I was listening to the Ozempic podcast from the Maintenance Phase and their discussion of the discourse around the drug and the type of language being used around it really illuminated me to an issue that I wasn’t completely aware of. It’s this kind of idea that fat people can never win.
Read more: Treating fat people as if they should be extinctThey try to lose weight and somehow they’re doing it the wrong way. They don’t alter their weight and somehow they’re all lazy and a waste of space. To generalize people like this and to pretend like you know everyone’s situation or motive is ridiculous. For one it frames losing weight as some type of cure all that will make society into a utopia, secondly it really trivializes how hard it can be for someone to lose weight. There’s the issue of accessibility, mental health, and all kind of biological differences people have. And the thing is this sort of fat phobia is highly unlikely to come from a place of concern or worry about health. If that was the case I think people who vape would be called disgusting, dehumanizing names. It comes from a place of hatred for those who don’t fit the norm, and yet it’s so incredibly ironic because most people don’t really fit the norm. Everyone strays from what is considered socially acceptable one way or another, but somehow it just so happens that being fat is a more acceptable target. There was another really interesting point that was brought up in the segment that I think really highlights the lack of care for those trying to lose weight. Because Ozempic and Wegovy are in a shortage right now that means that compounding pharmacies are now allowed to make their own sort of version without FDA oversight. However their version is potentially harmful to humans because it’s using semaglutide sodium, which has not been cleared. Because of the shortage these companies are not legally required to tell people what they are putting in their drugs. This is just a stark example of how the health of fat people are not actually being prioritized, in fact when they try to do the “right thing” and try losing weight they’re actively being poisoned. It just goes to show that again, fat people can’t really win within this society because there are constant set backs. There’s also this sort of notion that fat people are to blame for the shortage of Ozempic, as if most fat people or anyone in general really has easy access to it. I think this blame really takes the focus out of the severity of the issue. There are people who are really depending on this drug, many diabetics are on it just to survive and it isn’t like they have many other safe and viable options. Hopefully the shortage ends soon but in the meantime I really think conversations surrounding Ozempic should be about solutions to making it more accessible to those who need it instead of speculating who is on it and if they’re “taking the easy way out”.
I love how I was able to connect with you on this. As someone who is plus-size, I feel like no matter what we do, there’s always someone ready to judge us. If we don’t lose weight, we’re lazy and unhealthy, but if we try to lose weight with a GLP-1, we’re taking the easy way out.
I listen to the same Maintenance Phase podcast, and their discussions around Ozempic hit differently for me because I’m currently on a GLP-1 myself. There’s something so complicated about navigating the emotions that come with losing weight, especially when you’ve spent so much of your life feeling like your body is something people judge you for. On one hand, it feels good to feel more comfortable physically, but on the other, it’s hard not to think about how differently people might treat you simply because your appearance is changing.
What really resonates with me is the idea that fat people can never win. We’re constantly told to love ourselves, but society often treats us better when we become smaller. We’re told to prioritize our health, but then judged for the methods we use to do so. I think people forget that there’s a real person behind every body, with their own experiences, struggles, and reasons for making the choices they do. I wish we could have more conversations about weight and these medications without all the shame, assumptions, and judgment. People deserve compassion and access to healthcare whether they lose weight, gain weight, or stay exactly where they are. We’re so much more than a number on a scale, and I think that’s something society desperately needs to remember.
This piece is so clear and well-argued, it takes a conversation that is usually full of so much noise and keeps it focused on people instead of punchlines. The “fat people can’t win” framing is really sharp. Try to lose weight, you’re doing it wrong, and you’re lazy, and the setup never leaves an acceptable option.
As someone who sits somewhere in the middle size-wise, I get a small understanding of this. There’s always a comment about what you could be eating or doing differently, and it makes you think about how heavy that same scrutiny must be for those with bigger bodies. The vaping comparison is a smart way to expose the “concern for health” excuse. If it were really about health, the same disgust would show up everywhere, and it doesn’t. That makes the hatred underneath much harder to deny.
I also appreciate that you brought the compounding pharmacy issue and the people who depend on Ozempic into the conversation, since it shifts the focus from blaming individuals to asking why access is so broken. Ending on solutions rather than speculation about who’s taking the “easy way” out is such a hopeful note. It’s a good reminder that people most affected by the conversation are rarely the ones steering it.
Your comment that fat people can never win really resonated with me. Society monitors the bodies of individuals they deem overweight so much that any progress that is had whether that be weight loss or gain is deemed bad. Also I didn’t know that these drugs were low shortages right now. It’s crazy that pharmacies can make their own versions of them without FDA oversight. Isn’t that dangerous? Why isn’t this being spoken about in the media more? This shows how society acts like they care about the health of individuals when really they just want to seem like they care without any real action being taken.