Lately I’ve been thinking about how strange it is that thin still equates to beautiful. Even after decades of body-positivity wins and conversations about representation, we always seem to circle back to the same beauty standard.
And now, with the rise of Ozempic and body image discussions everywhere, it feels like we’ve entered a new chapter in the same story.
Why Thinness Still Holds Power
In my humble opinion, thinness has dominated the beauty standard because of its proximity to power.
It’s never really been about how a body looks—but what a body signals. Historically, thinness has represented restraint, discipline, wealth, and whiteness—traits that have always been rewarded in women. Even now, in an era that preaches self-love, those same traits still hold social currency.
The Rise of Ozempic and Body Image Conversations
Ozempic and other GLP-1 medications have created a major cultural shift around body image and beauty.
To be clear, Ozempic isn’t inherently bad or evil. For many, it’s a legitimate medical tool that’s improved health and quality of life. But the cultural noise surrounding it—the way it’s portrayed as effortless thinness—has reshaped how we think about bodies.
Thinness is now more accessible than ever. For a few hundred dollars a month, you too can “control” your body size. You too can represent discipline, wealth, and beauty.
What’s there to lose…except the weight?
(That was sarcasm)
When Everyone Around You Is Shrinking
When I look around and notice that everyone seems smaller, I’m not judging the people themselves. I’m noticing the quiet pressure that starts to build when thinness becomes something that can be bought.
It changes the hierarchy. It shifts how we see ourselves.
Bodies that once felt neutral suddenly feel like a project you could invest in. Staying the same size can start to feel like falling behind—even if you know better.
That’s the paradox I’ve been discussing with clients, colleagues, and myself. We have a medication that can support real health outcomes and reinforce a beauty ideal we’ve spent years trying to escape.
It’s complicated. It’s uncomfortable. And it’s worth thinking about.
Redefining Beauty Beyond Ozempic and Body Image
So maybe the question isn’t “How am I supposed to feel pretty when everyone around me is shrinking?”
Maybe it’s “Why did we learn to equate smallness with self worth?”
Maybe the most radical thing we can do right now is not rush to fix how we feel—but to sit in the discomfort of it. To notice the tug, the envy, the confusion, the fatigue. To name those feelings for what they are: the outcome of a system that’s always been designed to make women feel like they’re never enough.
And maybe that’s where we start to define what pretty really feels like.
About the Author
Claire Rifkin, MS, RDN, LDN is a women’s health dietitian and founder of Claire Rifkin Nutrition. She helps overworked, under-fueled women rebuild energy, balance hormones, and feel well again—without restriction.
