Disney+ Adโค for Weight โloss Drug Sparks Concern About Messaging to children
A new advertisement forโ a GLP-1 weight loss medication,โค appearing during programming on disney+, is raising concerns among experts about theโ potential impact of weight-lossโ focusedโข messaging โขon children. The ad, for a drug like Wegovy โor Mounjaro, depicts individuals โachieving weight loss andโ enjoying โactivities, promptingโข discussions about the appropriateness of marketingโค these medications-and the underlying messageโค about body size-to young audiences.
The prevalence of diet culture and weight stigma is already a notable issue,notably for young people,experts say. โฃMallaryโ Tenore Tarpley, journalism professor at the University of โขTexas at Austin and author of SLIP: Lifeโฃ in theโค Middle of Eatingโค Disorder โRecovery, emphasizes the importance of counteracting harmful messages. “I talk with โmy children about โdiet culture in simple terms, by referring to itโค as aโค set of messages that will try โคto make them believeโฃ thatโค thin bodies are ‘good’ and fat bodies areโ ‘bad,'” Tarpley โwrites. “I โtell โขthem that thisโข isn’t true, and โI repeat a refrain that I’ve โsaid aloud for many years: โฃ’All bodies are worthy of respect, no โmatter how short or tall, no matter โhow big or small.'”
The concern โisn’t necessarily about the medications themselves, but rather the โreinforcement of โขsocietal pressures โคto conform to specific bodyโ types.โฃ Experts note that pervasive weight โstigma can contribute to โbody dysmorphia and โeating disorders, particularly within the LGBTQ+ community.โฃ A recent USA Today reportโ highlighted how โLGBTQ+ โindividuals frequently enough experience heightenedโฃ rates of these struggles, ofen as a form ofโ overcompensation.
While unconditional body โขlove โmay be a tough goal given the constant exposure โto fatphobic messaging, advocates stress the need to teach children that their worth is autonomous of โtheir weight. Helping kids recognize andโค critically โฃanalyze โweight loss โadvertising โis crucial, particularly as โthese ads become more visible. “Against the backdrop of advertisements that try โto downsize us, we need to โhelp kids realize that it’s OK to take up space,” Tarpley argues.
Resources are available for โindividuals struggling โฃwith body image or eating concerns:
* โข The National Alliance forโฃ Eating Disorders: Clinician-run โhelpline at (866) 662-1235, available 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. โฃEST.
* Crisis Text Line: Text “ALLIANCE” to 741741 for free, 24/7 support.