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At the beginning of this year, the weight loss drug Ozempic (and its fellows, Mounjaro and Wegovy) exploded onto the scene, with hysterical thinkpieces proclaiming that “life after food” was upon us. There was finally a weight loss drug that worked. Except that there were shortages of this drug, almost instantly, because people who didn’t need it for medical purposes–mostly rich people who can afford the out of pocket cost–were using them to shed a few pounds. Kyle Richards has denied using Ozempic several times. But one Bravolebrity who’s cool with Ozempic is Heather Dubrow from The Real Housewives of Orange County. She spoke to someone from TMZ who asked her about Jeff Lewis calling Kyle Richards a “lesbian on Ozempic” on Watch What Happens Live (which is obviously offensive). Heather answered the question in more general terms. She said that she’s in favor of whatever people do to feel good about themselves, but that people are being “shamed” for using Ozempic. She compared Ozempic to heart medication in order to make the point that both are private medical info. And she said that Ozempic will soon be like Botox, a common thing people use to look better.
Heather Dubrow thinks that the controversial drug Ozempic will be as commonly used as Botox one day.
“I want to say something about Ozempic. There’s a lot of Ozempic shaming going on, and I don’t like it,” the “Real Housewives of Orange County” star told paparazzi in New York City over the weekend in a video obtained by TMZ.
“Whatever someone has to do to make themselves feel good about themselves, I’m all for [it]. But this is also someone’s private medical information.”
She then rhetorically asked “why are people asking who’s on Ozempic” since it’s the same as asking “what kind of heart medication they’re on.”
Continuing on her tangent, Dubrow declared that, one day, Ozempic will be as commonly used as the once-taboo Botox.
“When Botox first came out it was [gestures shockingly and gasps] ‘Oh, are they doing Botox? Is Botox a thing?’”
Dubrow, who has been married to plastic surgeon Terry Dubrow since 1999, recalled telling InStyle magazine during a past interview that she used to keep Botox in her refrigerator back when the cosmetic drug was still frowned upon.
“Because to me it was no big deal. And now, look at Botox,” she said, adding that people can now easily access the anti-aging drug.
I more or less agree with her in principle. Botox is much less stigmatized now than it used to be. But Heather doesn’t acknowledge that people using Ozempic off-label for weight loss are contributing to a drug shortage, and the comparison to Botox is kind of.. layered. Botox was first developed as a medication to fix eye muscle disorders in the 1970s before it became a cosmetic product. It has other (off label but well-established) uses for health problems from TMJ to migraines to excessive sweating. But it’s also FDA-approved as a cosmetic injection and has been for many years, and it’s relatively easy to access. Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro are not approved for purely cosmetic uses, and I’m frustrated that they continue to be so accessible to wealthy people who just want to lose a few pounds. Meanwhile the people who take it for diabetes or other chronic health conditions are having a hard time getting the medication. And for what it’s worth, what Jeff Lewis said about Kyle Richards was gross and shameful. But people in larger bodies are the target of way more body shaming at a societal level than already-slender celebs using Ozempic for cosmetic purposes.
