Featured Post from University of Mary Washington

Oh, Ozempic … Is THIN Back In?

Apr 1, 2024

2 min

After decades of what seemed like progress away from the obsession for “wellies” and “thigh gaps” the thin-is-in mentality seems to be creeping back into the spotlight to weigh on women’s minds – especially on social media.

Channeling the renewed fascination with and focus on slimness, University of Mary Washington Assistant Professor of Communication Emily Crosby, and Associate Professors of Communication Adria Goldman and Elizabeth Johnson-Young, presented a talk titled "Social Media and the Changing Current of Health Messaging and Debates."

Crosby's presentation, "Ozempic is Cheating!: Articulating a Digital Turn in Diet Culture," looks at the discourse surrounding Ozempic on social media. Employing feminist rhetorical criticism, Crosby analyzes posts and commentary to identify themes and conventions of analog and digital diet culture. This research articulates the digital turn in the "cult of thinness," to expose how medical injectable weight loss drugs undermine the body positive movement by invoking clinical technology as ethos.

Goldman's presentation, "#SocialSupport: Examining the Informative and Emotional Functions of Bariatric Surgery Support Groups on Facebook," investigates the functions of digital support groups in assisting with mental well-being and emotional regulation for people considering, undergoing or recuperating from weight loss surgery. This research examines Facebook’s ability to function as both an informative and emotional resource for the bariatric surgery community.

Johnson-Young's presentation, "Sugar, Snacks and Weight: An Examination of Posts and Parent Reactions to the Challenges of Nutritional Health Norms on the Growing Intuitive Eaters Instagram," examined posts and comments on an influencer's account. The research is rooted in both health behavior theory and non-evaluative and trust-based communication around food and nutrition. Preliminary findings show a variety of themes regarding reactions to the influencer's posts, from anger and resistance to relief and excitement.

Weight loss, wellness and the enormous amount of attention this topic is getting has journalists looking for answers. And if you're covering or are looking to know more - we can help.

All three University of Mary Washington experts are available to speak with media - simply click on an icon now to arrange an interview today.

Connect with:

Emily D. Crosby

Associate Professor of Communication

Emily Deering Crosby is a rhetorical critic of popular culture with research concentrations in feminist criticism.

Popular CultureFeminist CriticismCritical Sport StudyDigital RhetoricWomen in Country Music

Adria Y. Goldman

Associate Professor of Communication

Dr. Goldman is an expert in the intersectionality of race, gender, culture and its connection to communication and media.

Mass MediaPopular CultureRhetoricCommunication ResearchPublic Relations

Elizabeth A. Johnson-Young

Associate Professor of Communication

Elizabeth Johnson-Young is an expert on health communication, especially maternal and family health, and media.

Gender and CommunicationMedia ContentSmall Group CommunicationPublic Communication CampaignsCommunication Research Methods

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