If you have social media, then you are most likely aware that losing weight is all the craze right now. Everyone seems to be magically becoming skinnier overnight, and it’s due to a class of drugs called GLP-1s. GLP-1s include popular medications such as Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro. According to the National Institute of Health, “The function of GLP-1 agonists is to lower serum glucose levels and thereby manage metabolism in affected patients.” Originally these classes of drugs were used to treat type 2 diabetes, but with weight loss as a side effect, they are also used to treat obesity. With the help of these medications, the obsession with being thin not only intensified, but it became easier and more accessible to attain. For those who are
struggling with eating disorders, weight and body image are issues that wreak havoc on the mind, and GLP-1s have caused further destruction. GLP-1s have affected people with eating disorders by validating fatphobia, which then validates their unhealthy behaviors.

Eating disorders are mental health conditions that are characterized by unhealthy eating patterns. Those patterns affect your emotional and physical health. Due to their irrational thoughts, people with eating disorders perform unhealthy coping mechanisms to try and soothe the anxiety of their internal stress. The distressing thoughts can surround ideas that being bigger is bad or that being skinny will solve life problems. The glamorization of weight loss drugs has and continues to validate these two ideas through their harmful advertising.

Advertisements for GLP-1s are portrayed as dramatic before-and-after stories. The patients in the before phase of the commercials are depressed, hopeless, and seem to be having an overall negative experience in life. The patients in the after phase are elated, glowing, and thriving. This demonstrates the ill notion that one’s life will instantly become better with losing weight and that being overweight is bad. Neither is true. Losing weight will not instantly improve every aspect of your life, and being overweight will not give you a miserable life. These ideas are damaging to everyone, but especially if you are already vulnerable to body image and food issues.

It is difficult to push past and ignore this harmful media, but it will be of great benefit to your mental health. One way to mitigate exposure to the problem is by muting keywords from your social media page. If you mute words like ”Ozempic,” “weight loss,” or “GLP-1,” then you will never see a post with those words mentioned. It is crucial that everyone is aware that everybody is unique and beautiful. Weight has no importance when it comes to the value that you
hold as a human being and that is the message that should be spreading.

Article written by: Paulina Barker “My name is Paulina Barker and I have a passion for mental health. I obtained my bachelors degree in psychology from California State University, Northridge and am currently in the process of trying to pursue my master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy. My area of interest has always been eating disorders and body image. I believe everyone deserves to feel worthy and live in harmony with food. I’m one step closer to reaching my goals everyday.”