To be annoyed by another scaremongering Guardian article about weight loss medication

[FeatherBell]

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2025/aug/10/body-positivity-shrinking-girl-summer-everyone-getting-smaller-except-me

I understand this is about the author’s personal feelings and experience, but I still feel it’s a little irresponsible. I was a somewhat ‘early adopter’ of Mounjaro and it’s been life changing for me, but if I’d read articles like this it may well have put me off.

• Stating there were shockingly few checks and balances to get a prescription - if she used a legitimate supplier, this is unlikely to be the case.
• Not making clear that her reaction - being barely able to eat and losing 16kg ‘rapidly’ - is very unusual at the lowest dose. And that there are options other than Wegovy if you don’t react well.
• The emphasis on taking the injections to become ‘skinny’, rather than healthier.

I fully agree that people should be treated with kindness and respect at any size and I am someone who took a lot of inspiration from watching plus sized influencers taking part in sport, so I get why she’s worried about losing the body positivity movement. But it simply isn’t true that you can be healthy and obese - obesity isn’t healthy, and if the movement is losing influencers because they are now able to succeed in losing weight when they weren’t before, that suggests that they are in agreement with that. I’ve never been totally sold on how inclusive that movement is anyway - the most popular ones almost always have beautiful faces. It’s the same BS as normal beauty standards, just wrapped in a different size.

The suggestion that she has to choose between her mental health or being a healthier weight also seems somewhat reductive. I hope she finds a happier headspace for herself, but I wish this sort of article could remain as a personal blog/social media post rather than being endorsed by the mainstream press.

I seem to have missed off the poll somehow and it won’t let me add it now 🤷‍♀️

YABU and have reduced her article to what you perceive about it rather than what she wrote. There was minimal stuff about WLI and a lot about the intricacies of society and women’s belief that their looks and their bodies are what determine their worth as people. It’s never going to be a simple topic and it should not be censored.

YABVU. Did you actually read the article?! Most of it isn't about weight loss drugs, and the bit that is about them is just her own experience. That's not scaremongering!

Yabu

I did read the article, yes, and I don’t agree that it is particularly in depth about women’s worth or the intricacies of society. I am not suggesting the topic should be censored at all, but I do think people have a responsibility to consider the impact of their words. If you are publishing something in a national newspaper about an unusual experience (which her extreme reaction to the injection was) then I think you absolutely should make it clear that it’s outside the norm. Why wouldn’t you?

It’s not outside the norm. It’s expected for around 1 in 10 according to the dr on the radio phone in about WLI on radio 4 the other day.

I think this is a classic example of “you see the world as you are, not as it is” as I saw far more about a woman struggling to love her body as it is whilst providing a positive role model for her children and fitting into a society as ours that values women for their looks alone and sees them as less is always more… which speaks to me. You as a WLI user saw criticism of your choices… or a threat to them?

It is an opinion piece describing her personal experience, not an in depth scientific paper.
I thought there was very little about her taking weight loss drugs. I read it as, she tried them, didn’t like it and probably won’t try them again even if there are alternatives. I would be surprised if she hadn’t used a reputable supplier but she clearly was expecting more questions about her situation.

I think there is an implicit criticism. I certainly don’t see it as a threat though, that’s an odd comment? She talks about the ‘moral’ choice of taking the jabs, that they’ve let to a fresh wave of fatphobia and praises overweight celebrities for not ‘feeling the need to shrink’.

I think she was honest and it’s an opinion piece

You seemed to be worried articles like here would or could be a threat to the popularity of WLI… to me. Hence my comment.
What’s wrong with criticising them? They have their place for very overweight people who are diabetic and clinically obese. Not for people who can’t be arsed making the necessary lifestyle changes to lose weight healthily. And society and the popularity of WLI are making them seem like the latter…that’s worthy of criticism.
It’s odd that you describe the article as scaremongering when she literally barely mentions the side effects and certainly doesn’t go into any detail about them.

I worry it would have put me off and prevented me from taking a life changing medication. But from the rest of your comments I don’t believe you’re engaging in good faith, so I’ll leave it there.

