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Weight loss culture in America is nothing new: Our collective obsession with being thin is more than a societal ideal\u2014it\u2019s practically a religion. But in a country where self-improvement through hard work is lauded, the quick-fix GLP-1 weight loss revolution\u2014without the \u201cno-pain, no-gain\u201d labor\u2014might just rub people the wrong way.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
That\u2019s the suggestion of a\u00a0new Rice University study<\/a> published last month in the International Journal of Obesity<\/em>. According to the study, despite the popularity of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy, and Zepbound and their impressive effectiveness, and despite that many people praise the dramatic results, your friends and neighbors may still be judging you for how<\/em> you lose the weight\u2014especially if you\u2019ve gained it back. (Because, as the popular Apple TV show \u201cYour Friends and Neighbors\u201d says in its Season 2 trailer, \u201cIn a As much as Americans covet being skinny\u2014almost as much as being rich\u2014we have always had a love-hate relationship with our weight. In a country where 72% of adults aged 20 and older are overweight<\/a> or obese, finding a \u201cmagic bullet\u201d to solve this problem is something that has fueled the now-billion-dollar weight loss industry<\/a> for decades.<\/p>\n But according to the study, there is a particular stigma for those who lose weight on GLP-1s\u2014often a lot of weight, fast\u2014and regain that weight after discontinuing the medication.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Researchers asked study participants to evaluate people who lost weight on GLP-1 medications compared with those who used diet and exercise, or didn\u2019t lose weight at all. The results were clear. They found GLP\u20111 users were judged more harshly than those who lost weight through diet and exercise.<\/p>\n But even more striking is that they judged those who took the medication more harshly than someone who lost no weight at all.<\/p>\n \u201cWe expected there might be some stigma around using a GLP-1,\u201d study co-author Erin Standen, assistant professor of psychological sciences at Rice University,\u00a0said<\/a> in a news release. \u201cBut what surprised us was the extent of it.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\ntown<\/s> [country] where perception is nine-tenth of the law, you have to keep up appearances.\u201d)<\/p>\nA particular stigma<\/h2>\n