New Year, Same You! Get into it!

New Year, Same You. Get into it.

It’s the New Year. Let’s try something new and scrap new year, new you rhetoric. There is nothing wrong with the old you.

How’s that Diet Going?

So here we are, with the first week of the new year under our belts. Are you the newest, best version of yourself yet? How about we say fuck that.

All those quick fixes, glamorous self-help guides, sexy workout plans, clean eating programs, cleanses, and spiritual journeys are just like your worst favorite fuck boy. The idea of engaging with them is great. Sometimes, they are fun but never measure up to what is promised. In the end, you are back to where you are—no shade, just sayin.

Header Highlighting Transition

As a queer therapist, I see so much covert supremacy embedded in “new year, new you” perfectionism. Flat out, it’s just a scheme to fold capitalism into your deficit thinking. Instead, I offer my clients an alternative: “New Year; same for you, get into it.” This is an opportunity to see that no parts of you are broken, gross or wrong. Nothing provided externally by someone you don’t know, like a wellness brand, fitness program, or diet, will transform you into who you want to be. This is not to say health and wellness support are bad; it is just how it is marketed to people.

Capitalism Wants You to Hate Yourself

Capitalism wants you to hate yourself. Take a minute and open Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok. Notice how flooded your feed is with brands and influencers pitching a newer, better version of yourself… at a cost. Many offer the answers to be a newer, happier you—even therapists. And the reality is, no one is immune. I’m writing this article calling out health and wellness for profiting on people’s weaknesses, and in doing so, I am advertising my therapy practice.

Capitalism is pervasive throughout all aspects of our culture. If we are not conscious of what influences our choices and judgment, we can be taken advantage of. Self-help, wellness coaches, fitness plans, and self-care brands are trying to make money off of your insecurities. In doing so, they offer false hopes and erase your intrinsic value. Don’t buy into it!

Wellness Capitalism

The Global Wellness Institute’s (GWI) economic research states that the global wellness economy is valued at over $5.6 trillion. It is expected to maintain annual growth of 8.6%, with a projected value of 8.5% trillion by 2027. In 2020, the wellness economy comprised 5.6% of the global market. Their research categorized the wellness economy into the following sectors:

Personal Care & Beauty ($1,089 billion)
Healthy Eating, Nutrition, & Weight Loss ($1,079 billion)
Physical Activity ($976 billion)
Wellness Tourism ($651 billion)
Public Health, Prevention, & Personalized Medicine ($611 billion)
Traditional & Complementary Medicine ($519 billion)
Wellness Real Estate ($398 billion)
Mental Wellness ($181 billion)
Spas ($105 billion)
Workplace Wellness ($51 billion)
Thermal/Mineral Springs ($46 billion)

All these industries are potentially awesome, don’t get me wrong. I am a double Taurus therapist; I love a spa day, a good massage, organic vegan food, a cute gym sesh … and you know I am in weekly therapy for life. However, none of these things make us “better” or “happier” if they are not reflective of our true values, self-guided personal growth, and intrinsic needs for wellness. They are also incredibly expensive.

“New Year, New You” is Just Abusive Marketing.

The issue is how wellness is being marketed to us. This is where the “fuck boy vibes” come in. Every individual has their own personal needs, values, and goals. At the same time, we are human and have insecurities and fears of not being enough. These industries take advantage of our vulnerabilities without regard for the longevity of our well-being. We are bombarded with ads from these industries telling us how much better we can feel if we buy their product.

These ads are addictive because they play into our negative self-concepts, point out our imperfections, and use that vulnerability to sell lies about how they can make us perfect. These ads give us a quick fix dopamine rush but do not follow through with those intoxicating promises of perfection. These ads completely erase the intrinsic values of consumers and convince us that their wellness strategy knows better than we do when it comes to our needs. This marketing is trying to make you believe they can make you perfect; it is possible to be perfect if you buy their stuff.

Perfection Perpetuates Supremacy

Perfection is impossible. It is a concept that can never be attained. It is the preverbal carrot being dangled in front of us. We can try to attain it, but no matter how much we try, we can never reach it. To be perfect, by definition, is to be free of any flaws or defects. But according to who and what rubric? The reality is we live in a culture based on Western, heteronormative standards centering on whiteness. To MOST humans, that standard is impossible. Our diverse experiences and identities shape who we are, our worldview, our cultures and inform our values. Our differences (imperfections) are key to our Queerness.

Looking at perfectionism critically, we see how it has a supremacist nature to it. When we try to be perfect, pursue perfection, or be “the best,” we unconsciously play into supremacy. Play the tape forward; if we attain perfection, we arrive at a status of superiority and status over those with less perfection than us. That’s messed up.

I invite you to consider if your goals for the new year reflect who you are or have been marketed to you. Also, consider how New Year, New You, Be the Best You Can Be, and all the social media influencers’ marketing life hacks are rooted in conscious and unconscious supremacy.

Let’s not forget that the perfection and supremacy embedded in “New Year, New You” capitalism upholds oppressive values to all who do not fit into the cookie cutter. These toxic goals perpetuate ableism, racism, classism, sexism, ageism, ciscentrism and heteronormativity. “New Year, New You” marketing assumes we are all attempting to attain the same version of “perfect.” You are the sum of all your parts, and acknowledging is the place to start. Self-compassion is key.

Self-Compassion is Social Justice

You are a sum of all your parts: True growth is not found in erasing yourself to fit a mold of perfection. Growth and healing occur by changing your relationship to your whole self: the good, the bad, the neutral, the ugly. It’s all you, baby.

I offer you a few exercises to consider a different approach to the new year that does not erase who you are or try to sell you an idea of perfection. Please consider how this new year could be a self-compassionate one.