GLP-1s and The Death of Body Positivity with Dr. A. Janet Tomiyama
Summary
Host Christiana Mbacue Medina interviews health psychologist Dr. Janet Tomiyama about the cultural impact of GLP-1 drugs and the decline of body positivity. They discuss how weight stigma harms health, why diets often fail due to biology, and the psychological toll of rapid weight loss. The episode also explores the new stigma surrounding medication use and the existential crisis faced by those whose identities are tied to their size.
Topics discussed
Introduction: GLP-1s, body positivity, and weight stigma
Dr. Tomiyama's background and cultural differences in eating disorders
Why dieting fails: Stress, biology, and genetic factors
Comfort eating, hyper-palatable foods, and cultural conditioning
The physical and psychological harms of weight stigma
GLP-1s: Medical benefits, food noise, and addiction comparisons
Stigma around GLP-1 use and the existential crisis of weight loss
Classism, access to thinness, and the shift in body positivity
Side effects, maintenance doses, and comparisons to hypertension
Societal relationship with food and the impact on children
Long-term effects of weight comments on girls and cortisol
Practical advice: Body neutrality and ending weight talk
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