Health and wellness has become a cultural priority for Gen Z — not just young men, but for young women navigating their own distinct pressures. In a persistent gloomcycle where chaos is the default, wellness rituals offer a reprieve and a sense of control.
The proof is in the numbers. McKinsey’s 2025 Future of Wellness survey underscores the scale of the shift. Gen Z consumers are central to the $2 trillion global wellness industry. Nearly one third (~30%) of Gen Z and Millennials say they’re focusing on wellness “a lot more” than they were one year ago.
Last week, The Up and Up explored how health and wellness has become core to young men’s daily routine and habits — and why, as a result, the MAHA movement is winning them over.
For Gen Z women, the motivations and practices look different. While Gen Z men are leaning into the bro-ness of it all and finding community through connecting over fitness or clean eating, for Gen Z women, health and wellness has a lot more to do with self empowerment and self-definition.
Where Gen Z men and women diverge
The biggest gaps between Gen Z men and women today have to do with how they think about future success and current stress. While young women list fulfillment and independence as key to their definition of success, young men are focused more on traditional roles like husband or father. Gen Z women are also more anxious than their male counterparts, and less likely to say they’re thriving than young men – a shift from last year.
Beneath the surface: When it comes to health and wellness, young men are often attracted to the community behind wellness, while young women are focused on self-improvement for their own sake.
Social media has a lot to do with this, with high profile content creators encouraging women to get their ducks in a row and make sure they figure themselves out, before they can think about bringing others into their orbit — some call this manifesting, and I’ve definitely had those conversations with my friends as well.
Breaking McKinsey’s survey down further, it surfaced key differences in how Gen Z and millennials are thinking about wellness. For Gen Z, it has a lot to do with their appearance.
This trend, of course, isn’t new, especially since social media recalibrated how young women especially think about getting dressed and putting themselves together. But AI is shifting these dynamics even further.
Here’s how – and why that matters.
In addition, the exclusive report of The Up and Up’s ‘Fall Semester Forecast’ with the full data lives on upandupstrategies.com for paying members (subscribe now for the password).
🔑 What You’ll Unlock: Highlights from this edition
9 trends reshaping women’s health and wellness
The health and wellness habits Gen Z women picked up from social media
My reflections on experiencing this shift first hand