The final weeks of the year are often filled with celebration and connection, prompting a great deal of reflection on what the next 12 months may hold. With the New Year on the horizon, many people feel a familiar pull toward self-improvement that can inspire a renewed commitment to health and wellness.
New Year’s resolutions have traditionally taken the form of new diet regimens or specific weight-loss goals. But the rise of the body positivity movement in the 2010s created greater acceptance of the idea that a healthy body can come in a variety of weights, shapes, and sizes. Now, in the era of GLP-1s, the conversation may be changing yet again.
“Pursuing health in today’s culture requires navigating a constant tension between two powerful but deeply conflicted narratives,” said Charlotte Markey, professor of psychology and chair of the Department of Health Sciences at Rutgers University–Camden. Markey’s more than three decades of research have focused on psychology, health, and human development to examine how people think about their bodies and how those perceptions shape well-being across a person’s lifespan.
“On one hand, the body positivity movement encourages self-acceptance, respect for body diversity, and a rejection of the shame-based messages that have harmed people for generations,” Markey said. “On the other hand, the rapid rise of GLP-1 medications has revived a cultural obsession with thinness and “fixing” the body, often reinforcing the idea that shrinking oneself is automatically healthy.” To read the full story.