DeepSummary
The episode discusses the recent popularity of weight loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy, and explores the reactions within the body positivity and fat activism communities. Some influencers have been approached by companies to promote these drugs, leading to a divide on whether it goes against body acceptance principles or provides a valid medical solution.
The episode features an interview with Shane O'Neill, a style reporter at The Washington Post, who has spoken with influencers about their perspectives on these drugs. Some view it as a betrayal of the movement, while others see it as a helpful tool for managing health conditions.
Dr. Mara Gordon, a family physician practicing size-inclusive medicine, is also interviewed. She discusses her approach to these drugs, emphasizing bodily autonomy and exploring patients' goals beyond just weight loss. The episode highlights the complex issues surrounding these drugs, societal attitudes towards weight, and the need for open conversations about health and well-being.
Key Episodes Takeaways
- Weight loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy have sparked a debate within the body positivity and fat activism communities, with some influencers being approached to promote these drugs.
- There are differing perspectives on whether these drugs align with or contradict the principles of body acceptance and self-love.
- Some view these drugs as a helpful medical tool for managing health conditions, while others see them as a betrayal of the body positivity movement and a capitulation to diet culture.
- The episode highlights the complexities surrounding these drugs, societal attitudes towards weight, and the need for open conversations about health, well-being, and bodily autonomy.
- A physician practicing size-inclusive medicine emphasizes exploring patients' goals and reasons for wanting to lose weight rather than immediately prescribing weight loss drugs.
- The episode underscores the intersections between fatphobia and broader societal issues like racism and misogyny, and the importance of promoting body diversity and challenging narrow beauty ideals.
- There are concerns about the potential long-term effects and costs associated with taking these drugs indefinitely.
- The episode highlights the complexities and nuances in navigating the weight loss drug debate, with no clear consensus on their place within the body positivity movement or healthcare.
Top Episodes Quotes
- “I think I even deleted a few without even thinking to keep the documentation because I thought of them as one off spam emails.“ by Virgie Tovar
- “I just want people to understand, like, it is not this magic pill, it is not this easy solution. Like, it's been over a year. Yes, I've lost 65 pounds, and it's the first time in years the scale has moved for me, which is, like, huge. But more importantly than that, um, I learned that I wasn't doing anything wrong. Like, it wasn't my fault. Like, I actually. My body couldn't lose the weight no matter what I did.“ by Kiki Monique
- “I want to help create a world where body diversity is accepted and celebrated. To me, this is really, really important because it intersects with the way that we think about racism in our culture, the way we think about misogyny in our culture. And you can't talk about fatphobia without thinking about the way that we pathologize non white bodies, the way that we think about women's bodies fitting into really, really narrow ideals of beauty and desirability.“ by Dr. Mara Gordon
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Episode Information
Post Reports
The Washington Post
5/14/24
People are turning to drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy to lose weight – but where do they fit in the body-positivity movement? Today on Post Reports, what some fat activists think of these drugs and how one doctor is talking about these medicines with her patients.
Read more:
Some companies are marketing GLP-1 drugs to body-positive influencers in the hopes that they’ll market their products to their followers.
Shane O’Neill is a style reporter at the Post and writes the Style Memo newsletter. When he heard about this marketing push, he reached out to some of these influencers and activists to get their take on whether these drugs had a place in their messaging.
At the same time, many doctors are busy fielding questions from patients who are interested in taking these drugs to lose weight. Mara Gordon is a physician in New Jersey who is trying to stop weight stigma by practicing a size-inclusive approach to medicine – meaning she doesn’t offer these drugs for weight loss. She doesn’t think that these drugs can cure fatphobia, and so she tries to talk through patients' goals with them and orient the solutions away from weight loss.
“So let's say I have a patient who doesn't have diabetes, but they say they want to lose weight. So we try to explore that – what are you hoping to achieve? What feels wrong in your life that feels related to, related to your body size?”
Today’s show was produced by Sabby Robinson. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and mixed by Sean Carter. Thanks to Monica Campbell and Ariel Plotnick.
Subscribe to The Washington Post here.