Wellness

US: 250 Years Later – Part 70: Hygiene/Self-Care

by

In 1776, hygiene was less a daily expectation and more an ongoing negotiation with labor, resources, and survival. Cleanliness often meant washbasins, fresh linen, and practical routines rather than modern standards of bathing and self-care. Two hundred and fifty years later, hygiene and wellness have expanded into vast systems of products, rituals, technologies, and emotional coping strategies. This letter follows America’s changing relationship with self-care and asks whether humanity is becoming healthier… or simply becoming more anxious about how well we maintain ourselves.

Read the letter →

US: 250 Years Later – Part 48: Exercise

by

In 1776, exercise was not a separate activity tucked into calendars and gym schedules. Movement was woven directly into survival itself through labor, travel, military life, and daily existence. Two hundred and fifty years later, exercise has evolved into an enormous cultural ecosystem of gyms, wearables, wellness trends, and digital tracking systems. This letter follows America’s changing relationship with movement and asks whether modern people have confused “working out” with simply living well inside a human body.

Read the letter →

US: 250 Years Later – Part 12: Body Image

by

In 1776, bodies were valued largely for what they could do: endure hardship, survive illness, labor, and carry people through daily life. Two hundred and fifty years later, America lives inside an endless digital mirror where comparison never sleeps. This letter follows the evolution of body image from survival and social standing to social media, impossible standards, and the ongoing search for self-worth beyond appearance.

Read the letter →