JRE 0 · October 13, 2022

Semaglutide, Kardashians, and Female Body Image

comedypsychologyhealthculture

Who is Semaglutide, Kardashians, and Female Body Image?

Taken from JRE 1882 w/Iliza Shlesinger:

Topics and Timestamps

01Iliza Shlesinger discusses how semaglutide and weight loss drugs are changing beauty standards and female body image
02The Kardashian effect on unrealistic body expectations and how social media amplifies these standards
03Women feeling pressure to achieve impossible body types due to celebrity culture and filtered images
04The intersection of comedy, body image, and how funny women are treated differently than funny men
05Discussion of whether semaglutide represents progress or another form of body dysmorphia pressure
06How the entertainment industry perpetuates impossible beauty standards while normalizing extreme measures to achieve them
▶Iliza opens up about how semaglutide has become normalized in celebrity circles0:05:30
▶Discussion of Kardashian influence on beauty standards and unrealistic expectations0:18:45
▶Iliza compares how female comedians are judged on appearance versus male comedians0:32:20
▶Breakdown of how social media filters and celebrity culture create impossible beauty standards0:47:15
▶Iliza discusses the mental health impact of constant comparison to enhanced versions of reality0:59:50

The Show

Iliza Shlesinger sits down with Joe to break down one of the most talked about topics in female spaces right now: semaglutide, the Kardashians, and the absolute minefield that is female body image in 2024. She doesn't pull punches about how these weight loss drugs are becoming the new standard rather than the exception, and how celebrity culture has basically gaslit an entire generation of women into thinking their natural bodies are defective.

The conversation centers on how the Kardashians fundamentally changed what women think they should look like. Iliza points out that we went from having diverse body types represented in media to everyone chasing the same impossible standard. The problem isn't just the standard itself, it's that it keeps shifting. Women spend years achieving one look only to have it become outdated. Semaglutide enters the chat and suddenly it's the new magic bullet, except it's not magic and it's not a bullet, it's an ongoing pharmaceutical commitment that requires constant maintenance.

What makes this particularly interesting is how Iliza ties it back to her experience as a female comedian. The pressure women face to look a certain way extends even into comedy, where being funny apparently also requires being hot. She discusses how male comedians can literally look however they want and still sell out arenas, but women are constantly evaluated on their appearance first and their material second. It's the same paradox playing out across entertainment and social media.

The episode touches on the mental health aspect of all this too. When you're constantly seeing filtered, surgically enhanced versions of reality presented as normal, your brain starts accepting it as the baseline. Then when you look in the mirror, you're not comparing yourself to actual humans, you're comparing yourself to a Frankenstein creation that doesn't actually exist. Add semaglutide into the mix and now it feels like there's a pharmaceutical solution to your perceived inadequacy, which just feeds the whole cycle.

Iliza brings real perspective here as someone who exists in entertainment and comedy spaces. She's funny as hell, which is what should matter, but she's also aware that her appearance is constantly being commented on and judged. The conversation feels genuine and frustrated in the way that comes from actually living this reality rather than observing it from a distance.

Best Quotes

“Women are basically competing against filtered, surgically enhanced versions of reality that don't actually exist”

— Semaglutide, Kardashians, and Female Body Image