The overconsumption of ozempic and media’s exploitation of the “Ideal Body”

Recently in media skeletal frames and protruding collar bones are being used to promote a new era of fitness culture, disguising blatant starvation as wellness. Debloating tips, low calorie recipes and “what I eat in a day”’s followed by glaring body checks plaster the internet, normalizing the idea that sickly skinny bodies are, in actuality, healthy ones. Having public figures become noticeably thinner will of course directly influence the public, causing the trend of extreme weight loss to reenter the mainstream. With the rate at which trend cycles come and go these days, the desire to speed up the weight loss process is at an all time high, leading to an intense push of weight loss drugs into advertising. 

Art by Florence Fraser Macduff

One could say the catalyst for all this was in 2021 when the FDA approved semaglutide under Ozempic to treat Type 2 diabetes. The medication mimicked the GLP-1 hormone, encouraging the pancreas to release insulin when blood sugar levels are high in order to manage diabetes symptoms. However, it became noted that the drug was not only useful for its medical benefits, but also for its pronounced weight loss effects. This byproduct launched the drug into extreme popularity, being  used–or should I say abused–by the general public for purposes other than its original intent. The drug provides a “safe” shortcut to what society now deems as the desirable body, allowing people to lean out without turning to restricted eating or outright addictive drugs. 

Although it is being marketed as a healthy way to use weight, dependence on these weight loss medications can lead to some grueling side effects. Gastrointestinal issues like diarrhea and vomiting are common, along with psychological issues like increased depression and anxiety. On the more superficial side of things, “Ozempic Face” is the term used to describe the appearance of those on GLP-1 drugs. Characterized by wrinkles, sunken eyes, sagging jowls and a hollowed overall facial structure, the image of users experiencing prolonged treatment from these drugs are resemblant of those who are anorexic or suffering from some sort of restrictive eating disorder. 

Unsurprisingly, features like these have begun to be sported by a plethora of celebrities, leading to discourse about their thinness and how it was achieved. The speculation surrounding whether or not the weight loss is caused by a GLP-1 or some sort of eating disorder is rampant and inescapable. On a recent episode of the podcast “So True”, host Caleb Hearon expressed the immediate accusations he received after losing a bit of weight. Commenters were outright telling him that he must be on a GLP-1 even though the weight he lost was completely natural, and even unintentional. This Ozempic brainwashing has normalized public discussion surrounding people's bodies, completely ignoring facts in turn for fantastical realities. Most famously, discourse surrounding the bodies of “Wicked: For Good” cast members has amplified the prominence of bony beauty trends. During the press tour for the first movie, “Wicked”, lead actresses Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo were subjected to extreme scrutiny for their co-dependent, out of character emotional behavior mixed with their extremely lean frames. This odd trend continued on into the sequel’s press tour, with Michele Yeoh following the footsteps of her costars and undergoing an apparent weight loss of her own. Even if it is not their direct intention, being a part of the celebrity zeitgeist comes with the power to influence, so showing off their emaciated bodies does nothing other than promote the look. 

The accelerating popularity of weight loss medication is also causing some ethical concerns to arise. These drugs are expensive, costing about $900 plus monthly without any medical coverage. This means that the primary audience for these prescriptions tend to be wealthy, creating a noticeable  connection between thinness and class, while also amplifying standards of health between the rich and poor. Historically, fatness has been tied to wealthiness with thinness being linked to poverty. However the script began to flip in the late 20th and 21st centuries, with positive correlation between poverty and obesity being prominent, especially in the United States. U.S. counties with poverty rates greater than 35 percent have obesity rates 145 percent greater than that of wealthier counties.

With these drugs being not only hoarded but also flaunted by the rich through media, those of low socioeconomic standing are less likely to find a way to access these potentially life saving drugs, and those who do not need weight loss drugs might begin to turn to them. Though the use of weight loss drugs can be used to effectively combat obesity, the way they have been popularized and advertised to the public does not convey this message. Instead of displaying how these drugs can help someone go from a dangerously heavy weight to a healthier, lower one, it is showing how they can take someone from a healthy weight to a lower and far more hazardous one. The weight loss standards that are currently being encouraged are revealing themselves as borderline anorexic behavior, and with young, impressionable people spectating this trend, it could very well lead them down a deadly path.