Ashley Tisdale is “refreshingly” calling out online speculation and body-shaming about people’s appearances.
The High School Musical alum shared a post titled “My Honest Thoughts on Ozempic” on her website, ByAshleyFrench, about the rise of semaglutide drugs in Los Angeles. “A few years ago, almost nobody in LA would admit to using Ozempic,” she began. “I’d hear whispers about people doing ‘the jab,’ and then I learned that some people were using diabetes medicine off-label to lose weight. But it was all very mysterious and nobody was super-open about it.”
Today it’s much different, according to Ashley. “Now it feels like everyone’s either on a GLP-1 drug or talking about starting it. I’m all for transparency and openness, but I’ve had moments when I’ve wondered, Is everyone using Ozempic except me?”
The GLP-1 drugs Ashley’s talking about have become very popular and are used for weight loss when that’s not their primary function. Wegovy is an FDA-approved prescription drug for people with chronic obesity. Ozempic is also an FDA-approved drug, but it’s technically for people with type 2 diabetes.
Ashley admitted she might’ve been “tempted” to use the drugs to lose weight at one point, especially after giving birth.
But she didn’t use them, yet the pressure still lingers. While making it very clear she has no judgment toward people who use the medications, she can’t help but be frustrated at the online body-shaming and speculation of people’s bodies that lead to pressures to adopt these types of weight loss trends.
“But when I see people who are already thin signing up for it, I can’t help but think of how body trends keep shifting,” she added, referencing body trends from the 2000s and 2010s. “We keep moving the goalposts and it’s exhausting.”
“What makes it harder is the nonstop online commentary. People pick apart bodies on the internet in ways they’d never dare say to someone’s face,” she continued. “Speculating (“is she pregnant?”) and critiquing (“she looks gaunt!”) is treated like it’s normal, but it’s not.”
She added, “All of it leaves people feeling like no matter what they do, they’ll be judged. You really can’t win. Which is why, at the end of the day, the only thing that matters is how you feel in your own body.”
In a TikTok with excerpts shared from her blog post, Ashley talked about how her body postpartum added pressure to consider using the drugs for weight loss, especially in the face of online speculation. “What I’m most interested in is the why behind my desire to change my body. What am I actually chasing? What part of me isn’t feeling okay as I am? And I also remind myself that bodies aren’t supposed to stay the same.”
“At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter if you’re taking medication, switching up your workouts or simply practicing a little self-kindness. The real win is making peace with the person in the mirror and choosing the path that helps you feel strong, confident, and at home in your body,” she finished.
Ashley has earned praise for her “refreshing” comments, with one user writing, “I love hearing a celebrity speak up about this. Bodies aren’t ‘trendy.'”
Let us know what you think of Ashley’s comments down below! And check out her full blog post here.