What do you think would appear if you were to type “Ozempic” into your search engine right now? When I searched for this word, I expected the first results to be articles and information about this new, unknown drug. Instead, at the top of my Safari page, ad after ad spammed my screen with websites trying to sell the drug for over $1,000 for just one 0.25 mg injectable pen.
Ozempic, originally released in 2017, hit pharmaceutical shelves as a weekly injectable drug to treat diabetes. It was designed to lower insulin and blood sugar levels, but another side effect soon surfaced: weight loss (Blum, 2023). Since this discovery, America has been in a fat-reduction frenzy. Ozempic has become so popular that it now sells for exorbitant prices, and is rarely covered by medical insurance. Ozempic quickly infiltrated the medicine cabinets of aspiring and well-known Hollywood stars; many celebrities are being accused of using the drug, some even outright admitting to it. Its creation spawned a slew of other similar weight-loss drugs. When asked how he achieved his new athletic build, Elon Musk tweeted that he was taking Wegovy, a drug similar to Ozempic.
The rampant misuse of Ozempic does more harm than good for American beauty standards. It feels as though we are taking a step backward in terms of body positivity and expression. Celebrities who take this drug are not only warping Americans’ sense of health and wellness, but they are also making the drug inaccessible to people who actually suffer from diabetes. Not only does it cause inaccessibility, but the use of Ozempic comes with an even larger cost. Its side effects are extremely dangerous and include cardiovascular disease, heart attacks, and stroke (Awan, 2023).
I often have to remind myself that no one perfectly meets the standards of beauty naturally. Women are often told not to compare themselves to others on social media since many people’s lives can be falsely constructed through photos. But I think that comparison in real life can be just as, if not more, detrimental to a person’s self-image, especially given this new era of weight loss medication.
Sources
Blum, D. (2023, July 24). What Is Ozempic and Why Is It Getting So Much Attention? The New York Times. Retrieved October 2, 2023, from https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/22/well/ozempic-diabetes-weight-loss.html
Awan, O. (2023, July 5). The Ozempic Craze Is Sending The Wrong Public Health Message. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/omerawan/2023/07/05/the-ozempic-craze-is-sending-the-wrong-public-health-message/?sh=2a81e5a031d0