Time To Say Goodbye Phone Alienation, Body Optimization, and Make America Healthy Again with Maya Vinokour
Jan 15, 2025
Maya Vinokour, an Assistant Professor of Russian Studies at NYU, dives into the curious intersection of wellness culture and right-wing politics. She unpacks the concept of 'lifestyle fascism' and how everyday health choices can lead to radical beliefs. The conversation navigates the evolution of wellness since the 1970s, poking fun at modern food trends, and critiques the anxiety surrounding health narratives in our tech-driven world. Plus, she highlights the psychological toll of the optimization craze and the nihilism creeping into youth political engagement.
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Fads and the Problem of Choice
- Cultural fads like wokeness and wellness offer answers to the modern problem of excessive choice, reducing anxiety.
- They provide a rubric for how to live, thus constricting the overwhelming freedom of choice.
Gender and Wellness Coding
- Earlier new age wellness was female-coded, while the current iteration is male-coded, despite men not being the sole participants.
- The shift from female to male association marks a key difference between the older and newer forms of wellness.
Subscription Model Politics
- Politics has shifted to a subscription model, with people paying for exclusive online communities and guru-like figures.
- This contrasts with the past where joining a community required physical presence and effort.
