Ozempic Has Reawakened Negative Beauty Standards
America is promoting weight loss at extreme costs.
Since 2021, people have been using Ozempic, a Type 2 diabetes medication, to lose weight.
The drug, first approved by the Food and Drug Administration around 2017, is composed of semaglutide, a medication that stimulates insulin production, decreases blood sugar and slows digestion. It’s available as an injection with doses of 0.5mg, 1 mg, or 2 mg. Without health insurance, one month’s supply can cost approximately $900.
However, the drug, which mimics a hormone known to suppress hunger, has skyrocketed in popularity as a “quick fix” for adults who want to lose weight.
Novo Nordisk, the Danish pharmaceutical company that created Ozempic, conducted clinical trials on obese and overweight patients and discovered that the drug led to a 15 percent decrease of body fat within weeks or months.
This is not the first time drugs have been used for body enhancement.
Weight loss supplements, such as magnesium, probiotics and slimming teas, which contain laxatives and diuretics, have been popular for years.
The late actress Debbie Reynolds was one of many stars from the Golden Age of Hollywood (1930s through 1940s) who used amphetamines to boost energy and control weight. Back then, they were called “vitamin shots.”
During the 1990s, people often used “fen-phen,” a combination of appetite suppressants, for weight loss, but in 1997, the FDA released studies that showed fen-phen causes heart damage. Consequently, it was banned from the market.
The 90s also saw the rise of the heroine-chic era that promoted thinner body types while glamorizing heroin usage. Celebrities like Kate Moss and Jaime King notably fit this beauty ideal.
Nowadays, there is speculation regarding which celebrities use Ozempic. People like T.V. personality Sharon Osbourne openly admitted to using the medication to lose weight.
Her daughter Kelly Osbourne shared publicly why she doesn’t see it as a bad thing.
“There are a million ways to lose weight, why not do it through something that isn’t as boring as working out?” Kelly said in an interview with E! News.
However, some Ozempic-users are claiming that the drug has affected their health.
Pharmaceutical companies such as Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly are now facing lawsuits for their semaglutide medications.
Philadelphia’s federal court is handling claims that drugs such as Ozempic and Munjaro, another diabetic medication used for weight loss, cause long term health problems, like gastrointestinal issues and tumors.
People need to be cautious about what they put into their bodies.
Demand for Ozempic will eventually die out.
Instead of rushing to buy “promising” or “quick-fix” products from store shelves, people should strive for their goals without risking their lives.
