TikTok and Instagram hold great significance in the lives of many nowadays, and hyperfixation on appearance is running rampant. But it’s nothing new – this obsession isn’t limited to the digital generation. Ideals of beauty have varied through human history, but human vanity is timeless.
Anabolic steroids have actually been a hot topic of discussion since the 1930s. Research has found that they’ve impacted the body image of many people, especially men. However, this is more to do with muscle gain than weight loss.
But move aside steroids, there’s a new girl in town: Ozempic. She’s said to be the cure for the visceral hunger for skinniness. Because muscle mass and BBLs are out and heroin chic is in again, duh.
The rise of Ozempic
The internet’s new craze, Ozempic – formerly best known as a medication to treat type-2 diabetes – has caused quite a stir in the weight loss community. Celebrities like Elon Musk and Sharon Osbourne have shared their positive experiences with Ozempic. This has prompted others to try the drug for themselves and post their own experiences on social media, often using the hashtag #ozempic. Yet there’s still a degree of secrecy surrounding it, leading many on social media to speculate.
To clarify, Ozempic is an injectable drug containing semaglutide, which lowers blood sugar levels and regulates insulin. It also mimics a natural hormone, GLP-1, which our bodies produce in the intestines. It’s known to reduce appetite by sending signals to indicate fullness and slowing down the emptying process of the stomach. Ozempic has proved effective at managing weight and obesity. The demographic most likely to use it appears to be women, across a range of age groups.
But this drug has taken on a life of its own compared to others, satiating society’s desire to attain the skinny ‘y2k’ body currently trending on social media. And although it’s only supposed to be prescribed by a GP, it’s easily accessible through online pharmacies. They only ask that customers fill in a quick, automated questionnaire delivering almost instant results.
So, many users have access to the drug without being overweight or having diabetes, as they can lie on the health questionnaires. This is problematic for two reasons. Some slim people on social media perpetuate unrealistic and unhealthy body standards while being dishonest about their Ozempic use. And, due to mass consumption, there’s a worldwide shortage of the drug. Alternatives like Mounjaro and Wegovy are now popping up.
How do attitudes to steroids differ?
General attitudes to anabolic steroids are different to those regarding Ozempic and similar drugs. Arguably, this is due to how long they’ve been in existence, and the medical research behind them.
For some historical context, steroids were first fully developed in the 1930s. German scientists developed them as a way to treat testosterone deficiency, ‘hypogonadism’. According to anecdotal accounts, steroids were used during the second world war by the Nazis. They were first tested on prisoners, then later used by the Gestapo and Hitler himself, as the Nazis promoted aggressiveness and physical strength.
According to Hitler’s physician, he exhibited characteristics associated with heavy steroid use, such as mania, acute paranoia psychoses, overt aggression and violent behaviour, depression, and suicidal thoughts. Steroids continued to be used after the war, but to help reverse the effects of war and concentration camp imprisonment.
Anabolic steroids became popular among bodybuilders and athletes in the 1950s, for improving their performance as well as enhancing their cosmetic appearance. But they’ve since been banned by all major sporting associations, and have been made illegal or become regulated by many countries, including the UK.
Yet it’s estimated that there are one million UK users of anabolic steroids, maintaining its position as a popular ‘body enhancement’ drug. According to UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) the most common demographic for steroid use is males aged 20–24, which may be attributable to the intense gym culture men and young boys are subjected to by reality TV and social media.
Social media can be especially harmful because bodybuilder influencers don’t tend to disclose their steroid use, leading boys and young men to believe such bodies are attainable in a natural way. The body dysmorphia that can stem from this is often called ‘bigorexia’.
Standards of ‘beauty’
Both drugs have become quite normalised in the UK, despite steroids supposedly being illegal for non-medical reasons and Ozempic being a prescription-only medication. This leads us to the question of why these drugs appeal to their respective demographics.
Both women and men have suffered under pressure from the patriarchy for thousands of years, to abide by ever-changing stereotypical masculine and feminine appearances or face social and even financial consequences. Ozempic has appeared at a time when female beauty standards have shifted from a desire to have a BBL-look back to a 1990s-style skinny, supermodel physique.
This furthers the idea that women’s bodies should not be an ‘imposition’ on judgmental others, but should be dainty and petite. This is of course problematic for many reasons, not least perpetuating the belief that women themselves are nothing more than a trend, rather than diverse human beings with their own agency.
This stands in stark contrast to the male beauty standard, in which having big muscles and looking aesthetically strong is ideal. Unlike with women’s bodies, this standard has been consistently desirable for many years, imposing fewer changes and requirements to follow trends. But it can put men’s long-term health at risk, and harm their mental health and self-esteem regarding appearance and desirability. And indeed, sacrificing health is one thing steroid and Ozempic users can have in common.
The cost of beauty
Side effects for men on steroids include testicle and penis shrinkage, reduced sperm count, gynaecomastia (breast development), baldness, and involuntary and long-lasting erections. The longer-term effects include but are not limited to liver disease, high blood pressure, and ‘roid rage’ – which is characterised by uncontrollable outbursts of psychotic aggression. Ozempic side effects can include nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, constipation, and stomach pain, as well as more severe problems such as changes in vision, kidney failure, and gallbladder problems.
This suggests that users of these drugs are either ill-informed as to the risks, or are acting irresponsibly in valuing their outward appearances while having no genuine regard for their short- and long-term health. Having said that, it must be remembered that many people use Ozempic legitimately; the necessary use of drugs for weight loss shouldn’t be made a moral issue.
The parallels between many steroid users and many Ozempic users is clear: there’s often a blatant disregard for health and a vain prioritisation of physical aesthetics, despite the detriments that the drugs may cause. This highlights how ingrained gendered expectations as to appearance are in our society, and how far people are willing to go to fulfil them and attain conventional attractiveness.
The rise in the use of Ozempic also raises the need to draw attention to how society views women’s bodies as trends and commodities, and how steroid use addresses the pressure men face to be perceived as strong and attractive by other men and by women. The continuing appeal of both drugs ultimately confronts the question of how health and aesthetic appearance intersect in an increasingly online social world.
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