A wave of weight-loss drugs and slimmed-down celebrity transformations has reignited a battle mental health experts thought largely settled: the fight over whose body is acceptable in America.
The resurgence of ultra-thinness in media and among A-list stars marks a sharp reversal from the 2010s, when body positivity advocates and brands pushed for greater acceptance of diverse body types. That cultural moment, symbolized by hits like "All About That Bass," now feels like ancient history to those who spent years building acceptance.
"It absolutely feels like backtracking," said Katelyn Baker, a clinical psychologist who posts body positivity content on TikTok as @thatfatdoctor. The work of activists and mental health professionals, she said, is "kind of disappearing."
GLP-1 drugs, which reduce appetite and have become synonymous with rapid weight loss, have fueled the cultural shift. But what troubles experts most is not the drugs themselves: it's the obsession with celebrity transformations and the message that thinness is once again the ideal.
"Bodies are now becoming a trend again," said Cassandra Cavallaro, a content creator who advocates for movement and wellness over weight loss. "Real people's bodies aren't a trend."
Even Hollywood insiders are sounding alarms. Actress Jameela Jamil recently posted a video pushing back against what she called a return to harmful appearance norms, noting that the cultural pushback against body standards is not finished. "We fought the system, and now we need to come back and do that again," she said.
The Two-Tiered Health Crisis
Beyond shifting beauty standards, the GLP-1 boom has exposed a deeper inequality. Those with resources can access medical solutions for weight management, while others are told to accept themselves as they are. That disparity highlights a longstanding truth: "Health has been a privilege for those who are socioeconomically affluent for a very long time," according to Nafees Alam, a social work professor at Yeshiva University.
Zoë Bisbing, a psychotherapist and founder of Body-Positive Therapy NYC, explains the psychological toll. "Our brains must see evidence of body diversity. If we don't, our brains clock our bodies as wrong." Constant exposure to images of thin celebrities taking GLP-1s plants self-doubt in people who were beginning to feel comfortable with their bodies.
"Now they're questioning, should I be doing more? Should I be smaller?" Cavallaro said of the effect the visibility has on everyday people.
Experts stress that GLP-1 drugs themselves are not the enemy. They can treat Type 2 diabetes and reduce risks of neurological issues and sleep apnea. Side effects like nausea and fatigue are real concerns, and in rare cases the drugs carry increased risk of gastrointestinal disorders. But the core problem, according to Samhita Mukhopadhyay of The Cut, is that celebrity obsession with the drugs has distorted how we evaluate them. "Our obsession with celebrities taking them has created an environment where we are not actually evaluating these drugs for their real value," she told NPR.
The body positivity movement, rooted in 1960s fat rights activism, is fundamentally about social justice, not self-love slogans. Bisbing frames it simply: "It's not you must love your body as you are. It's saying, 'Whoever you are, you have a right to love your body.'"
That battle, advocates insist, is far from over.
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