Our Unhealthy Obsession with Ozempic
Zohaib Hussain
It’s the attractive, youthful, charming face everyone’s talking about. Clear, glass skin, paired with a tall, slender physique. As a society, we have beauty standards that tell us whether or not we are attractive. Such standards can help us determine whether someone looks good and could be a potential mate, or whether we ourselves could be one. However, such rubrics can set us up to be upset with ourselves, particularly with one trait that has haunted us for centuries, that which makes us incredibly insecure: body image. At least in most modern societies, skinny bodies are the norm.
According to a survey conducted by the Mental Health Foundation, only 21% of adults (23% of men and 19% of women) feel satisfied with their body image, with the rest, mainly women, feeling ashamed or even disgusted by their bodies. Such criticisms towards ourselves and our bodies cause poor mental health and feelings of depression, so what do we do? We take Ozempic.
Like other GLP-1 drugs, Ozempic (semaglutide) is an injectable drug that mimics the natural GLP-1 hormone produced by the gut, alerting your brain that you feel full and satiated. This hormone also helps regulate blood sugar levels and slow digestion, resulting in reduced food intake and, as a result, weight loss.
While having a notable side effect, Ozempic wasn’t intentionally created to make people skinnier: its primary focus is to improve blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes. However, that doesn’t stop people from acquiring the drug to lose weight. Especially in the United States, as doctors began prescribing Ozempic to people who are unhappy with their body, weight loss medications started gaining popularity. Whereas we once promoted body positivity, we now associate thinness with good health.
However, weight loss caused by Ozempic isn’t always healthy. Many patients taking Ozempic often recall having gastrointestinal issues such as nausea, vomiting, constipation, and diarrhea. Another common effect seen with people who take Ozempic is the weight gain that occurs when patients stop taking the drug. Because excessive weight gain is often caused by a poor, sedentary lifestyle or unhealthy eating habits, patients who stop taking Ozempic without lifestyle changes often return to their previous weight, causing them to rely on the drug. Such reliance is ultimately unsustainable and costly in the long run, leading many weight-loss patients to feel only worse about their weight and themselves.
So how do we improve our perception of our weight, or even more importantly, ourselves? First, ensure you have a healthy lifestyle, which consists of a balanced diet, adequate sleep, and physical activity. If doing so is difficult or not possible, reaching out to a healthcare professional to seek advice is the best way to go. Lastly, encourage yourself with self-compassion, whether alone, with family and friends, or in therapy. And remember: while using Ozempic might seem like a good idea to lose weight, you should always ask your doctor for advice before taking it to live the best lifestyle you can.
References
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Body image in adulthood. Retrieved March 2, 2026, from https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/our-work/research/body-image-how-we-think-and-feel-about-our-bodies/body-image-adulthood
Obesity and overweight. Retrieved March 2, 2026, from https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/obesity-and-overweight
Ozempic® (Semaglutide) injection for Type 2 Diabetes. Retrieved March 2, 2026, from https://www.ozempic.com/
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