The Wellness Lies Instagram Still Sells Us

Instagram has gotten better at disguising the pressure.

It’s not the old “be thin at any cost” messaging we grew up with in glossy magazines. It’s not even the hyper-disciplined no days off hustle era. Now, it’s sold to us in muted neutrals, with a matcha in hand, wearing an oversized linen shirt and pretending that somehow this is the effortless embodiment of health and success.

But here’s the truth: the performance is still there. It’s just wearing a softer outfit.

The Soft Filter Doesn’t Remove the Pressure

The modern wellness aesthetic tells you it’s “balance,” but the rules are just as rigid—maybe even trickier to spot. Now you’re expected to:

• Be naturally glowing without makeup (but still somehow have lash extensions).
• Cook every meal from scratch with organic, local, seasonal produce—while running a business and never looking stressed.
• Work out daily in a way that’s “gentle on your body” but still sculpts it into an impossible shape.

The captions say you’re enough as you are, but the subtext whispers …as long as your enough looks like this.

How the Comparison Game Has Changed

The danger with this new wellness narrative is that it’s harder to call out—because it’s dressed up as self-love. You’re not told to lose weight, you’re told to glow from within. You’re not told to be perfect, you’re told to live in alignment.

But if you’ve ever felt bad about your life after seeing a woman drink a $20 adaptogen latte on her sun-drenched balcony at 10:00 AM on a Tuesday, you’ve felt it: the creeping sense that your reality is lacking.

Three Truths We Need to Start Saying Out Loud

1. Real wellness is messy
Some days it’s a hot yoga class, some days it’s eating pasta on the couch while ignoring your texts. Both count if they’re what your body needs.

2. Wellness doesn’t require an audience
The most nourishing choices you’ll make will never be photographed. And they don’t need to be.

3. Health is not a lifestyle aesthetic
You can be healthy and still have clutter on your counters, a mismatched bra-and-underwear situation, or a grocery cart with frozen vegetables next to the fresh kale.

Reclaiming Your Version of Wellness

It’s not about rejecting Instagram entirely—it’s about filtering it through your own values. Next time you scroll and feel that pang of inadequacy, ask:

• Is this inspiring me or making me feel “less than”?
• Am I chasing the feeling or the look?
• What would wellness look like if no one else could see it?

At Rae, we believe your wellness journey isn’t a brand. It’s a relationship with yourself. And the best ones aren’t for show.