Why wellness culture is making us Pretty Unhealthy
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Dr Nikki Stamp’s new book Pretty Unhealthy investigates the conflict between appearance and reality when it comes to our health.
You might have seen Dr Nikki Stamp’s face on Instagram with the hashtag #ILookLikeASurgeon. On top of her work as heart and lung surgeon, she is a passionate supporter of the Heart Foundation and women’s heart disease advocacy, as well as a mentor and supporter of women in surgery.
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Nikki’s previous book, Can You Die of a Broken Heart, examined the often-misunderstood workings of the human heart. Now, she has turned her attention to wellness, especially the pseudo-scientific health advice that thrives on Instagram, in Pretty Unhealthy: Why our obsession with looking healthy is making us sick (Murdoch Books, $32.99).
Ahead of her book launch in Canberra this Wednesday 11 September with HerCanberra’s head chick Amanda Whitley, we caught up with Nikki to find out what inspired her to take on social media’s dangerous obsession with wellness.
Was there a particular moment that made you decide you had to write this book?
I had been thinking for a while how we had been so obsessed with our appearance instead of our health, but I remember sitting at Heathrow airport waiting to fly home. I saw so many magazines and books with lines like ‘lose 5kg fast’ or ‘get a summer body’ and I thought, no wonder we can’t be healthy. We’re being told to be beautiful and that’s not how we get healthy.
Why do you think people are turning to social media for diets and quick fixes rather than their doctor?
Don’t we all want a quick fix? I think that’s very natural and normal. Particularly when medicine is not sexy, sometimes it’s not certain and for many years, medicine hasn’t empowered people to exercise their autonomy in their care. I think medicine is improving but it has a long way to go.
What can the medical profession do better to combat this?
I think medicine is doing a little better at coming to the table with people, but we have a long way to go. I’d love to see more doctors being able to speak to what they do in a relatable way and to try and dispel some of the myths around medicine.
How does ‘wellness’ play into gendered stereotypes?
The wellness movement is really directed to middle-class women isn’t it? We’re the target of diets, activewear, exercise programs or social media. I think that it is also strongly associated with a very narrow ideal of health and beauty, perpetuating a thin, white, financially well-off ideal. The reality is that ‘wellness’ isn’t accessible to everyone and isn’t what the vast majority of us need to be actually healthy.
What is one thing you hope your readers will take away from Pretty Unhealthy?
I really want this to get people thinking critically about the information they see and to learn how to be healthy for reasons that are sustainable and actually good for us. I know when I was writing the book, I learnt so much and I hope that readers get that same evolution.
the essentials
What: Pretty Unhealthy book launch
When: 6pm to 8pm, Wednesday 11 September
Where: Harry Hartog ANU, 153/11 University Avenue, Australian National University, Canberra
How much: Free
Register: Online via Eventbrite
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