Editor’s Note: All opinion section content reflects the views of the individual author only and does not represent a stance taken by The Collegian or its editorial board.
I watch a lot of television and YouTube. I spend too much time on social media. I take public transit everywhere. I attend Colorado State University. And every time I do these things or go to these places, I see advertisements.
At this point in the world, advertisements are located everywhere you go. Some of them proudly proclaim a two-for-one deal at a local fast food restaurant, while others promote a food festival happening next weekend. Some will even tell you that your body needs to be changed.
Those messages are becoming increasingly popular. They’re the worst not only because they tell you that your weight needs to be changed, but because they’re also advertising drugs — in most cases, GLP-1s.
GLP-1s are injection-based drugs that are typically used to treat diabetes, though they’re currently receiving spotlight due to their ability to cause weight loss. One of the most notorious is Ozempic.
Pharmaceutical ads are nothing new to us. They show a family running around, when suddenly one of the parents stops due to some sort of chronic illness or condition. Then they proudly show off their new medication and go back to playing with their family. The ad ends with a rapid-fire list of side effects and tells you to ask your doctor about the drug.
Some weight loss ads follow a similar protocol. One Wegovy ad spends the last 30-45 seconds warning viewers of potential side effects and tells them to talk to a prescriber today. But the criminal aspect of this ad is its music design choices. It plays a cover of “This is Me” from “The Greatest Showman,” a song used to show people being happy and proud of who they are.
I find it ironic and irresponsible to use this song in an ad promoting weight loss. Nothing says “Be proud of who you are” like telling people they need to lose weight. It sends conflicting messages to viewers who know the song’s meaning — ones that result in confusion and worsened body image. But it sends an even worse message to those who don’t know the song; it tells viewers that their true self is one who is thin, or that your real person is hidden beneath layers of fat. It is a deeply fatphobic message and one that is absolutely not true.
“You do not need to ‘go micro’ or find your ‘real’ self in a thinner body.”
Another GLP-1 ad by Noom is even more irresponsible. It features their latest marketing slogan: “Go micro.” The ad starts with Rebel Wilson asking, “What’s the secret to peak health?” She then answers her own question with the slogan, “Going micro with Noom.” This is insanely irresponsible — all within the first five seconds of the ad — and it is completely in poor taste. I see this primarily on YouTube, where you have to watch the first five seconds of the ad before skipping, meaning that this interaction is what most people see before clicking away.
Your weight does not equal health. Thinness does not automatically make a person healthy, just as fatness does not automatically make a person unhealthy. But Noom certainly makes it sound like being smaller equals being in “peak health.” If you continue to watch the ad, “micro” references micro-doses of GLP-1s. If you make it to the end of the ad, you will notice there is no mention of side effects or consulting a doctor. Since Noom is technically advertising a company and not a drug, they do not have to mention these things. Only if one pauses to read the fine print will they see clinical support mentioned.
Advertising weight loss through drugs is extremely dangerous. These advertisements promote unhealthy ideas that contribute to fatphobia, both externally expressed and internalized, and they’re irresponsible and reckless. They cash in on people’s insecurities and actively make them worse. Unless prescribed by a doctor, there is really no need to seek out these drugs or listen to these ads.
You do not need to “go micro” or find your “real” self in a thinner body. There is no personal solution to a fatphobic society.
Reach Audrey Weishaar at letters@collegian.com or on social media @RMCollegian.
