 1950s- 70s, the Civil Rights Movement used the ideas of self-care radically and as a political statement. And the Women’s liberation movement followed suit. Their motive behind doing so was to expose the systematic injustice created by white patriarchy. These two groups felt that their needs were not being taken care of within society so they used self-care as an ode to taking back some of their power. Fast forward several years later, with self-care practices becoming so extensive and expensive, it is difficult for BIPOC to utilize that aspect of self-care as it has derived from its origins. Self-care is presented as something that everyone has the ability to do, and there is potential for it to become that. But as the industry continues to commodify itself, more and more people are being excluded.
Presentation: The Privilege of it All (English Presentation)
