The Ozempic trend sweeping Hollywood is fueling unrealistic body standards once again.
The popular diabetes-turned-weight-loss drug (and similar Semaglutide variations) have “definitely changed the narrative” when it comes to body positive messaging in the entertainment industry, Rutgers University psychology professor Dr. Charlotte Markey exclusively told Page Six Monday.
“It’s hard not to realize that celebrities like Mindy Kaling, who are very proudly body positive and not especially petite, are slimmed down,” Markey said of the actress, who claimed she lost 40 pounds by changing her eating habits after being accused of using Ozempic in 2022.
“We’re getting a lot less messaging about self-acceptance and the fact that people just naturally come in different body sizes and shapes,” Markey added.
The ”Body Image Book for Girls” author acknowledged that a person’s desire to be thin is nothing new. However, she believes society had made great strides in overcoming unhealthy beauty standards in recent years — until Ozempic came along.
“I think there was real progress [toward body positivity],” she explained. “I think that as people came to understand that restricting what you ate and different fad diets were not going to be effective long-term, people appreciated that self-acceptance was a much more reasonable and healthy option in terms of physical and psychological health.”
While Ozempic has made weight loss more attainable for celebrities, as well as for the masses, Markey isn’t sure how long the craze will endure.
“There’s a lot of attention devoted to weight loss medications and current trends surrounding them,” she said. “I don’t know if that will stick or not, but I think we’re going to hear more and more about undesirable side effects.”
While Markey emphasized the importance of body autonomy, she still has concerns, arguing that weight loss drugs are “essentially inducing disordered eating symptoms.”
“What weight loss drugs offer is sort of overruling what is normal hunger for a lot of people and making weight loss more possible,” she said.
The mental health expert advised consumers of pop culture to be weary of the various measures taken by A-listers to maintain their otherwise unattainable figures.
“We have to appreciate that most celebrities have access to resources that we do not, whether that is medications or personal trainers or personal chefs or whatever,” she said. “They are going to get much more hands-on support in achieving whatever look they want to and it’s also nearly a full-time job for many of them.”
She continued, “Celebrities are paid in part for how they look, so it’s important to keep that perspective and remember there’s something a little bit sad about being caught up in a world that does value your appearance.”
Several stars have historically gone to great lengths to lose weight due to the pressures of the industry.
In 2020, Jessica Simpson admitted to struggling with a decades-long addiction to diet pills after her record label wanted her to slim down. Earlier this year, Demi Moore also shared that she developed an eating disorder at one point after a producer told her to drop some pounds.
Meanwhile, rumors have swirled that Kim Kardashian — who once said she would eat poop if it made her look younger — turned to Ozempic to quickly lose weight before her 2022 Met Gala appearance. The theories are just speculation, however, as Kardashian has never publicly admitted to using the weight loss drug. She consistently works out with a personal trainer and follows a healthy diet.
Still, media consumers have become ultra-aware that famous faces were suddenly showing up to high-profile events looking more slender than ever with the development of weight loss drugs.
Ozempic and other weight loss drugs quickly became the go-to tactic for celebrities like Fat Joe, Kathy Bates, Macy Gray, Kelly Clarkson and Rebel Wilson.
In February 2024, Oprah Winfrey famously stepped down from her role at WeightWatchers after admitting to using a weight loss drug similar to Ozempic to trim her figure.
Despite the skinny aesthetic trending in Hollywood once again, Markey believes body image health is a concept that is here to stay.
“Body positivity is not over. Most people want to feel positive in existing versions of themselves and body positivity was never about seeking perfection. It was always about psychological health,” she argued.
“To say body positivity is over is to say we’ve given up on psychological health, and I don’t think any of us are ready to give that up.”
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