What you probably already know: GLP-1s are more mainstream than ever. Nearly one in four U.S. households report using the medications, and one in eight adults is currently taking a GLP-1 drug. But as demand skyrockets, so have the number of unapproved versions on the market, prompting a recent FDA warning. Most people don’t realize that, for weight management, the FDA has approved only two medications: Wegovy (semaglutide) and Zepbound (tirzepatide). While they’ve helped many patients improve their health, they're intended to be prescribed and monitored by a licensed clinician. Instead, a recent poll found that one in four GLP-1 users obtains them online or through medical spas rather than from a primary care provider.
Why it matters: The increased availability of GLP-1 drugs, both the FDA-approved versions and potentially dangerous copycats, exists alongside what many feel is a resurgence of the diet culture that took hold in the early 2000s. Researchers have noted an increase in patients seeking GLP-1s despite having no clear medical indication, driven instead by anxiety about weight. marketing for GLP-1s has increased, it’s no match for social media, where the first 100 TikTok videos to use the hashtag #ozempic reached 70 million views. It’s also where Serena Williams, who made her return to competitive tennis at Wimbledon last month, publicly shared her journey of taking Zepbound as a paid ambassador for telehealth company Ro.
What it means: On the NPR podcast All Things Considered, author Chrissy King discussed the complicated public reaction to Williams’ GLP-1 endorsement, noting the scrutiny the athlete’s body has faced throughout her career. King says it’s “not surprising if your body has always been talked about in this way.” While it might feel like the body positivity movement is over, many public figures take a different tack. Through her social media presence and projects, like her “i Weigh” podcast, actress and activist Jameela Jamil has been a longtime critic of the pressure placed on women to be thin. And while online discourse surrounding the shrinking bodies of Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo during the Wicked press tour drew barbs from all sides, Jamil argues that it’s “not body shaming to comment on the fact that there is a rapid rise of the aesthetic of emaciation amongst women in Hollywood.
What happens next: While some may turn to these drugs for medically suspect reasons, use them incorrectly or obtain them illegally, plenty of patients are working closely with trusted physicians. Brands are also beginning to celebrate strength instead of shrinking. We’re already seeing an increase in marketing campaigns combating the skinny ideal, like Hilary Duff’s recent “stronger not smaller” partnership with fitness platform Ladder, and the new face (and biceps) of Coppertone: Olympic rugby star Ilona Maher. GLP-1s aren’t going away, at least not anytime soon, as projections say more than 30 million Americans will be taking the drugs by 2030.
