Diet Culture Gone Awry: The Misuse of Ozempic
By: Emily Hricak
September 22, 2023
Photograph: Getty Images
For a while, it seemed as though society was taking major strides to correct the unrealistic beauty standard we have in America. For years, the “ideal woman” has been tall, white, blonde, and no bigger than a size two. This standard was plastered on billboards and magazines everywhere, brainwashing our country (men and women) into believing that this is what women should look like.
Around 2012, a revolutionary movement in the beauty industry was initiated. “Body positivity” started trending, and women were encouraged to embrace their body’s natural form and stop pursuing unhealthy diet trends. We gradually began reversing the generations of trauma that implanted the idea that we weren’t beautiful because we didn’t look like Cindy Crawford. Beauty and fashion brands started hiring models of all sizes… It finally seemed like we were making progress to promote a healthy standard of beauty.
Alas, a few celebrities got wind of Ozempic, a drug intended to streamline how the body breaks down sugar and fat for people with type 2 diabetes. After people in the public eye started dropping pounds and transforming their bodies, the public took notice… and wanted to do the same.
Diet culture has gone awry. Instead of shifting towards healthier eating habits and moderate exercise, people are taking drastic measures to obtain an unnatural figure. Ozempic is an injectable and invasive drug with side effects that should be taken seriously. Doctors who prescribe Ozempic to viable candidates make their patients aware of these concerns, but when celebrities and influencers who are otherwise perfectly healthy get their hands on Ozempic just to drop a couple of pounds, it can be detrimental. When the public figures started raving about Ozempic, their fans followed suit. All of a sudden, everyone except the people who really needed it had access to Ozempic.
No drug should be a “trend.” In August of 2023, Novo Nordisk, the pharmaceutical company producing weight-loss drugs like Ozempic, admitted in a statement that demand for weight-loss drugs “continues to outpace our increasing production” and it anticipates an “ongoing supply disruption.” Not only does the trendiness of Ozempic pose considerable health risks, it also puts diabetic people who actually rely on Ozempic at a disadvantage. We must put aside our shallow, cosmetic wishes and be mindful of those who actually require Ozempic to survive.
our exploration of this issue is fascinating. Many of my friends and family were directly impacted, and I never fully grasped the harm it inflicts on the body. The commodification of our desire to attain a perceived ideal in the industry is a captivating revelation. It sheds light on the pervasive influence of societal expectations on our well-being. Your insight prompts a deeper reflection on the consequences of this pursuit of perfection, both personally and within the broader context of the beauty and fitness industries.
Emily, the way you write is so clear and powerful. Your sentences flow beautifully from one to the next, and your paragraphs are immaculate. I thank you for writing about this topic. I never thought about how trends on social media could be so dangerous in the minds of today's generation. A drug should never be a trend indeed. It's terrifying to think that those with diabetes struggle to get their necessary medicine since people are using it to harm their bodies. Body standards need to be corrected once again. Companies and celebrities with large platforms should focus less on their looks and more on morals. Maybe then we can shift the conversation away from how “skinny” people need to be in order to be liked.
I completely aagree, it's sad to see how far we've strayed from embracing natural beauty, to the point where health is compromised. Seeing the misuse of Ozempic in the beauty industry is deeply troubling. Back home, accessing such medications is alarmingly easy; they're available over the counter at any pharmacy, placed alongside vitamins, no prescription needed. This accessibility reflects a disturbing global shift in beauty perceptions, where people are willing to risk their health for an unrealistic image.
This trend raises a critical question: when does it stop? You take the medicine, lose some weight, and then potentially gain it all back. It seems like a never-ending cycle, a clever marketing strategy designed to keep people hooked. The pursuit of an ideal body image, fueled by societal pressures and unrealistic standards, leads to this dangerous path where health risks are ignored for temporary gains.
I also wrote a blog post about Ozempic, and I am also concerned about the social media buzz surrounding it. I agree with you that Ozempic should be left alone by mainstream consumers, and only used by people who actually need it to manage their diabetic symptoms. Unfortunately, when I hear about Ozempic being discussed casually by my friends, people rarely ever comment on its potential side effects.