Obsession With Looks

JADE, the popular British pop singer, recently admitted in an interview that she has an ongoing battle with herself not to inject Ozempic. Primarily approved by the FDA for adults with Type 2 diabetes, Ozempic (semaglutide) is also known to aid in weight loss. As a result, wealthy public figures, especially celebrities, have been injecting themselves with this drug even at the cost of side effects. It has brought into question such beauty trends that often go to extremes and adversely impact people’s health and well-being. 

Social media, which is a haven for celebrity gossip, has lately become rife with images of public figures with significant weight loss, leaving fans speculating over possible Ozempic usage. The current Ozempic craze shows how people prefer taking shortcuts instead of investing time and effort in themselves. Regular exercise along with an adequate diet could be more beneficial in the long run but most people prefer instant results instead. Unsurprisingly, those who can afford Ozempic take it despite the possible side effects. 

While it is human nature to want to look attractive, the beauty standards today have become quite impossible to achieve. Due to social media, beauty trends change by the minute, leaving viewers increasingly unhappy with their appearances. It doesn’t help that unhealthy dieting only causes hunger pangs, low blood sugar and exhaustion. With quick outcomes, drugs like Ozempic sell people their dreams of looking their best effortlessly. And in doing so, it gravely exploits the body image issues of vulnerable people, mostly young girls and women.

A thin and lean body is the dream of many but genetics, lifestyle, medical history, age and gender also play a role in determining the weight of a person. When it comes to their appearance, many are seen chasing a dream that may never come true. Instead, it is more important to focus on good health and well-being, even if there are a few extra kilos on the body. But driven by FOMO (fear of missing out) and a willingness to follow fads, people go through rigorous diets, fitness and exercise trends, at the cost of their well-being. 

It mostly impacts the mental health of vulnerable people. Particularly, it is the females who are the ones most judged for their appearances. Constantly scrolling through beauty and fitness trends could be detrimental to their body image issues as it promotes perfectionism, envy and unhealthy comparison. Ultimately, it deteriorates how they perceive their bodies, spiraling them towards steps such as Ozempic or even cosmetic procedures.

Obsession with body image, whether it is the fitness and diet trend, skin care routines, self-care fads, and so on, is fueled by self-consciousness, which is, in fact, an inherent nature in human beings. It makes people preen in the mirror with the hope that the reflection looks young, wrinkle-free, supple, and of course, lean, thin and toned. And it is quite relatable. 

People tend to judge others by their appearance while knowing that they themselves are also being judged. Since the first impression that the other person has of us is our looks, it is not surprising that we want to put up the best appearance. But in doing so, we fuel our own insecurities and preoccupations with our appearance, leading to trends such as Ozempic to proliferate.