Breaking the Stigma on GLP-1's
On Friday, May 30, Taylor Swift announced that she had purchased the rights to all of her work. After fans spent over a year anxiously awaiting Swift announcing when she would release “Taylor’s Version” of her Reputation album, one of two albums she had yet to re-record, they joined together to celebrate her unexpected announcement and accomplishment.
As an avid fan myself, I didn’t hear one person say, “Taylor took the easy way out.”
Which is one of the most common responses I hear to the news that a celebrity lost weight using GLP-1’s. They’re shamed for taking the easy way out, for cheating, and for setting a bad example.
And those are beliefs that I want to explore. As a society, why is that our knee jerk reaction to GLP-1’s? We have a new resource, a new technology… shouldn’t we take advantage like we do with all the other new resources and technologies that are now seamless parts of our lives?
Are we all taking the easy way out every time we pull up our Maps app instead of pulling out an actual map? Are college students cheating by typing up their papers on a laptop instead of writing them by hand? Are we setting bad examples for our kids by taking a multi-vitamin instead of eating 27 cups of different colored vegetables every day?
The main purpose of any invention is to make people’s lives easier. And whether you’re a famous popstar or a regular working mom, the more effective and efficient option is always going to be more appealing. So why would we shame people for that?
Well, I have a few theories.
Women simply can’t win
A stay-at-home mom is wasting her potential. A working mom is neglecting her family. A woman who chooses not to be a mom is selfish. A woman who is too confident is self-absorbed. A woman who is too quiet is stupid. A woman who wears too much make up is slutty. A woman who wears no make-up is lazy. A woman with no curves is unappealing. A woman with ample curves is unappealing.
And now, a woman who is obese is disgusting, and a woman who is taking a drug for obesity is either cheating or “taking the easy way out.” And yes, I’m specifying women here because men are rarely on the receiving end of such scrutiny and accusations.
If as a woman, you are tired of the unrealistic expectations put on women and constantly feeling like you’re not enough, I encourage you to approach conversations about women using these drugs delicately. Because the women you’re speaking of are probably tired, too.
In an ideal world, women would be known for their accomplishments, not their looks, and people would only share concern for a woman’s health and well-being. But unfortunately, shame is often masked by said concern.
Healthy is a word that is widely misused
More often than not, health in our society is equated to thinness. There are people who have the genetics and body type to workout regularly, eat well, and achieve the accepted beauty standard naturally. But for many, the accepted beauty standard requires excessive amounts of exercise and dieting that can harm things like metabolism, bone density, hormone regulation, and other basic and vital bodily functions.
Of course, there are exceptions to every rule, but for the most part, you cannot know if someone is healthy just by looking at them. A person who is thin may be so because of extreme and unhealthy measures. A person who is overweight may be very active and eat well. Someone can be thin and still require medical treatment. Someone can be overweight and respond well to non-medical interventions.
When discussing whether or not you believe an individual you don’t know well should or shouldn’t be taking GLP-1’s, it’s important to note that you don’t actually know their whole story. No matter how someone looks, their health is a private matter with private decisions made between the individual and their medical team.
Fatphobia creates a big Catch 22
A common obstacle I hear obese women talk about is that society, and more specifically, strangers, will outwardly tell them that they need to workout. But when it comes to finding athletic clothing brands with plus-sizes and beginner-friendly, inclusive gyms, the options seem limited.
The majority of fitness marketing includes thin, white women in high-end athletic gear. Without representation of different races and body types, a barrier to entry is created. Not only is someone who doesn’t fit that marketing mold worried if they can keep up with the exercise programming, but they’re likely even more worried if they will be welcomed there in the first place.
On top of all that, shows like The Biggest Loser set the standard that obese people should desperately and obsessively try anything to change their circumstances. The Biggest Loser showed its contestants exercising twice a day, attempting challenges that were far beyond their ability level, and severely under-nourishing themselves day in and day out. The contestants’ weight loss was celebrated and their declining mental health was ignored.
Someone who is losing weight at the expense of their mental health is not actually getting healthier, and still diet culture wants us to believe that being thin is all that matters, at all costs.
Society is far from breaking the generational cycle
One concern about GLP-1’s that I do agree with is that young girls are very impressionable, and our society’s continued obsession with thinness impacts generation after generation. What message does it send to the next generation when they see already thin celebrities using weight loss drugs to become thinner? Although this specific situation is very frustrating, unfortunately, it is not something we can control.
What we can control is the way we speak around our young girls. Sure, images of thin celebrities will make an impression on them. But what sticks with them much, much more is the way the female role models they spend their days with speak about food, exercise, and body image.
It’s not the photo of a thin actress sporting a bikini that is triggering for young girls, but the photo coupled with their mother’s voice in their head saying, “I can’t have pizza or I’ll blow up like a blimp,” when the family is out to dinner. Or their aunt saying, “Wow are you really going to eat all of that food?” on Thanksgiving. Or a neighborhood friend saying, “I guess I’ll be bad today!” while grabbing a hamburger at a barbecue. Or their coach saying “The weekend’s over, time to burn off all of those treats you had!”
Imagine what impact it could have on them to hear things like, “I’m going to go workout so I can keep up with you in the park tomorrow!” Or, “Pizza night is one of my favorite family traditions, I can’t wait!” Or, “Let’s eat all this healthy food so we can nourish our bodies and keep our muscles and bones strong!” Or, “Wow, all of that time at practice and in the gym is turning you into a strong leader!”
The young girls in your life might be seeing celebrity images, but they’re hearing you.
Overall, our society is deeply rooted in diet culture, and diet culture is deeply rooted in shame. Although it can feel temporarily good to bash someone for, “buying into diet culture by taking the easy way out and taking GLP-1’s,” ultimately, that just perpetuates the shame even more. Knowing that most of this shame is directed towards women, it’s important that as women, we start to talk about what we’re going to do about it.
To actually create a notable, lasting impact, we need to change how we view and speak of people we hardly know, and even more importantly, how we view and speak of ourselves. The next generation deserves better.
This post is not meant to be a conclusive list of ideas and talking points, but one piece of a very broad, nuanced, and personal conversation. My email is open to keep the conversation going!
