
Over the past two years, Ozempic has enjoyed its reign over TikTok, and health “advice,” and mindsets. Ozempic, originally manufactured to treat type 2 diabetes, has been transformed by social media influencers and celebrities into a quick and easy weight loss trick. Social media has long been labeled by the destruction of body images through the classification and comparison of body types, fetishization of certain features, and portrayals of unrealistic beauty standards. TikTok, as a platform, has exacerbated this issue with its diet culture and promotion of disordered eating habits. Individuals with already shaky body images are preyed upon by the industry and pressured into relapsing and using potentially harmful medicine, only to conform to society’s standards. As society’s standards heighten and move towards extremity with every new, skinnier ideal, celebrities are forced to fit the mold to stay continuously desirable to fans, only to return into the cycle of increasing future expectations for both viewers and themselves. It seems as if over time, the culture around the feminine appearance has only evolved to tighten its grasp around women, or rather, their waists.
Ozempic contains a substance called semaglutide, which regulates and increases insulin levels, adjusting digestion and ultimately appetite. Although it may work for weight loss, as soon as one is taken off the medication, the effects are reversed, and thus, an infinite dependence upon the substance is created. Furthermore, with the surging popularity and reliability of Ozempic, the original intended audience suffers the consequences of society’s addiction to perfection, dying from shortages of their life-saving medicine. Those who utilize Ozempic for weight loss are also haunted by its untested identity, causing them incurable gastrointestinal disorders. When did we begin to sacrifice our lives in trade for impermanent beauty?
Beauty standards have evolved throughout time, depending on the economic status of countries. With the creation of textiles also came the commodification of the beauty of women tied to their clothing. For the purpose of restricting women and emphasizing their modesty, corsets have been used since 1600 BCE. As corsets developed through time, they were consistently used to constrict women and maintain the minimization of their bodies. After they reemerged from the criticism of French revolutionists, the new mass production systems, coupled with metal replacements for whalebone within corsets, led to an era of tightlacing; though, reformists would argue against the oppressive garment. A plethora of health issues emerged with damage to the uterus and difficulty in birthing, yet the fashion trend plowed on, dominating the scene for a few more decades.
Feminism and hippie culture materialized in the 1960s, opposing oppressive fashion and standards, but the period also saw the rise of fitness culture. The corset would be replaced by medical inventions like dieting, plastic surgery, and, ultimately, medical magic like Ozempic. From 1600 BCE to 2025, it seems as if the culture dominating the feminine appearance has never permanently changed, constantly leading the next generation to sacrifice their health for beauty.
Sources:
Ewing, E. Dress and Undress: A History of Women’s Underwear. Bibliophile, 1978.
“How Ozempic’s Rise to TikTok Stardom Is Impacting Patients with Diabetes.” ISMS, www.isms.org/newsroom-categories/patientresources/march-2-2023-how-ozempics-rise-to-tiktok-stardom-i. Accessed 30 Sept. 2025.
“Ozempic for Weight Loss: Does It Work, and What Do Experts Recommend?: Cultivating Health.” Health, UC Davis Health, 23 Aug. 2025, health.ucdavis.edu/blog/cultivating-health/ozempic-for-weight-loss-does-it-work-and-what-do-experts-recommend/2023/07.
Ribeiro, Aileen. Dress and Morality. Holmes & Meier, 2009.