"I personally don't view it as a clear movement," said Pamela Herd, a professor at the University of Michigan's Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy. "It's a fragile political alliance."
As Herd sees things, the leadership of the movement—the administration-friendly personalities and the most-high-profile influencers and media figures—cares most about propping up the supplement and wellness industry, as many of these individuals have their own financial interests in nontraditional health products. ("It's not as much an ideology as it is an industry," she said of MAHA leadership.) But the rank and file, the "MAHA moms," can be divided into two broad categories, which we'll call the individualists and the structuralists.
"The relevant question is who has the power," Herd said. "And I think those with the most power and influence are in the individualist frame."
"I do think there's some growing discomfort and questioning of what's going on," Herd said. "I think it's possible this is sort of a tipping point."
