WTF Happened to Body Positivity? | The Rise of the Ozempic Aesthetic

Is body positivity dead in the wake of Ozempic? We're exploring how weight loss culture and the 'heroin chic' aesthetic are making a high-speed comeback under the guise of medical wellness. ☕ Support the show: www.buymeacoffee.com/rigourandflow With this being Mental Health Awareness week, we couldn’t think of a better time to put the spotlight on one of the most overlooked mental health conditions in the Black community. As just six months ago, body positivity felt like a permanent cultural shift and today, the landscape has changed. People are "shrinking" overnight. In response, Aiwan and Tamanda interrogate the radical shift in weight loss culture in 2026. From the medicalisation of weight loss using a “miracle” drug to the normalisation of "shrinking," we unpack how quickly the conversation has shifted back toward unhealthy control. We deep dive into how so called “wellness” language - and even medical terminology - is being used to mask aesthetic pressure and the impact of diet culture on Black body image. Drawing on her personal experience with eating disorders and recovery, Tamanda reflects on the unsettling "seduction" of these new drugs, and what this shift means for a generation of teenagers watching people dwindle in real-time. 🎙️ In this episode:The Rise and Retreat: How body positivity moved from a cultural force to a quiet disappearanceThe Ozempic Effect: The medicalisation of weight loss and the normalisation of "shrinking"Wellness or Control?: Decoding how "health" language is being used to mask aesthetic pressureRace and Body Politics: How Black bodies sit differently inside cycles of visibility, pressure, and desirabilityChasing Capitalism: Why the system needs our bodies to remain "projects" that need fixingWatching in Real Time: What this shift means for teenagers growing up inside itSubscribe for more critical deep-dives into power, class and the Black experience.     🎧 Listen wherever you get your podcasts
🎥 Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/g-yUKuuTSCU  🔁 Share with someone thinking about what “health” and “beauty” mean today.Please rate, review and subscribe for weekly episodes.Connect with us on:TikTokInstagramLinkedInAiAi StudiosRoots & RigourThis is an AiAi Studios Production©AiAi Studios 2025 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.