So which is it? Only the naive could believe that the fashion industry’s tepid embrace of body positivity killed dieting. Thinness will always be fetishized by fashion, even as it takes performative steps to diversify. And castings of ultra-thin models have recentlyBut I do believe that the type of dieting Jenny Craig sold, which was loud and obvious and indiscreet, may be off-putting these days.
Advertisements that did not feature former television stars were even more confessional: “real women” shared their stories of humiliation at seeing their bodies in family photos, or struggling to fit into a wedding dress. Do dieters need to reveal all of that today? Not if they can afford to. Drugs like Ozempic, which are essentially very expensive appetite suppressants, allow the rich and famous to lose weight via weekly jabs. Celebrities don’t admit to it, but everyone is on it. That’s the quiet luxury that comes with this new class of drugs. Brands like Jenny Craig, which rely on a bit of visibility, cannot compete.