“As I look around the room, I can't help but think, ‘Is Ozempic right for me?'”
Jimmy Kimmel opened the 2023 Academy Awards with a joke that represented an uncomfortable and unfortunate reality for many: A new drug that has been found to induce weight loss is taking Hollywood by storm and reigniting The concept of “slimming”.
Elon Musk and Chelsea Handler are among the few high-profile figures to have admitted to using the drug for weight loss, though Handler said he was disappointed after learning it was suitable for people with diabetes. After that, she stopped using it. But experts say most celebrities who use Ozempic are likely to keep silent.
The push for transparency about Photoshop use and plastic surgery in recent years has helped usher in a new era of body acceptance and positivity, but this return to skinny culture shows that there are still cracks in the system. How far do people look in a certain way? Does the public have a right to know whether the ultra-thin stars they're comparing are using Ozempic to get there?
more: Elon Musk's Weight Loss, Ozempic, Wegovy, and What to Know About the New TikTok Viral Cure
What is ozone?
Ozempic is the brand name for semaglutide, which is just one of the incretin drugs. In June 2021, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved semaglutide under the trade name Wegovy for the treatment of chronic obesity. Since then, interest in the drug, which requires weekly injections, has skyrocketed.
“The Return of the Thin Culture Spiral”
Ella Halikas is a model for Sports Illustrated. But there was a time when the ozone craze would mess with her body image.
“I'm very confident — it's something that can't be shaken or shaken,” Hallikas told USA TODAY. “But if this had happened when I was in high school, I would have begged my mom to take me for a shot, and I think that says a lot. It would really affect a lot of people across the country and around the world. … It's really Very damaging and puts us all back in the skinny culture.”
Over the past few years, the body image conversation has evolved to celebrate different body types. But over the past few months, many have feared an economic downturn.
Kim Kardashian has revealed she quickly lost 16 pounds last year to fit in a Marilyn Monroe Met Gala dress. The New York Post ran the headline “Goodbye Booty: The Heroin Fashion Is Back” in the fall. The weight loss of celebrities such as Adele, Rebel Wilson and Mindy Kaling has attracted widespread public interest.
“The focus is on celebrities who don't fit this ideal of thinness, and then when they lose weight, people may be more attuned to that,” Meghan Gillen said. People add to the pressure. This person represents what people actually are, and now they subscribe to this (skinny) ideal.”
She adds: “Any kind of body modification is fascinating. Like, ‘How did your body change so much?' And, ‘How do you do it?' ’ These are real women. Their bodies represent what a lot of women look like. I think people just want to know, ‘What’s the secret? “”
The way we talk about ozone
The notion of an “ideal” body shape can lead to “shame, a lack of self-worth, anxiety and depression,” Gillen said. “A lot of the negativity (comes from) looking at celebrities and people say, ‘This is the ideal body.' It's a feeling that you can't measure up to, that you're just not good enough.”
Enter: Diet pills like Ozempic or cosmetic surgery as options “to lessen that shame,” adds Gillen.
In addition to causing mental health problems, more and more people, famous and not, are using Ozempic, which has led to a shortage of people with diabetes and people who rely on Ozempic for their health.
Does the public have a right to know about the use of ozone by celebrities?
While some might argue that celebrities not publicly using the drug to lose weight perpetuates unrealistic body standards, Gillen believes it is more important to educate people—especially young people—on overall media literacy, rather than promoting individual cases.
“I think it might cross the line into their own personal business, because they're human too, and I think it's challenging to be in the spotlight and have people take pictures and say, ‘It looks like you just gained 10 pounds or lost 10 pounds' ’” she added.
Plus, Gillen says, research shows that explaining how celebrities lose weight doesn't actually make most people feel better about themselves. Adding disclaimers to Photoshop images of people doesn't stop viewers from comparing their own images with edited ones, a study found.
“I think as a culture, (we need to examine) how thin we really want to be,” Halikas said. “We're going to extremes. … It just comes down to the conversation of knowing you've had enough. The way you are today is enough. You don't need to change yourself. You don't need to jump on trends.”
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