In the United States, the use of Ozempic, known as 'the Hollywood drug' and which, despite being the drug used by people with type 2 diabetes to regulate their blood sugar levels, has become popular for helping to lose up
to 15% weight
to those who inject it.
It has done so, of course, among those who can afford to pay for this drug, which in Spain, if it is not covered by Social Security (it is only in cases of type 2 diabetes), costs
130 euros monthly.
Therefore, its use goes hand in hand with economic bias, and this shortcut towards thinness is responsible for Hollywood, which seemed immersed in a journey towards a diversity in which curves finally had a place, has rolled out its rugs. red so that rectilinear silhouettes parade over them.
Get to the root of the problem
"If you suffer from an eating disorder or eat emotionally (which has caused you to have, among other difficulties, overweight or obesity), you can use Ozempic to erase the consequences of your difficulty, but it will still be present, and what is worse, it will not "We will treat it appropriately. Instead, we will settle for losing weight quickly, as if that were the solution, aggravating normative body validation. In addition, there is already evidence of weight recovery resulting from stopping using Ozempic," warns
Blanca Torrado .
Marí,
psychologist at Espacio Psiconutricion.
Silhouettes malleable like clay
"Now all girls are expected to have Caucasian blue eyes, full lips, a pert Jamaican ballroom ass, endless Swedish legs, tiny Japanese feet, the abs of a lesbian gym owner, the hips of a nine-year-old boy, Michelle Obama arms and doll boobs. The closest person to achieving this look is Kim Kardashian, who, as we know, was created by Russian scientists to sabotage our athletes," writes Tina Fey
about
the new and unattainable ideal of beauty in her book, 'Bossypants'.
However, the proof that beauty ideals change as much as the Kardashians change their wig is that now, even they have left their curves behind.
It is enough to take a look at the latest appearances of Kardashian herself and Kylie Jenner at Paris Fashion Week to realize that
odes to curves are behind us,
something we had already warned ourselves about when we saw the latest awards galas, in which not even Christina Aguilera is a curvy reference anymore.
No curves
When the canons of beauty are so changing, it is not surprising that when certain shortcuts appear, so many people resort to them, while at the same time a dangerous idea arises: that
our bodies are malleable.
"The belief that 'thin' is an attainable goal for everyone is also toxic, because the thin ideal is also a white, heteronormative ideal. When we strive to embrace thinness, we are simultaneously reinforcing every other form of stigma." , warns Virgina Sole-Smith in 'Fat Talk: Parenting in the Age of Diet Culture'.
At a time when there are fewer and fewer references to characters with sizes outside the normative canons, how can this absence of curves affect us?
Responds Olga Alejandre, author of 'The Beauty of Being You' and creator of the nutrition and integrative psychology company Obylagom.
"It affects a lot, and we have already proven it. About 10 years ago, when Instagram was created, the only thing we saw were references of bodies within the regulations. At that time, it was unthinkable to see a photo on Instagram of a large body or different sizes, and now
we are paying that price.
The majority of women between 25 and 35 years old have grown up seeing skinny models on the catwalks and the Victoria's Secret angels as image references, something that has led to insecurities, constant diets to try to emulate those physiques and even in eating disorders," he says.
"In the same way, our mothers grew up seeing women who were on diets and who promoted these restrictive diets in any type of advertising, and that is why
most women have grown up dieting
and trying all kinds of strategies to lose weight. No We only need non-normative size references, but also a change in the perception of weight loss and reflecting on why this does not have to be the final goal," he explains.
A punch to diversity
From Oprah Winfrey to Amy Schumer, there are many celebrities who have spoken openly about using Ozempic to lose weight, while others, the moment they are "accused" of having resorted to the drug to lose weight, raise their voices.
This is the case of
Khloe Kardashian,
who points out on every occasion that she wakes up at six in the morning five days out of seven to train.
·
The problem is that the success of Ozempic denotes the desire of many people to be thin, and the use of this drug for purposes other than diabetes is itself the
symptom of a social problem,
not the problem.
Many more famous people than those who recognize it are making Ozempic their fast route to thinness, and behind this formula of silence hides the obligation that society imposes on them;
an obligation that seems straight out of America Ferrera's monologue in 'Barbie', since they are required to be thin, but following healthy and aspirational methodologies.
Once again, the point is to point out and criticize.
For mental and emotional health
Although the movement that advocates for body diversity is still present, the truth is that the existence of Ozempic can add certain obstacles to it.
"I think this era of semaglutide puts a new focus on the fact that if you are overweight or obese, you can do something about it," reflects science journalist Olga Khazan on the 'Radio Atlantic' podcast.
"By using Ozempic we not only promote weight loss at the expense of health (since it is not a recommended medication for this use), but we also promote the culture of "if you want, you can", condemning fat people to put health first. losing weight
at the expense of their mental and physical health,"
warns Olga Alejandre.
If using Ozempic makes thinness the norm... Are we ostracizing fat people?
"The craze for Ozempic and other similar drugs, with their promise of rapid weight loss, is popularizing a thin ideal that, let's face it, is neither realistic nor healthy for everyone. And yes,
there is a real danger
that this will push people who don't fit this mold out of the way, as if they suddenly didn't count or as if the only way to be accepted was by following this pharmaceutical trend," says the author of 'I'm so hot!
Throw diets in the trash and live with emotional health.'
He questions whether mental and emotional health is really worth putting at risk, and points out that by promoting this pharmacologically induced thinness as the norm, we could inadvertently be marginalizing those who do not follow this pattern, sending an implicit message that there is only one way to be acceptable.
Obsession with thinness
"Instead of blindly chasing these norms that change with each season, how about we flip the script? True health comes in all sizes and shapes, and wellness isn't just measured by the number on the scale. It's It's time to understand that success can't be measured by how much weight you've lost or whether you fit a certain size, but by
how you feel about yourself
and the health you radiate, both inside and out. At the end of the day, it What really matters is how we feel about ourselves, not how we see ourselves in the mirror," says the psychologist.
"Furthermore, this obsession with thinness forgets something fundamental: each body is unique and has its own needs. What works for one, may not work for another, and that's okay. Instead of condemning people to feel outside of place by not following the latest trend in weight loss medications, we should be
celebrating the variety of bodies
we have and promoting healthy habits that go beyond physical appearance," he adds.
Around with the silhouette
Without a doubt, one of the big problems with Ozempic sweeping away Hollywood's diversity and selling the idea that thinness can be bought is that it
once again promotes criticism and judgment of the body
while perpetuating the idea that kilos In addition, they are a disease that, as such, can be cured with a few punctures.
Although its use promotes debates about diverse bodies and reminds us of the existence of the privilege of thinness, in the end those who have the privileges always end up triumphing and, apparently, those who are around size zero.
Is it wrong to judge other people's silhouettes?
Is it incorrect to say that being thin is desirable?
It seems so, but then our pulse does not tremble when it comes to paying to lose weight while we do not complain about the fatigue resulting from a low calorie intake and we are not worried about not knowing what the long-term effects of Ozempic will be.
Apparently, you can fight the scale with injections, but
there is no cure for a society
in which fatphobia prevails and which, although it has found a space in the networks in which dissident silhouettes can raise their voices , continues applauding thinness.