“Thin is in” Again - But Hasn't It Always Been?
By: Divija Agarwal
Edited by: Nadhifah Zahran Laili
If you find yourself active in digital spheres nowadays, you have likely heard about the surge in the use of Ozempic as a weight-loss drug. As a medication targeted towards managing Type-2 Diabetes, its active ingredient, semaglutide, mimics a natural hormone in our bodies and suppresses one's appetite — exactly why it works for rapid weight loss. While its intended function is to aid people with diabetes, by doing things like helping the pancreas produce insulin, the percentage of Ozempic users who have the disease has decreased concerningly. A study in Denmark showed that “user prevalence increased to 91,626” in 2023, and the percentage of Ozempic users with type 2 diabetes decreased from 99% in 2018 to only 67% in 2022 — a harsh statistic. Furthermore, the medication commonly causes uncomfortable side effects of nausea, vomiting, constipation, and diarrhea, yet people online seem to crave the results, ignoring the health implications.
However, the use of potentially dangerous medication to replace diets isn't a new phenomenon — in the 1990s, a pharmaceutical treatment taken in the form of pills known as “fen-phen” was regularly sold and used. It had similar effects of appetite and fat loss, along with a surge in “feel-good hormones”. Towards the end of the decade in 1997, it was found that many patients were at risk of having heart valve damage — a steep consequence.
A link to the overuse of this medication can be found in the desire to have the “heroin-chic” body, gaining traction in the 90s, with the popularity of this online search, according to ‘The Guardian’ being raised again today. This term refers to the style made desirable in the early 1990s being pale skin, strikingly thin, and curve-free with emancipated features, supposedly traits associated with abuse of heroin and other drugs.
Another shift that points to the world’s skinny worship right now is the removal of obvious fillers and implants, focusing on preventative botox and anti-aging practices instead. Significant figures who are considerably open about their cosmetic surgery and body alterations are the Kardashian-Jenners, who hold an obvious influence over societal views with their social media and reality TV presence, whether or not we like the impact they have on body trends. In the past few years, headlines have featured ‘striking’ changes in the family members’ appearances. This includes Kylie Jenner removing her prominent, perhaps even celebrated lip-fillers, or how Kim Kardashian lost over 15 pounds in 3 weeks to fit into Marilyn Monroe’s dress for a one-night event. The issue with their cosmetic choices does not surround their autonomy regarding their appearances, rather various media sites report on these minor changes insistently, fuelling a change in what people — naturally, keeping up with fashion figures’ beauty-related opinions — believe is on trend, and acceptable.
In 2002, a study on before-after weight-loss advertisement headlines was done to gauge the accuracy of customer testimonials; looking at nearly 300 pieces of media, with 36 advertisements using 71 different testimonials claiming to lose a pound a day consecutively for around two weeks. According to their research, this amount of weight loss was not plausible or achievable for the products being promoted. This is more recognizably translated on social media today, in how certain weight loss diets and plans put out - not necessarily even by nutritionists or qualified persons — can lead to a specific, unrealistic amount of fat loss, rapidly.
Though it is a tradition for attendees to display extravagance and wealth, the 2024 Met Gala has highlighted the irony of the whole situation. It would be very impactful for celebrities with large platforms to advocate for the freedom of Palestine, but for now, we can only continue giving our own best efforts to go against the violence being faced in Gaza.
A specific example of disordered eating content migrates through the K-pop community, unfortunately originating mostly from young teens. While K-pop star Jang Wonyoung has warned against extreme dieting and encouraged fans to eat sufficiently, the trending hashtag “#Wonyoungsim” doesn't follow these same recommendations. Fans aim to embody the musician and her appearance, creating meal plans ("What I eat in a day"), posting image slideshows of scales and weight loss goals, alongside small portions of low-calorie foods, creating fear surrounding the consumption of sugars and carbs.
Creating a mental link between how reporting and media correlate with body-type biases, as well as their lack of sensibility can help us to detach ourselves from certain appearance-based standards. While not all opinions on what the glorified body type will be harmonious within a world of varied people, it is certainly clear that ideals tend to swing in and out of focus, bringing along dangerous repercussions with them on occasion.
Undeniably, advertisement and media reporting on these different fads and trends have an impact on people's compliance, but are we misjudging how misconstrued promotions/ads have always been? While it's common to see fake news and exaggerated content on platforms like TikTok, this inflated content can be seen through the avenue of advertisements decades ago, with investigation being done on it.