Cult of wellness | The case of the Switch Witch
A creative Halloween tradition or an insidious indoctrination into diet culture?
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Earlier this week a Utah couple went viral for sharing about how the handle Halloween candy in their house, and the comments section had…mixed feelings.
TLDR; their family tradition is to go trick or treating as usual, but then, upon arriving home, their daughter chooses 5 pieces of candy she wants to keep, and sends the rest to the “Switch Witch” who will exchange the basket for a small gift. The parents do this to give their daughter the experience of Halloween, but with a smaller sugar intake.
Half of the comments praised the creativity, health consciousness, and resourcefulness of this tradition. Half the comments worried that the parents were establishing a fear around certain foods and depriving her of a core childhood experience, or the opportunity to learn about moderation on her own terms, instead of having the autonomy taken from her by the “Switch Witch”.
I see both sides…
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