‘It fits you well! Ozempic? The new minefields of weight loss etiquette.


AAccording to Barbra Streisand, all she was trying to say was that Melissa McCarthy looked “fantastic!” »

In April, McCarthy took to Instagram to share a photo of herself with her friend, director Adam Shankman, at a gala in Los Angeles, wearing matching pastel outfits. “Give him my regards,” Streisand replied in the comments, before adding: “did you take Ozempic?”

Those last four words sparked an online brouhaha — a discussion on Reddit garnered nearly 600 responses, ranging from “100%, this is how baby boomers and older communicate on social media” to “Babs, what ‘what are you doing !? Even Richard Simmons responded: “What a question,” the fitness guru wrote on Facebook.

Streisand deleted the comment and posted an explanation on X: “She looked fantastic! I just wanted to pay him a compliment,” she said. “I forgot that the world reads!”

McCarthy, for her part, took Streisand’s faux pas in stride — at least publicly: “The bottom line, Barbra Streisand knows I exist,” McCarthy said in a follow-up video. “She contacted me and she thought I looked good! I win the day.

The original photo she posted, however, has been deleted.

Americans have long considered discussions about appearance—of our bodies in particular—to be taboo in “polite” conversation. But social media is not a polite place, and this taboo has rarely been upheld at school lunches, grocery stores, and family gatherings. In reality, overweight people often lack the usual courtesies that thinner people may take for granted.

Enter Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro and other new medications that can lower blood sugar levels and help reduce hunger.

We can’t stop talking about these medications, some originally developed to treat diabetes, but now increasingly prescribed for weight management and loss. We speculate on who is on it and why. We ask where to find them and what it feels like to be on them. We offer advice – not always solicited. On Internet forums and social media comment sections, there is endless discussion about whether these drugs are used correctly.

These conversations, even when well-intentioned, can be riddled with bias and misinformation – and a surprising lack of sensitivity. It seems that as a topic of conversation, Ozempic is just the newest vehicle for all the confusing issues we have with our bodies.

Abigail Morrison, 27, a higher education professional at City College of New York, believes it’s inappropriate to comment on or question someone’s weight, even if you’re Barbra Streisand.

Morrison gained weight while she was on birth control and gained even more weight when she had a baby and suffered postpartum depression. As she struggled to lose weight through diet and exercise, her prediabetic aunt confided in her that she was taking Wegovy. This encouraged Morrison to ask her doctor about weight-loss medication last October.

At first, Morrison only told her aunt and fiancé about her decision, fearing social retaliation for taking Ozempic since she is not diabetic.

But once Morrison’s weight loss journey was well underway, she began sharing her experience on TikTok, with an audience that grew to more than 150,000 people. She’s already offered product recommendations and her experience as a parent. So when a viewer asked her how she lost nearly 30 pounds in six months, she knew she had to be realistic about her journey on Ozempic.

The question from its commentator – who essentially asked for advice – appeared more sincere than that of the famous singer, she said.

Others, however, may be rude.

“There are people who ask themselves: ‘Why can’t you go to the gym?’ “, Morrison said. “I try to be healthy, but because I take medication, (I’m considered) lazy, and I hate it.”

Candice Toney, a 44-year-old health care professional, said the media’s portrayal of the drugs — such as implying that patients are stealing diabetics’ medications — has contributed to the stigma. Despite Toney’s efforts to educate by sharing her experience on Wegovy, and then Zepbound, on social media, some commenters still judged her to be “the skinny drug.”

So, is there a polite way to ask someone if they are taking Ozempic?

Carolyn Hax, an advice columnist for the Washington Post, believes that, overall, only two people should be involved in discussions about these types of medications: the person taking them and the doctor who prescribes them.

A person wanting to lose weight can ask a friend who has lost weight for advice, but no one is obligated to share their weight loss tips. she says. Patients taking weight-loss medications may want to talk to their spouse for practical reasons, such as deciding what meals to cook or what foods to buy. Otherwise, Hax says, unsolicited advice or feedback is ineffective.

“I always approach these issues knowing that anyone in that position has already been completely humiliated and really doesn’t need anyone else’s opinion on anything,” he said. she declared. “Unless you give them a lamp that they can rub so the genie instantly makes them the size they want to be, everything else is useless.”

