The Never-ending Rebrand: When Self Improvement Feels Performative

Merriam-Webster defines "rebrand" as a transitive verb meaning to change or update the brand or branding of a (product, service, etc.). In recent years this term has taken on a different life to describe everything from pop star album rollouts to beginning a new era within your life. The concept is intriguing. Feel tired of the way you're currently living and need a hard reset? Rebranding is the answer for you.

It's the more mature and evolved version of the "That Girl" trend of the early 2020s which consisted of daily rituals like waking up at 5 A.M., drinking green juice, and journaling before heading to the gym. Much "rebranding" content encourages the viewer to do a complete audit of their life, eliminating any habits, behaviors, and relationships that will no serve them within their journey into becoming their future self.

The concept isn't bad in theory and can even be used as a tool for self improvement, but what signals that your rebrand is successful and what do you do when your rebrand flops?

Successful rebrands are performative

In a culture where social media seems central to everyone's lives how do we determine what a successful rebrand looks like? Is it based on how you look to the outside world or how you feel about ourselves when nobody's watching? London based beauty and lifestyle journalist Zeynab Mohamed pondered the same things when she attempted her own rebrand during the beginning of the year.

"As I watch one rebrand video after another, it’s clear that the goal isn’t really about meaningful change. It’s about performative change; a performance that feeds algorithms, beauty standards and this relentless pressure. What is a successful rebrand if it isn’t documented? And of course, the goals rarely serve the self as much as they serve capitalism and algorithms. It’s not hard to miss the long, expensive lists of things to buy and the very formulaic ways of how to succeed. As long self optimization is intertwined with our online identities, it’s hard to say who and what we’re changing for"

Implement better habits sustainably

The solution to this dilemma isn't to abandon self improvement all together but to  implement changes within your life that are beneficial and sustainable without the pressure of the algorithm. A great starting point is understanding the 8 dimensions of self care, a framework that highlights the importance of balance between different elements of our wellbeing. Using this as a guide you can begin a self care plan where you select 2-3 habits within each category to begin to put into practice. 

These new habits might not be the most exciting or "aesthetic" but following them will help you in learning to nurture your overall wellbeing. In beginning this journey we recommend downloading our FREE "Dimensions of Self Care" planning sheet to begin documenting your self care goals.