Dark wellness: Fiction traces grim extremes

First there was #ThatGirl, with her eucalyptus-scented mists, Stanley cup full of green juice and massages that doubled as workouts.

- Anesha George

The aesthetic went viral on social media in 2021 and was criticised for promoting unattainable ideals of perfection in the guise of self-care. #ThatGirl was succeeded by #CleanGirl, a minimalist focused on self-improvement. This can become a relentless quest too. The dark side of the drive to be the best version of oneself has lately spawned a new sub-genre of literary fiction. It's called “dark wellness”. Take a look.

Public defender Jasmyn Williams has just moved to Liberty, a Los Angeles suburb alive with Black culture, in the bestselling Jamaican-American writer Nicola Yoon’s novel. With its grand museum, peaceful streets and luxurious wellness centre, Liberty seems to deliver on its promise of utopian living. But Williams soon discovers a community fixated on self-care, raising questions about the price of living in such a bubble.

What does it really take to pursue lives of such relaxation? Watch out for broader themes of systemic racism, surveillance and the hidden costs of a realised utopia.