What is the wellness division?

In one line

The wellness division is a women's division in which competitors wear a swimsuit and high heels to show a firm body that carries a little more size in the hips and thighs.

What is the wellness division?
A stage for a body with a bit more hips and thighs
Bodybuilding shows include several women's divisions where competitors stand in a swimsuit and high heels. One of them, 'wellness', is hard to understand from its name alone. Here is what body it looks for and how it differs from bikini.
In short
A firm body with a slightly bigger lower body
Wellness is a division created for women who carry a little more size in the hips and thighs. Competitors (people who enter the show) stand in a swimsuit and high heels. Judges look at the shape and balance of a whole body that has been made firm by losing fat.
When it began
It became an official division in 2016
The International Fitness and Bodybuilding Federation (IFBB) recognized wellness as a new official division in 2016. Its rules introduce it as a division for women with slightly more size in the hips and thighs. It is one of several women's divisions that appeared one after another in the 2010s.
Attire
A two-piece swimsuit and high heels
Competitors wear a two-piece swimsuit, with separate top and bottom, and high heels. IFBB rules say the bottom must cover at least half of the buttocks. Unlike the bodybuilding division, bracelets and earrings are allowed.
Quarter turns
Turning a quarter at a time to show the body
The basic stance in wellness is the 'quarter turn'. Standing in place, the competitor turns right a quarter (1/4) of a circle at a time, showing the front, side, back and other side in order. There are no bodybuilding-style poses with raised arms and fully flexed muscles.
Walking the stage
The walk is judged too
Competitors walk to the center of the stage, stop to show their stances, and walk back. The IFBB calls this the 'I-walking'; the US amateur body NPC and the professional IFBB Pro League call it the 'Model Walk'. Classes are divided by height, not body weight.
What judges look for 1
Slightly bigger hips and thighs
IFBB rules say the top-to-bottom proportions of the body should be correct, while the hips and thighs should be slightly bigger. NPC rules ask for full, round glutes with a slight separation between the glutes and the back of the thighs.
What judges look for 2
A smooth, firm body with less fat
IFBB rules say body fat should be lowered to about the level of bikini competitors so the body looks firm. Even so, splits between muscles or fine lines on the muscle surface (striations) should not show. Skin should look smooth, and judges also look at the whole look, including hair and makeup.
How it differs from other divisions
Softer than figure, more lower body than bikini
IFBB rules state that wellness is neither figure (a division showing more muscle than bikini) nor women's physique (a division with even more muscle). Looking as full or as big as those divisions is marked down. Compared with bikini, the fat level is similar and the lower-body size is different.
A common misconception
Do bigger hips and thighs always win?
No. IFBB rules want hips and thighs that are 'slightly' bigger, while the top-to-bottom proportions stay correct. Muscle that looks too big or too hard is marked down. NPC rules also do not want glutes that look square instead of round.
Summary
A smooth, firm body with a bit more lower body
Wellness is a women's division in which competitors wear a swimsuit and high heels to show a firm body with a little more size in the hips and thighs. Bigger is not always better: muscle that is too big or too hard is marked down. Related terms: bikini division, figure division, quarter turn.