Diet culture: a million-dollar industry has gripped people all over America for decades. Countless companies promote unhealthy diets and fad “solutions” like pills, supplements, shakes, and weight loss methods. Many are familiar with the classic lines like, “Try this, and you’ll lose [x amount of weight].” Currently, a new method is trending, known as Ozempic. This drug has been trending online for its ability to make people shed weight fast, although originally marketed as a diabetes drug.
The original purpose of the drug is to aid in Type II Diabetes, and it is taken as an injection. The medication works to suppress glucose production and raise insulin levels in the pancreas. According to People Magazine, Ozempic is not approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the purpose of weight loss, which it has become known for across social media. The creator of Ozempic, Novo Nordisk has spoken out to state he does not support the “off-label use of its medications,” according to USA Today.
Ozempic has a host of side effects often not included on social media posts, specifically on the app TikTok, with users speaking out on desires to use this new drug. One user, Nel.Bri mentioned how she was going to steal her father’s Ozempic supply, noting in the caption that her father needed it for his diabetes. The drug works to suppress the candidate’s appetite, so the individual consumes less calories, allowing them to lose weight fast.
The drug comes at a hefty price, approximately a thousand dollars per month, which is often a point of complaint for teenagers online, since the drug has gained popularity on various social media platforms, with teenagers being a large percentage of social media users. In addition, it raises concern for the cost of Ozempic for diabetics, who depend on this drug to survive.
More recently, celebrities have opened up about their experiences with Ozempic. Many popular faces, such as Oprah Winfrey, have spoken out publicly. Winfrey, who was once the face of Weight Watchers, claimed Ozempic was how she dropped the weight and kept it off, which surprised the public. Although she did not explicitly mention Ozempic by name, the public assumed it was Ozempic. In a December 2023 interview with People, she stated, “I now use [the drug] as I feel I need it, as a tool to manage not yo-yoing.”
In a different opinion, Amy Schumer shared her experience with the drug, on the show Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen. Schumer mentioned how the medication made her feel extremely fatigued and sick, preventing her from enjoying her life and spending time with her daughter. Despite the obvious results she began to see, the actress remarked that it was not worth the struggle and pain, and she originally tried it because of the popularity it received for weight loss.
As stated before, the diet industry is comprised of million-dollar corporations, where previous trends and fads like Atkins can be remembered. Diets such as Keto, where people are encouraged to remove carbohydrates from their diets, to shed weight have been promoted countless times in the past. Others like the Grapefruit Diet, encourage participants to only eat grapefruit, as their form of nutrition. In addition, programs like WeightWatchers, Nutrisystem, and Noom have been promoted heavily in the media, making Ozempic seem like another fad solution for the weight struggle of many in America.
