If you’re a young woman who started your day scrolling through Instagram or TikTok, chances are, you’ve come across a predatory targeted advertisement that may say something like this: “If you want to shed pounds effortlessly, try Ozempic. If you want to fit into clothes you couldn’t before, try Ozempic. If you want to love your body again, try Ozempic.” A click, a quiz, and a credit card for the pricey fee, and you’re on your way to trying big business’s newest quick fix for the latest insecurity those same businesses embedded in you. And, like most pharmaceutical fads peddled by greedy corporations, the drug doesn’t come without immense risk.

Ozempic and other drugs within its class typically cost more than $1000 for a single pen, which when injected reduces food cravings and can lead to rapid weight loss. While the price tag is a drop in the bucket for the celebrities that have publicly sworn by the drug, it’s a pretty penny for the millions of ordinary women who feel the crippling pressure to reach unattainable beauty standards. As such, fake versions of the drug sold for a fraction of the price have been found in at least 28 countries, often sold illegally through social media platforms. In some cases, the knock-off versions of Ozempic are a different drug entirely, such as insulin, presenting a deadly risk to those injecting it.

More Money, More Problems

However, the problem with Ozempic doesn’t begin nor end with the fakes—the now easily accessible drug was made to treat those with Type 2 diabetes, and is not FDA approved specifically for weight loss. Misuse of Ozempic and other weight loss drugs have led to America’s Poison Centers receiving nearly 3000 calls in 2023, a 1500% increase since 2019. In 94% of those calls, this medication was the only substance reported. Overdoses have become commonplace with the drug, and last year, it led to 89 deaths. 

For the corporations that produce these drugs, these numbers pale in comparison to the huge money-making opportunity—with $21.1 billion dollars in sales globally in 2023, an 89% increase in sales since 2022, there is no end in sight. While these drugs can be very helpful to patients with relevant medical issues, when they’re largely unregulated and taken without professional medical guidance to meet toxic capitalist beauty standards, there can be serious health risks.

What Happened To The “Body Positivity” Movement?

Mass movements through the 1960s and 70s against racism, sexism, and ableism, have led to a rejection of overt discrimination based on appearance. The Fat Acceptance movement staged “fat-ins” to call out industries that promote toxic diet culture. Today, body acceptance, including body shape, skin color, and gender expression, has been captured by mainstream corporations—from body-inclusive clothing and mannequins to makeup shades being available in more skin tones than ever. 

And despite this “acceptance and representation” in the media, there has been a dramatic increase in hopelessness, sadness, and loss of self-confidence over the last few years amongst young women. Eating disorder-related health visits have more than doubled in people younger than 17 over the last 5 years, with a dramatic 107.4% increase between 2018 through mid-2022. 

So, why do we still feel like the way we look isn’t good enough? Capitalism relies on a sick society to turn a quick dollar on quick fixes. The oppression of women is both profitable and necessary to perpetuate a system that is built on division. For big brands, the body positivity movement’s message of “be yourself” should come with an asterisk—“be yourself, by buying this product.” This gendered oppression is not only felt amongst women who feel downtrodden when they step on a scale, but by men pressured to hit the gym to build muscle, and trans people pressured to look a certain way to “pass.”

Capitalism Manufactures Misery

Ozempic and other weight loss drugs tap into a public health crisis that is deeply felt by ordinary people. Many of us work long hours for little pay at jobs that deprive us of what we need to truly survive—time to cook healthy and nutritional meals, time to move and go outside, time to relax and reduce stress, and time to deepen connections with friends, family, and community. Capitalism alienates humans from each other, and the most basic needs of our humanity. 

In the US, the richest country in the world, 23.5 million people live in “food deserts”, towns where there is no nearby grocery store for sometimes tens of miles. If you do live near a grocery store, chances are that the increasing prices of produce are eating more and more into your paycheck. As a result, working people are forced into grabbing the food that is most readily available and accessible—like fast food that is often lacking in nutrients, pumped with sugar, and provides a temporary feel-good sensation to bandage over our feelings of inadequacy and loneliness. We chase whatever can satisfy these cravings, the exact thing Ozempic claims to eliminate.

From weight loss drugs to ketamine for depression, capitalism makes us sicker and then sells us an incomplete fix to make pharmaceutical executives rich. While these drugs can genuinely help people, most Americans don’t have access to a doctor they know and trust, who can help keep them safe and support a holistic treatment plan in line with what research has found to be effective. Instead, many of us are forced to overpay for some random company to send us drugs with the hope that it will just work out. 

While drugs like Ozempic could be one piece of a treatment plan for weight loss, they’re not a replacement for the ability to live a life that is actually healthy. What we fundamentally need are shorter work schedules, affordable and healthy food, free healthcare, and a society that doesn’t shove toxic beauty standards down our throats. The billionaires don’t care about us—we will have to fight for a world that puts our well being first.