The Rise of Weight Loss Medications: A Double-Edged Sword
From Hollywood A-listers to your local pharmacy, the weight loss drugs Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, and Saxenda have taken the spotlight. These medications have been celebrated as a “miracle” and the “wonder drugs of the twenty-first century” by healthcare professionals and scientists alike. While their praises are understandable, I worry that they have only exacerbated the pervasive fatphobia in our society, which often manifests itself in mocking celebrity weight gain, celebrating weight loss, and fostering self-loathing among those who feel they are not thin enough.
These weight loss drugs can indeed assist in shedding unwanted pounds, but they have inadvertently contributed to the stigma surrounding fatness. The active ingredient in these medications is a GLP-1 agonist (glucagon-like peptide-1), which mimics a hormone naturally produced in the small intestine. This hormone plays a critical role in regulating insulin release, controlling glucose levels in the bloodstream, slowing down digestion, and influencing how our brains register fullness after eating. Initially developed to manage diabetes, it soon became clear that GLP-1 agonists could do much more than just that.
The effects of these medications can be dramatic, with users experiencing weight loss ranging from 5 to 22.5 percent of their body weight within 18 months. However, the financial burden of these drugs is significant. Currently, the only way to obtain them through the NHS is via a weight management specialist, and access is limited. As a result, private prescriptions are the most feasible option, costing several hundred pounds per month. This is a price many are willing to pay for the promise of transformation.
Nevertheless, the rise in popularity of GLP-1 drugs has exposed our cultural disdain for fat individuals. A troubling narrative has emerged, branding those who use these drugs as “cheaters” or individuals taking the “easy way out.” This phenomenon, known as “Ozempic shaming,” is rampant online. A quick glance through the comments on social media posts about GLP-1 journeys reveals a treasure trove of judgment. Fitness influencers, too, often promote the idea of losing weight “naturally,” further perpetuating this stigma.
At the heart of this issue is not genuine concern for the health of those taking GLP-1 medications, but rather an insidious belief that being fat is a moral failing resulting from gluttony and laziness. This perspective implies that individuals who struggle with their weight lack the willpower necessary for self-control, rendering them “bad people.” In this oversimplified framework, a fat body becomes visible proof of a person’s unworthiness, and any attempt to achieve thinness without “suffering” is met with disdain.
Obesity is indeed linked to various health problems, and fatphobia frequently masquerades as a concern for health. However, I suspect that those who bullied me during school or shouted insults at me in the street were not genuinely invested in my well-being or health metrics. If fat-shaming were truly about health, we would celebrate those using weight loss medications instead of deriding them.
From personal experience, I can attest that weight loss drugs are not an “easy way” to lose weight. I used Wegovy for nearly a year and managed to shed around a stone and a half. However, the journey was fraught with challenges, including unpleasant side effects like nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Imagine attempting to lift weights at the gym while battling those symptoms—it quickly becomes clear that this is far from an effortless solution.
While the medication can help you feel fuller longer, it doesn’t eliminate the need for discipline. If you indulge in high-fat snacks, significant weight loss is unlikely. You will still need to exercise and maintain a calorie deficit to achieve your desired results. Trust me; the effort is still required. But even if these drugs could magically make you thin, why should that be viewed negatively? What is it about the prospect of achieving thinness through medication that threatens our societal values? Why do we want fat individuals to struggle?
Throughout my life, my weight has fluctuated dramatically, and one bitter truth remains: the world tends to treat you better when you are thin. People readily compliment your appearance when you lose weight, family members pile food onto your plate at gatherings because they assume you are “too thin,” strangers flirt with you, and finding clothes in your size becomes significantly easier. The assumption often is that weight loss equates to improved health, yet no one considers the possibility of an underlying illness.
Ironically, when I gain weight, my confidence diminishes. I feel scrutinized for my grocery choices and apprehensive when returning to the gym. The admiring glances from men seem to vanish. What’s particularly frustrating is that I often feel happier when I am at my larger size. The effort required to slim down to a size 10 leaves me grumpy and irritable, yet during my happiest moments, I feel the harshest judgment.
The underlying cause of this disparity is simple: society rewards thinness and punishes fatness. It’s an ugly truth, but we seem to want fat individuals to endure hardship and suffering. This is why GLP-1 medications are disparaged as mere shortcuts to thinness. Despite their benefits, I fear these drugs have only intensified fatphobia within our culture. Not only do individuals face shame for opting to take GLP-1, but those who choose not to are also subjected to relentless pressure to conform and lose weight.
I have witnessed friends and family members express the burden they feel to use these medications, with the sentiment that “there’s no excuse now.” When it comes to GLP-1, you are criticized whether you take them or not. I acknowledge that these medications can save lives and enhance the quality of life for many. However, they cannot address the pervasive cultural stigma surrounding body size. In fact, they may have worsened it.
As miraculous as these drugs are, their emergence has made it all too easy to mock and belittle those in larger bodies. They have raised expectations for thinness and threaten to undermine the progress made by the body positivity movement. Ultimately, no medication can eliminate fatphobia; overcoming that societal issue will require genuine effort and awareness.
