When I read the headline that Serena Williams is taking a GLP-1 medication — and that her husband is an investor in the very company producing it — it felt like a punch in the gut. Serena has always stood as an icon of strength, unapologetic power, and resistance to the thin ideal. To see her linked with the latest “miracle” weight loss drug is more than disappointing — it’s a reflection of how deep diet culture’s grip really goes.
In this episode, I explore what GLP-1 drugs are, why they’ve become so wildly popular, and the truth behind the hype. More importantly, I unpack what it means when celebrities endorse them — how it normalizes their use, makes them aspirational, and reinforces the idea that even the most powerful women in the world still need to shrink to belong.
We’ll talk about how the pharmaceutical industry and celebrity endorsements capitalize on both our pain and our shame — pain from years of dieting and frustration, and shame from the belief that our bodies are broken and need fixing. These drugs aren’t really selling health; they’re selling thinness, conformity, and the illusion of belonging, all at tremendous cost to our well-being and self-trust.
Along the way, we’ll also touch on how Serena’s body has always been scrutinized through the lenses of race and gender, and why even she isn’t immune to the pressures of a culture determined to shrink us.
This conversation isn’t about blaming one person’s choices, but about looking at the larger system that profits when we feel like we’re not enough. At the end of the day, our bodies are not for sale. They are not commodities. They are vessels for our joy, our love, and our lives. And when we stop buying into the shame, we take back our power.
If this episode resonates with you, I’d love for you to share it with someone who needs the reminder that their body is already enough.
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