[Celebrity] admits to using [new weight loss medication]
Exploring the intersection of body image, shame, feminism, diet culture, weight loss medications, and "taking the easy way out."
It was when I starting seeing headlines like this that I felt compelled to share my story:
[Celebrity] admits to using [new weight loss medication]
I am one of the 12% of adults in the U.S. who have taken (or are currently taking) a GLP-1 agnonist medication. That’s one in eight.
I’ve been taking Zepbound* since February 6, 2024.
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*For education purposes, semaglutide is sold under the trade names Ozempic (for diabetes) and Wegovy (for weight loss). It is a GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide 1) agonist made by Novo Nordisk.
Tirzepatide is sold under the trade names Mounjaro (for diabetes) and Zepbound (for weight loss) and it combines GLP-1 and GIP (a gut hormone called glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide).
A third medication (retatrutide) is in trials and it targets GLP-1, GIP, and the body's receptors for a third hormone, glucagon. It is nicknamed Triple G.
Tirzepatide and retatrutide are made by Eli Lilly.
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On a Reddit board created specifically for people who take Zepbound there are often lively conversations about whether (and whom) to tell…or not.
Some are loud and proud and don’t give a fuck about who knows or what others think.
Some haven’t told a soul.
Some lament because when their friends/family/coworkers notice their weight loss and ask what they’re doing, they don’t want to tell the truth so they hedge and say something like, “Oh, I’ve made some changes/cut carbs/joined a gym/am working with my doctor on a hormonal imbalance.”
Some tell anyone and everyone because their experience has been so amazing and they want anyone who struggles with their weight/health to know what’s possible.
Some say that when they tell the truth, they are shamed in some way, shape, or form.
In those conversations, I say, “I don't share with people with whom I don't feel safe, or who I know to be willfully ignorant and/or who are shaming.”
The experience has been profound on a number of levels and I wanted to get my thoughts and feelings about it sorted before I started sharing more widely. As well, I didn’t want this to be simply about announcing that I am on a weight loss medication, because being on Zepbound is way more than that.
So here I am, four months in, ready to explore, publicly, the intersection of body image, shame, feminism, diet culture, weight loss medications, and "taking the easy way out."
Getting back to those headlines, which are also often a topic of discussion on the Zepbound Reddit board.
“I am conflicted about why these celebrities who have lost weight outright deny being on any GLP-1s in the first place...then face headlines where they ‘admit’ to taking them. On the one hand, it's nobody business. On the other, they are in the public eye so...”
“Why the ‘admission’ as if it's some bad, covert thing? That only furthers fat shaming.“
“I am conflicted about whether I am happy or angry that [celeb] finally opened up about her weight loss success after claiming for months that it's because she ate high protein and walked a lot.”
“If these celebs wanted to influence in a good way, they would talk about the shortage, availability, affordability, and access issues. They could bring real visibility and maybe even change to this issue while so many of us struggle to find and afford the same meds.”
Here’s my take on it:
We are shamed for being fat and we're shamed for taking a medication to lose weight. The only "acceptable" way to lose weight is to "work hard, restrict, and crush it at the gym."
OR, we’re shamed for not loving our bodies the way they are and setting feminism back and buying into fat phobia.
Shame is an intensely painful, destabilizing, dysregulating experience. I don't blame ANYONE for taking their time to share it…or to not share it at all. In fact, I see it as a sign of emotional maturity.
More to come.