The Yale Sociology Workshop in Urban Ethnography presents
Alka Menon, Assistant Professor of Sociology, Yale University:
“Shame, Blame and Ozempic: The Social Meanings of GLP-1 Use.”
Glucagon peptide 1 receptor agonists (GLP-1s, popularly known as Ozempic) have quickly become ubiquitous in the U.S. since their approval for weight loss in 2021, with the most ardent proponents hailing their potential to end the obesity epidemic. Drawing on interviews; ethnographic observation of several events featuring and discussing GLP-1s; and analyses of GLP-1 related hearings, laws, and newspaper articles, this paper uses public debates about GLP-1s to trace the incipient meanings of the drugs and their users. The talk shows how GLP-1 debates have created an opening to shift the moral allocation of responsibility of individuals for their body weight, of physicians for their patients, and of politicians for equity and the health of the public.