03/24/2024
I was really happy to find this article and offer another perspective on the recent Oprah special. There's a lot of hype on Oprah's special, yet it hit me differently. I do see weight loss drugs differently after her show, but not like she intended. I gotta ask, what did Novo Nordisk pay her? Perhaps because it's a hot take to criticize Oprah, it's that much easier to get wrapped up in her enthusiasm, and it's that much easier to believe that what she says is always so so true. Say it enough, Oprah, and they will believe you. I'm not going to presume to know whatever health struggles she may or may not have that may or may not require help of a medication. And I do think there are some benefits to these drugs, as obesity costs us billions of dollars and effects millions of families in terrible ways. But that Oprah uses her power to take to the airwaves and broadcast her objection to any real or perceived stigma in the name of championing body positivity and acceptance is suspect. And it's also fat-phobia. Oprah is embodying the very thing she says she is trying to combat. The way to better health and healthier weight is through an accepting body-neutral approach (even, and especially, if you have aesthetic goals).
Yes, as Oprah enthused, the drugs help people shrink their bodies. But the psychological damage of weight stigma can't be so easily cured, a doctor writes.