The reality of being fat is that you’re constantly reminded of your weight, even in the weirdest situations.

“My uncle is on his deathbed and he says to me, ‘I can’t believe how big your belly has become. “Like, ‘You’re going to die,'” recalls Samhita Mukhopadhyay, an author and former editor-in-chief of Teen Vogue who has written about her experiences on Mounjaro. “And I’m just like, ‘You too!’ You are on your deathbed. Maybe these shouldn’t be the last words you say to me.

When it came to talking about weight in her family, “there were absolutely no labels,” she said.

Certain subcultures may be particularly critical of weight loss interventions.

There is a saying in the fitness and bodybuilding communities that AJ Robledo will sometimes encounter: “Your size is a measure of your discipline.”

Robledo has long struggled with his height, despite dieting and training. In 2023, at 550 pounds, Robledo was prescribed Wegovy. He lost 90 pounds before his weight loss plateaued. In May, he underwent weight loss surgery; he’s now down to 397, but his progress has drawn mixed reactions from fitness aficionados.

“There’s a population in the gym community that I would say is very purist in the way they recommend weight loss,” the 22-year-old college graduate said. Their choice of methods may vary, but one thing they have in common, Robledo says, is a disdain for surgical and medical interventions.

“A few people commented saying things like, I took the easy way out with surgery.”

But there’s nothing “easy” about the process, Robledo noted. To benefit from the operation, he followed a low-calorie diet for months and had to follow a liquid diet for two weeks before and after the procedure.

And the gym – the “right” way to lose weight – wasn’t exactly a welcoming place. When Robledo was older, he had trouble finding an observer: people would pretend not to see him or deliberately run away after their set. “I should just figure out how to do it without a spotter, or do it without any help.”

Since losing weight, it’s easier to find help, Robledo said.

Many people who have taken weight loss medications can attest to the kindness of strangers when you are smaller. The doors are open to you, the service employees are more attentive, the cashiers at fast food restaurants don’t roll their eyes when you place your order. Robledo remembers people at the grocery store advising him, without being asked, what he should or should not eat.

For internet personality Samantha Jo, the surge of positive attention she’s received since her time on Mounjaro in the fall doesn’t always feel good.

Overall, life has gotten a lot better, she said. Her “food noise” disappeared: “I thought everyone woke up and thought about food 24/7, and I was just weaker. Like I’m not emotionally strong enough to handle it,” Jo said. Now that the noise has subsided, “it’s so peaceful.”

She now feels comfortable with her friends on walks, can ride rides at theme parks, can bend over to put on her sandals. She’s 25 and she really feels it, says Jo. His family, friends and supporters have given him “great support”.

But Jo is shocked at how differently she is treated now. Brands that didn’t want to work with her before are now willing to, engagement on her posts has increased, and people admire how beautiful she is.

“It just makes me a little nauseous – like I’m not good enough for you right now. And the only thing that’s changed about me now is my weight,” Jo said. “I never thought I was ugly, I never thought I was worthless. I have always been confident in myself, regardless of my size.

“I don’t see how your weight should indicate how you are treated or, for example, whether you are worthy of respect.”

Mukhopadhyay is no longer in Mounjaro – his insurance doesn’t cover him and otherwise it’s just too expensive. (A Reuters report recently found that most patients using these drugs to treat obesity stopped after a year for a variety of reasons, ranging from serious side effects to an inability to afford their high costs .)

She knows how horrible the side effects can be, but also how the world positively reinforces you when you become smaller.

Yet the way we talk about these drugs has devolved into a “strange witch hunt” over which celebrity is taking them, to the point where we view Ozempic primarily as a weight-loss drug, not a breakthrough treatment for diabetes , said Mukhopadhyay. : “I have the impression that it is commodified as a (kind of) Botox.”

Scientists have also hypothesized that these treatments could help people suffering from addiction; Because of the possible link between ADHD and obesity, some believe Ozempic may also have mental health benefits.

Instead, Mukhopadhyay said, we’ve reinforced arbitrary limits on who should be able to lose weight and how: “We’re just providing more tools to judge each other.” »



Source link

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Scroll to Top