Does my self care routine reflect my privilege?
My mind has been focused a lot lately on the weight of importance we place on self care and mental wellbeing in 2020. We are all experiencing something close to an existential crisis. Current events project a bleak outlook in our society. We have black brothers and sisters being murdered simply for existing. We are still in the middle of a worldwide pandemic. We are facing a climate crisis that continues to disparage the haves from the have-nots. We are also in an election year in which party lines have grown farther and farther apart. As we face all of these trials and tribulations we preach to one another on the importance of mental check-ins, self care, and general wellbeing. We encourage loved ones to “power off” and disconnect for periods of time in order to quiet the noise and the negativity that have put us into a constant poor headspace. We experience all of this separately from the daily stresses that we go through as we strive to be contributing and successful members of society: Did I schedule my rent payment? Where did I put that tax form from last week? How do I handle that difficult coworker during tomorrow’s meeting?
Even if those questions (or different variations of them) don’t directly apply to your situation, one can assume that since you’re reading this you have more available to you than others: a stable internet connection. Now let’s apply those questions to a fellow citizen in need. Where am I going to find my next meal? How can I ensure that I’m counted for during the Census this year without a home? How can I ensure my kids are safe from COVID exposure when I am a low-income, yet essential worker? Many of us who identify with the former questions are able to take time on either a daily or weekly basis to shut off for some “me time”. Personal time that feeds our soul and lets us reset without all of the noise and everyday stresses is what we’ve defined as a successful self-care session. For those who frequently ask themselves questions mirroring the latter ones posed, access to those products and tools might not come as easy - if at all.
Each of us has the ability to define our self care practice in a different, unique, and special way - one that is directly catered to us and what we need. We can fill those sessions with a high-quality face mask, a luxurious candle or even a relaxing concoction of bath salts for a nice soak. The issue that arises is access to these items. For a lot of people these traditional self care items are not readily available to them for consumption which forces them to become more creative with how they practice their own self care or forego some cherished “me time” altogether. But who can really be the judge and jury of how we are able to take care of ourselves and maintain frequent mental health tune ups? The capitalist foundation that our society and economy is based on would argue that consumers determine the market. No money, no luxurious candles or face masks. That’s all fine, but isn’t it also our responsibility as consumers within that model to ensure that the products and practices we turn to and utilize for our own benefit can also help others? Be it eco-friendly packaging that helps reduce waste and emissions or a sustainable dress made by fair-wage labor in a developing country - why do we limit our sense of responsibility there? For self care specifically we should encourage brands we love to give back to causes that inspire and motivate us to enact change in the world and help our fellow citizen. It’s glaringly obvious that organizations who focus their mission on self care and mental wellbeing think about their consumers first, but we as consumers have the ability to push back on the brands that we love to do better, be better, and give back to others that might not have the same access to resources that allow for proper mental maintenance and self care.
That’s why it was so important to me when I started duncan&robyn to have a model that gave back to the community we live in. In adopting the 1-to-1 model we ensure that both our consumers and women in need have access to a product that makes them feel beautiful and confident.
There’s a lot more work to be done, but as we continue to shop for ourselves and pay it forward through separate transactions why can’t we as consumers, in turn, do both at the same time?
xx, Courtney