“Ozempic face” has been in the news lately. Celebrities like Kelly Osborne, Mary Kay and Ashley Olsen, Meghan Trainor and and have come under fire for the drastic, unhealthy, and in most eyes unattractive changes to their faces that seem to suggest the use of Ozempic or related weight loss shots. They now have very angular jaw lines, their eyes appear to be sunken, and their chins look larger. Most also have significantly more wrinkles, especially around the lips.
Also in the news is the shift in the fashion industry back towards the very slender models of the early 90s. It was called heroin chic then – I haven’t found a term for it this year. But it is a significant shift away from the fuller (but still very slim) models of just a couple years ago.
So are we going backwards? In stores I think the answer is yes.
I wear a size 16 in most brands. A size 14 to 16 is the average size of the American woman. Yet I have a very difficult time finding anything that fits me in a store. The “plus size” sections in Target and Kohls in the town I shop in most frequently are both much smaller than they used to be. In Mankato MN there used to be 2 plus size clothing stores I went to when I was in that area. They have both closed.
But the good news is that we live in the world of the internet. There are many extended size brands and brands that are truly inclusive- stocking size 00 to 48- available online. There are many plus size “influencers” online promoting body positivity and promoting brands that support them.
So I don’t think that size inclusivity is dead, but it’s not exactly thriving either.
This is bad, not just for someone like me who is just above “mid size” in the words of the fashion industry. I am old enough to understand that high fashion has no bearing on my life. And due to my height, buying clothes in stores has been an exercise in frustration since I was a teenager.
I worry more about young girls who are a lot more susceptible to media coverage of women. They are seeing ads for Ozempic and related drugs and and celebrities looking dangerously thin and think they need to look like that. That can lead eating disorders and even suicide. This is not OK.
So what can we do? The best way is to buy from brands that support size inclusivity. We can talk to the girls in our life about the dangers of trying to emulate the looks they see online and compliment them on their non-physical good features as often as possible. And most importantly, we can live our best lives in whatever size we are. You never know who is looking to you as a role model.