The Daily Aus Summer series: Diet culture in the age of Ozempic
Dec 30, 2025
In this insightful conversation, Dr. Emma Beckett, a food and nutrition scientist, and Varsha Yajman, a youth mental health advocate, delve into diet culture's evolving landscape. They discuss the impact of Ozempic, revealing its popularity alongside troubling safety warnings. Varsha highlights how social media perpetuates body dissatisfaction and thinness ideals, while Dr. Beckett addresses the covert fatphobia rife in diet culture. The duo also calls for better education on nutrition and social media accountability to protect vulnerable users from harmful influences.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Widespread Body Dissatisfaction
- Around one in five Australians over 15 experience significant body dissatisfaction according to Butterfly Foundation data.
- Body dissatisfaction links strongly to eating disorders, anxiety, depression and substance use.
Ozempic Fuels Thinness Resurgence
- Varsha Yajman argues Ozempic's popularity signals a return to thinness-focused beauty norms and a rollback of body-positive gains.
- She links retail sizing changes and celebrity culture to wider social pressure to shrink bodies.
Fashion Shows Shrink Size Diversity
- Vogue Business found plus-sized model representation fell to 0.3% in 2025, signalling shrinking size diversity on runways.
- These drops illustrate industry-level shifts that can amplify body dissatisfaction.