Ozempic in Hollywood: The dangerous implications of extreme diet culture

Those who grew up in the 1990s have watched with a growing sense of unease as everything that was once relegated to the sin bin of fashion has made a return.

Low rise jeans, tramp stamps (yes really), smoking and now, most worryingly, very thin bodies have all swung back into vogue.

Years of body positive gains have seemingly been swept aside as fashion shows and advertising campaigns revisit a 90s “heroin chic” aesthetic, when supermodel Kate Moss ruled the runway and famously declared: “Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels.”

And while it was agreed long ago that women’s bodies shouldn’t be discussed or dissected, as the so-called “skinny epidemic” seeps from the fashion and entertainment industries into social media and culture-at-large, a growing chorus of body positive advocates say it is time to speak up in order to safeguard young women from the pressure to get thin at any cost.

Hollywood matriarch Meryl Streep recently called out the fashion industry’s return to using very thin models during Milan Fashion Week, where she and co-star Anne Hathaway attended several runway shows while filming The Devil Wears Prada 2.

“I thought all that had been addressed years ago,” Streep told Harper’s Bazaar.

“Annie clocked it, too and she made a beeline to the producers about it, securing promises that the models in the show that we were putting together for our film would not be so skeletal.”

In the same month, Streep’s already-slim contemporaries Demi Moore and Nicole Kidman turned up to the Oscars looking notably thinner.

Golden Globes host Nikki Glaser pointed out her audience was shrinking at last year’s awards ceremony.

“It’s Ozempic’s biggest night,” she stated voicing what the media and wider community were already speculating, that in a room full of ultra-thin celebrities it was likely many were taking a weight-loss medication intended for people suffering from clinical obesity or type 2 diabetes.

Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1s) — commonly known by brand names Ozempic, Mounjaro and Wegovy — are largely being blamed for the current resurgence of extreme diet culture.

While there is no debate that GLP-1 medications can be life-changing, or even life-saving, for those with diabetes or other medical serious conditions, the concern is that they are being abused by those who want to drop a few kilos and see the drugs as a quick fix solution.

Psychologist Laura Smolcic, who has worked as an eating disorder clinician for more than 20 years, said that like other get-slim-quick propositions of the past, the growing popularity of GLP-1 drugs perpetuate the belief that thinner is better.

“I think the GLP-1 drugs and what we are currently seeing in terms of extreme weight loss is just taking us backwards,” Ms Smolcic said.

UK actress and activist Jameela Jamil has spoken out about the widespread implications when Hollywood decides downsizing is cool.

“I am talking about a visible mass eating-disorder culture taking over the entertainment industry that is endangering every single woman and girl who is witnessing it and thinking that is the key to love, attention and acceptance,” Jamil said in a video posted to Instagram.

Some celebrities including Meghan Trainor, Kelly Clarkson, Serena Williams and Oprah Winfrey have spoken openly about using the GLP-1 drugs for weight loss, stating they tried and failed to lose weight through other means.

While other notably slimmer stars including Khloe and Kim Kardashian, Kris Jenner, Lana Del Ray and Demi Lovato are rumoured to have used the drug.

“We can see that this is not just a health kick that Hollywood has undergone because when that happens you can see a bit of visible muscle, you see more skin vitality, people look healthier,” Jamil said. “They don’t look gaunt, they don’t have hair loss, they don’t lose skin vitality, they don’t have visible muscle loss.

“We have to be better than this. We know too much now. We know too much about the organ damage and bone density damage that comes along with these things, it’s not worth it.”

Sharon Osborne is one of the few stars who has discussed the risks of Ozempic, explaining she went “too far”.

“I haven’t been this weight since I had cancer,” she told YouTuber Howie Mandel.

“I would prefer to be a little bit bigger but I can’t put on weight now. I don’t know what it has done to my metabolism.”

Meanwhile her daughter Kelly Osborne has called out fans and the media for discussing her extreme weight loss citing the fact she is dealing with grief over her father Ozzy Osborne’s death, despite the fact her mother acknowledged they have both used GLP-1 drugs.

Ariana Grande, whose drastically thin frame sparked concern during the Wicked press tour, has also clapped back at commentary over her body.

While it is admittedly problematic singling out ultra-thin celebrities given it can often signify deeper underlying mental health issues, the alternative is that it is not discussed and impressionable young fans attempt to emulate their idols.

Jamil said while she cops backlash after discussing the “normalisation of eating disorder culture in the entertainment industry”, raising awareness is more important.

“Some people (say), ‘you shouldn’t be talking about women’s bodies’ and while I do appreciate that, I think it is a disingenuous way to shut down a pivotal conversation about the fact that anorexia is the leading cause of death of any mental illness,” she said.

“This is life or death we are talking about. Less than 30 per cent of people ever recover from anorexia once it takes hold of them.

“I do understand why you feel uncomfortable that anyone would not feel great about whatever body they have, we are not trying to shame or hurt anyone but unfortunately it takes calling out to bring awareness to something.”

Not surprisingly eating disorders are on the rise with around 1.1 million Australians living with an eating disorder, an increase of more than 21 per cent since 2012, according to national eating disorder charity The Butterfly Foundation. One in 10 Australians will experience an eating disorder at some point in their life.

Most notably there has been a concerning rise among young people with adolescents aged 10–19 now account for 27 per cent of all cases, a figure that has nearly doubled since 2012.

The pressures celebrities feel to be slim are amplified within an industry where looks are a commodity. Skinny sells, to the tune of $460 billion, which is the current estimated value of the global weight loss and management industry.

As of early 2026, the industry has seen a significant growth in profit, propelled mostly by the increased use of GLP-1 drugs.

Stolcic said it is important we keep pushing back despite the might of weight loss industry.

“We are up against big pharma but we need to keep talking,” she said. “We need to keep advocating for non-dieting approach and educating people about the problems of diets. And the issues of weight stigma”.

Jamil said the body positive movement started from speaking out about extreme diet culture.

“We need to come back and do that again,” she said. “Otherwise we are going to have super size zero trend take hold for another 10 years and f--k up three generations of women.”