"I have all that. My body feels like it has a tenant on a long-term lease trashing the place a bit. Not enough to get them evicted – not – yet- but those tenants were not taking good care of the structure."
In this quote, the narrator compares herself to a tenant not taking care of the house she lives in. The house represents the narrator's body. The narrator has lived a reckless lifestyle in her thirties. For instance, the narrator has not cared for her body because she is an alcoholic, a smoker and a carefree eater. As the narrator approaches her fortieth birthday, she realizes she must adopt a healthier lifestyle to get a perfect body. Consequently, the narrator repairs her body through fasting, attending yoga classes and adopting a healthier lifestyle.
"Yet somehow, the term detox has entered the mainstream, uncoupled from its original meaning and co-opted by the wellness industry. There is a detox tea, detox shampoo, detox oils, detox energy drinks, detox powders, detox juices, detox salads, detox books, detox apps and detox holidays."
In her journey to gain a perfect body, the narrator comes face-to-face with the realities of the wellness industry. Several entrepreneurs have entered the wellness industry, and they have introduced several detox products that are aimed at helping people to live healthier life. However, most of the wellness industry products aim to enrich the businesspersons in the wellness industry. The demand for a perfect body in the modern world has increased, and there are mushrooming wellness facilities such as gyms and wellness clinics. The narrator interacts with several products and wellness facilities to reduce her weight and achieve a perfect slim body. Ultimately, the narrator realizes overreliance on wellness products cannot lead to anticipated health outcomes.
"For most of the clinic's fasters, it is all about the weight when all is said and done. The program says it is all about organ function, but weight – shedding it, dropping it, burning it – is the endgame."
The quote shows the irony of the clinics advocating for wellness. Most clinics tell clients that wellness is all about proper body functioning, but the goal is to lose weight. The narrator's primary goal is to have a perfect body, which means losing weight. The clinics start by asking patients to fast and only eat sparingly. When one does fasting, she will automatically lose weight, and the clinics will take credit for the outcome because they always give wellness pills. The narrator notes that the wellness pills the clinics give are a cover-up because people only lose weight after fasting.
