Netflix show highlights the toxic side of the wellness industry

By Flora Irvine-Hall

Credit: Christina Victoria Craft via unSplash.

If you have a Netflix account, it’s likely you’ve come across their new drama Apple Cider Vinegar.

The series is based on the real-life story of Belle Gibson, a young, beautiful woman diagnosed with brain cancer who rose to fame after claiming she had cured the disease.

She claimed to have done this through holistic healing and wellness as opposed to traditional medicine. The problem? It was all a lie. Belle was never even sick to begin with.

Apple Cider Vinegar will have you hooked from the beginning.

Each episode will fill you with rage and leave you thirsty for more.

Although Belle is absolutely the main villain, the series also highlights the toxic and exploitive side of the wellness industry. 

Belle’s story should have been a cautionary tale, but we continue to be lied to by wellness influencers every day.

Credit Don Arnold via Gettyimages - The stars of Apple Cider Vinegar on the red carpet.

These influencers who preach about how the body can heal itself, how we’re constantly putting poison into our bodies by using everyday essentials like deodorant and how we need to “reset our guts.”

These influencers will often act like they know more than those have qualifications in medicine, trying to label sceptic doctors as close-minded. This narrative is present throughout the series.

The series also shows how wellness influencers can often harm themselves as well as others.

The character Milla, who was inspired by real-life cancer Jessica Ainscough, goes on a journey of holistic healing which leads to her having a huge online following.

Milla is very frustrating to watch, but there’s a tragic and sympathetic nature to her character because of the lies she has been told and continues to tell herself.

While a lot of influencers who promote wellness are level-headed and have no ill intentions, the industry is still filled with people that prey on the sick and vulnerable.

The character of Lucy is a great representation of this. Though Lucy is fictional, she represents real cancer patients who were tricked and lied to by influencers like Belle.

Apple Cider Vinegar is a compelling watch with an important message. It exposes the ugly side of the wellness industry and the narcissistic side of influencers.