A man looks through his medicine cabinet in the bathroom, circa 1955.

The Long Life of the Nacirema

An article that turned an exoticizing anthropological lens on US citizens in 1956 began as an academic in-joke but turned into an indictment of the discipline.
Young woman drinking a green smoothie after training

Why Clean Eating Can’t Save Your Soul

If hunger is moral purity, self-care a purchasable commodity, and wellness a stand-in for thinness, what does health really mean?
yoga studio

The False Promises of Wellness Culture

Wellness is everywhere today: juice cleanses, Soulcycle classes, self-care. The roots of the trend can be found in nineteenth-century health-consciousness.