I think articles like this are excellent. It’s good to hear someone’s personal experience. Wli injections are not right for everyone. The more honest information people have the better I think.

I think it's more a criticism of society's attitude to overweight people, than a criticism of Mounjaro - the jabs have led to fewer overweight 'body positive' influencers, which has had a negative effect on the writer's self-esteem. The jabs didn't work for her personally as the side-effects were unacceptable; she doesn't say anything about side-effects in others. It isn't scaremongering to say 'Some people may have adverse side-effects' - that's a standard caveat to any medication.

YABVVU

If you want an echo chamber then you might want to source your news exclusively from SM and let an algorithm shield from a different point view point. I’m hoping when you looked into taking your WL drug that you would have not relied on one article.

Well quite apart from the fact that I think your points 1 and 3 are actually correct, the article isn’t just about WLI. And even if it were, she’s entitled to her opinion about them just as much as you are. 🤷‍♀️

Isn't up to readers,listeners, watchers to do their own thinking or research into any topic rather that just believe whelatever they see etc.at the time

Has critical thinking gone out the window? People need to think more

The fact that it changed your life for the better is irrelevant to the discussion of the article. What happened to her was different and she was right to publish it.

I agree with you OP. I grasped the content about broader societal trends, but felt the article drew general conclusions about WLI (and er, the whole of society) based on one person’s unhappy experience.
I don’t see, within my networks, WLI promoting skinniness (although I’m sure some are using them inappropriately). I see them promoting health, letting people exercise and be active and feel better about themselves.

I think the article should be applauded. I worry hugely about the health implications of WLI and as a mother of a daughter who has battled anorexia the seemingly increasing thin worshipping society we’re living in.

Dangerous heroin chic advertising increasing, quick fix injections are being pushed with the risks being ignored. Where is the far preferable MH and lifestyle support? WLI are just sticking plasters that come with risks.

I read the article and thought that it was a thoughtful, considered point of view based on her own experience.

Before agreeing that use of WLI leads to better health, rather than simply being thinner, I’d like to see much more evidence of how the benefits are sustained once the individual stops the injections. Or is it the case that one is on them for life?

But she’s not wrong is she! I know several people on WLIs, none of whom are significantly overweight, none of whom have seemed to have used a ‘reputable’ clinic (what even is that?) one has sent photos of her sister in and has gone from size 12 to size 8 in a month!!
Until they are available on the NHS and prescribed by GPs there will always be clinics who exploit vulnerable people.

My main take away from this is that she (and everyone else) need to get off instagram. It’s insane that people’s views of themselves are so shaped by strangers on the internet who are only ever doing it for the money.

Applauded? She’s a late thirties mother who needs comforting from her husband because instagram makes her cry, because some people she used to admire for being larger are no longer large. She tried one thing that didn’t work and so has decided to remain obese and not consider any other options (including non-medicated). She doesn’t seem to be willing to take any responsibility for either her mental or physical health, and instead is blaming others for taking control of theirs.

But there are serious side effects beginning to show up from WLI. A lot of the weight loss comes from muscle shrinkage which happens at a notably greater rate than through traditional weight loss, so shouldn't be taken without serious counter measures to prevent muscle loss, as muscle loss is one of the greatest risks of death as we age.

There are also animal studies that show cardiac shrinkage, which is incredibly serious if it also occurs in humans. There are very serious concerns about the long term efficacy of WLI, as early research suggests that higher doses may be necessary in future usage if people regain the weight.

When WLIs are used it really should only be for people where not using them is the greater risk to their health, as is the case with many forms of medicine.

She has written an article that in today’s thin drug pushing culture isn’t going to be popular.

How exactly is taking a quick fix drug that comes with risks taking responsibility for mental health exactly? I’d say going on a longer more soul searching and harder journey that she is on is taking far more responsibility.I’d also say that those who do go on the longer more difficult and safer weight loss journey devoid of drugs are taking better responsibility for their physical heath too. No health risks from drugs and also weight loss that’s more likely to stay off due to lifestyle changes and the fact that jabs cease to work when stopped.