I recently wrote an article about Ozempic, a word that just a year ago many of us had never heard before. And now it’s a tried and true part of our vernacular. The supposed “miracle drug” had been around for years (since 2017, to be precise), but last summer it seemed that everyone finally cottoned on to the fact that this drug seemingly targeted at those with a medical need to monitor their blood sugar (like those with diabetes) could actually help everyday people lose weight.
A cure for weight loss?! Suddenly a frenzy was upon us.
There were shortages, new versions, and even companies like WW jumping on the bandwagon. I had friends with no medical history of diabetes (or weight issues) getting proactive marketing emails from their doctors offices telling them they could get the drug at a discount before summer if they wanted. You know, to get “summer body ready,” was the clear implication.
As I watched this unfold around me, I couldn’t help but wonder (SATC reference #notsorry), were we moving backwards?
When this craze first took off, I was still at the helm of a company whose core mission centered around the idea of helping all women feel comfortable, at home, and confident in their bodies when they get dressed every morning. Needless to say I was mildly horrified. And also pretty curious…
It seems that we’ve made significant strides against “diet culture” in the last decade or so. We had the body positivity movement, the subsequent body neutrality push, designers like Christian Siriano showing us how f*cking INCREDIBLE women of all shapes and sizes can look in haute couture clothing.
Even after I had to unfortunately shut down my company, I still actively follow influencers like Katie Sturino (have you read her book Body Talk yet?) and Remi Bader (I dare you to watch her realistic Zara hauls and not cackle out loud). That’s because I didn’t just follow these women because they stood for the same mission and values that my now defunct company did. It’s because they spoke to me, a woman who — like almost all women — has struggled with her body image and how she presents herself to the world. So when so many jumped right on the Ozempic (or Wegovy or Semaglutide) train as soon as it became clear that there might be a “quick fix” for weight loss, I found myself understandably depressed. And confused.
Was it all a lie?
I honestly don’t think so. But as with most things, I also think the answer is more complicated than a simple yes or no.
The work we’ve all done to embrace our real bodies (Sarah Landry is another epic follow in this camp) and even convince companies to reevaluate their tactics and celebrate them — that work is real, and we shouldn’t forget it. Self care should be lauded. Therapy is my new favorite thing (I was totally against the idea for a long time, so if I can do it so can you). Exercising to move your body not just to get smaller — yay!
But we don’t live in a vacuum where only the work we do on ourselves, or even the individuals we choose to follow on social media, are the only forces trying to influence our psyches. In fact, that little voice in our heads is heavily influenced by the world around us. Beyond social media, we’re constantly inundated with messages — from the stark to the subliminal — from celebrities, movies, TV, even the news that are heavily implying that life would be a little better if we were smaller.
We could wear sexier clothes.
We could attract a more desirable partner.
We could simply be happier. Because everyone else would more easily accept our existence. Because while we’ve certainly come a LONG way in representation, we still live in a society that is constantly telling us that being bigger isn’t better — and in fact, it’s our fault if we are. This simple fact has led people to believe that it’s completely justified to actively shame people for their bodies. People think it’s totally fine to tell someone bigger that they should be working out, not eating that burger. Yet it’s only in recent years that companies even started making workout gear that properly fit bigger bodies! Somehow we’re supposed to live at the gym until we’re an acceptable size but they’re not even going to make clothes that allow us to do that comfortably. Under the guise of being “concerned about someone’s health,” we’ve made it ok to treat anyone who doesn’t adhere to society’s image as less than.
Nevermind that there is actually no real benchmark that we’re supposedly competing against. This is clearly a trap. And we’ve all fallen victim to it over and over again. So in a world that is determined to make us feel bad about our bodies, is it any wonder that we all jumped on the idea that there might be an easy “solution”?
Look, the arc of history is long and windy or whatever the saying is. I didn’t watch the original WW special about the changes they’ve been making as a company, but I did catch Katie Sturino’s response, WW’s CEO Sima Sistani’s subsequent apology (hell yes 💪). And then Oprah’s follow up event where she invited Katie Sturino and others to discuss their experiences! This was a huge moment and I want to make sure we celebrate it.
Pause for celebration.
But while that was insanely exciting for me to see, it also demonstrated how much more work will need to be done for us to dismantle the shame and blame game we play with regards to people’s bodies. So let’s keep doing the work, pushing for better representation, and just in general being more gentle with ourselves as we all wrestle with our own internal monologues as they argue with the outside voices vying for our attention.