Australian advocates say GLP-1 boom is reviving "skinny culture" pressure on women

Health advocates in Australia say the rise of GLP-1 medications such as Ozempic (semaglutide) and Mounjaro (tirzepatide) is reigniting "skinny culture" and reviving body shame for women, according to a report published August 30, 2026 ^[1]. The accounts come from an advocate who uses a GLP-1 and a general practitioner who prescribes them, not from new clinical trial results ^[1].

Yemi Penn, a health advocate who shares her experience with the medications online, told AAP that internet culture has shifted. "There's been memes about how skinny is trending again; mean girl is trending again - forget skinny," she said ^[1]. She described the wider effect this way: "It's triggered cultural trauma on the female body, and how much we feel we need to have an opinion on it" ^[1].

Penn said she has had perimenopause symptoms since her late 30s and has taken a low dose of a GLP-1 for 18 months alongside a fitness plan ^[1]. She said she grew up inside diet culture, naming the apple cider vinegar diet among things she tried, and that she understands the shame people carry ^[1]. She said she does not feel stigma about the medication herself because she has done a lot of work to heal her trauma, but that she sees that stigma everywhere ^[1]. She said the medication helped her eat better-quality meals without food cravings getting in the way, and helped her finish her first book, Bridge, which she describes as being about understanding her body ^[1]. "My body will change again, but now I know there are some foods that my body no longer likes," she said ^[1].

GP Angela Kwong said most of her female patients taking GLP-1 medications do so for health reasons, including improving fertility, being pre-diabetic or experiencing perimenopause ^[1]. "There are many medical reasons why a doctor and a patient might make that decision to improve their weight ... and there's a lot of judgment out there," she said ^[1]. She added that talking about weight can make people uncomfortable "because there is a lot of stigma, a lot of weight discrimination, because people have often been stuck for a very long time, and try to manage it themselves" ^[1].

Some basics are not established in the report. It does not cite a peer-reviewed study, a sample size or survey data, so how common renewed body surveillance and shame are among women using GLP-1s has not been reported ^[1]. The article also does not quantify how many people in Australia take these medications ^[1]. The report is Australian, and no US figures or US research are included ^[1].

Why it matters for patients

The report is about how people are treated while using these drugs, not about whether the drugs work. Both people quoted point to medical reasons a patient and doctor might choose a GLP-1: pre-diabetes, perimenopause symptoms and fertility ^[1]. Kwong says that decision is often met with judgment, and she describes weight discrimination as a real force in those conversations ^[1].

Penn frames the cultural side as a revival of messages that predate these drugs, layered on decades of weight-loss messaging ^[1]. Her comment on disclosure was direct: "Shame dies in spaces where our stories are told" ^[1]. She also said she did not personally feel the medication stigma, which suggests experiences vary ^[1].

The report offers no guidance on who should or should not take a GLP-1, and it contains no dosing information beyond Penn's description of her own low dose over 18 months ^[1]. Whether these cultural effects change patients' decisions about starting or staying on treatment has not been reported ^[1].

What happens next

Penn is scheduled to discuss her experience on a panel with Kwong on Tuesday in Sydney at the Women's Health and Wellbeing Summit run by Women's Agenda ^[1]. Kwong said she looks forward to dispelling myths about GLP-1s to a broader audience: "I'm excited for the everyday Australian woman to be part of this conversation" ^[1]. AAP's journalist is attending the summit with travel assistance from Women's Agenda ^[1]. No new research, survey or publication tied to these accounts has been announced ^[1].