Women are substantially more likely to consider taking GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic, a medication originally used to treat type 2 diabetes, to lose weight, compared to men. With about 51% of women showing some interest in the drugs compared to 31% of men, according to a poll by the nonpartisan health policy research group Kaiser Family Foundation. 

Compared to old weight loss medication, GLP-1 drugs target the natural GLP-1’s in someone’s body, which controls the ability to satiate hunger, said Connie Diekman, former president of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics dietitian. 

Newer medications like Ozempic and Wegovy were also shown to more effectively treat those with obesity in managing hunger, allowing them to feel full without resorting to the feeling of discomfort.

“These new meds are helping them, a lot of people would use the analogy, ‘they’re helping them [lose weight] in a similar way as insulin helps those with diabetes,’ it manages a normal functioning for their bodies,” Diekman said.

Despite the research, men and women can face similar forms of stigma, such as through name calling, judgemental stares or bullying, said Mary Himmelstein, an assistant psychology professor. 

Both men and women also receive similar messaging: that they need to stay small. The main difference is in gender stereotyping, with men being told to be muscular, while women face more self-stigmatization, Himmelstein said. 

“Women are much more likely to say ‘I don’t understand why people would find me attractive because of my body weight,’ ‘I hate myself for my body weight,’” Himmelstein said. 

This is called weight bias internalization, and women score higher than men on that scale, which is also true for transgender individuals, Himmelstein said. 

Men are likely to receive less ridicule for their appearance, compared to women who have a more complicated idea with perfection, said Suzanne Holt, the director of women’s studies. 

“It’s never terribly far from the average girl and woman’s mind, ‘Oh, someone’s looking at me,’ or you’re checking yourself in the mirror, to sort of prepare for the next look, or the look you have on currently,” Holt said.

This is also true for older women who have had past pregnancies. Women are likely to carry more body fat than men, so in combination with societal pressures, they can feel more concerned about losing weight, Diekman said. 

“The walls we walk by with the pictures of women, the magazines, the screens that are on display, everything that is kind of like our surrounding is reinforcing this rather constant message that it’s what you’re here for,” Holt said. “‘It’s your place and function in life, to gratify our appetites and our sensibilities.’” 

Over the years, attitudes towards weight have not changed much either, Himmelstein said. This is due to stereotyping, despite the fact that over two-thirds of America’s population is overweight. 

“For weight, depending on how you’re measuring it, it’s either flat, meaning it’s not decreasing, or it’s slightly increasing, so I would say [for attitudes] it has gotten worse,” Himmelstein said. “It’s this sort of paradox because we have more and more people who have high body weight.” 

Michayla Northup, a sophomore psychology major, said she does not have an issue with people taking weight loss medication. 

“I think all women are beautiful. If that’s what they have to do to feel comfortable in their bodies, I don’t really see a problem with it,” Northup said. “I just don’t think they should be flaunting it around for the purpose of getting more people to use it.” 

Lindsey Pallutch, the president of the Diabetes Link, said in an email she is worried about shortages of GLP-1 medications but believes there are good uses for them. 

GLP-1s being used to treat weight isn’t different from other cases of “off-label uses” for medications, such as anti-seizure medication being used to treat anxiety, Pallutch said. 

“As long as it is safe for you to use, I am happy that people are seeing positive results that are improving their quality of life,” she said. 

Diekman also recommends that people speak with their physicians first before considering taking GLP-1s and not buy anything that can be bought off websites or advertised in commercials. 

Weight loss medication that is not given through prescription is unregulated, not U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved, and can potentially pose a safety risk. 

As for the future, research is still ongoing for GLP-1 drugs, Diekman emphasized the importance of a nutritionist intervention.

“So [people] need a nutritionist intervention to ensure they’re consuming adequate calories, … [GLP-1 drugs] work so well that their appetite is suppressed and they don’t eat very much,” she said. 

Sascha Aleksich is reporter. Contact her at [email protected].