The Myth of Bubble Bath Self-Care (Reclaiming What It Really Means)
For years, the term self-care has been sold back to us as a product: candles, face masks, bath bombs, and endless “treat yourself” slogans. While there is nothing wrong with enjoying those things, consumer culture has cheapened self-care by reducing it to a shopping trip. When we stop at the surface, we miss the deeper truth. Self-care was never meant to be a luxury product. It was meant to be a survival tool.
How Consumer Culture Cheapened Self-Care
When industries realized the popularity of self-care, they turned it into a brand. We were told that if we just purchased the right things, we would feel whole again. But the truth is, no amount of bubble baths can undo systemic exhaustion. When self-care is reduced to consumption, it loses its radical edge. It becomes another way women are told to spend, to perfect, and to achieve.
The Roots of Self-Care: Political Resistance
Self-care as we know it originated as a form of political resistance. The writer and activist Audre Lorde once said, “Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.”
For Black women, queer women, and other marginalized groups, self-care was never about spa days. It was about survival in systems that devalued their lives. It was about reclaiming rest, joy, and safety in a culture that denied those basic needs.
What Radical Self-Care Looks Like Today
So what does radical self-care look like for modern women? It might look like:
Saying no without apology
Taking rest seriously, even when culture calls it laziness
Setting boundaries that protect your mental and emotional energy
Gathering in community and supporting each other through collective care
Choosing joy and pleasure not as a reward but as a necessity
Radical self-care is about reclaiming our right to exist fully. No apology. No burnout. No need for permission. It is about refusing to let systems of patriarchy, capitalism, and white supremacy drain us until there is nothing left.
The Takeaway
Self-care is not a product. It is not about bubble baths, though you can enjoy one if it helps. It is about power, presence, and preservation. It is about building resilience by reclaiming the right to rest, to say no, and to live a life that is not defined by exhaustion.
When we return to the roots of self-care, we reclaim it as advocacy. We remember that personal healing fuels collective resilience. That is where real change begins.
