Do we really have the right to judge this?
On the airwaves of Rouge FM, at the microphone of the show The Morning Gang, host Patrice Bélanger introduced his segment Pat’s Patent, where he ventured into a topic he described as “delicate.”
An Analogy to Set the Table
“This morning, I’m venturing into a topic… delicate, which, I think, won’t leave anyone indifferent (…) It’s a somewhat more serious matter,” he began, opening the discussion with an analogy that sweeps listeners into a hypothetical setup.
He asked them to imagine a marathon where everyone runs in Montreal on a clearly marked course, except for one person who runs on the grass, in high heels, leaping over obstacles, while the others follow the conventional path.
“(…) I don’t know why, but it seems the person who didn’t take the easy route, I find them impressive, I find them inspiring. But when you think about it, they’ve just given themselves more trouble for absolutely no good reason at all. It isn’t inspiring to, oneself, put obstacles in your own way. (…) But I can’t help it; I often find that the less easy path is the most… I’ll put quotes there, is the most ‘noble’. Yet the fastest or simplest method isn’t necessarily less smart (… ),” he said, dropping the pretense, before revealing that he was talking about semaglutide, better known as Ozempic or Wegovy.
A Nuanced and Thoughtful Analysis of the Topic
“(…) There’s a part of me that thinks these medications are a bit like cheating (…),” he adds, continuing with more vivid examples to illustrate his point.
“Because these products seem to completely alter the way we perceive effort and merit,” the host continues, noting that he places a high value on hard work, discipline, and perseverance.
“(…) Now, there are these treatments that enable weight loss, perhaps with a bit less effort. Does that erase the value of all that work for others?” he wonders, recalling that about twenty years ago the same question surrounded cosmetic surgery, a topic once taboo and now, in his view, almost commonplace.
“If it helps someone feel better, do we really have the right to judge that? Is it cheating? In fact, why do we permit ourselves to comment on people’s appearance? I don’t have the answer, but I’m pretty sure there are no right or wrong answers. There’s just a new means that has appeared on the market, now available, and we go through the same phases whenever these things come up: fascination, judgment, ah, acceptance. It seems our relationship with beauty is evolving faster than our ability to understand it. And now, with Wegovy and Ozempic, there’s also the moral issue, because these are drugs originally created to assist diabetics, and today we use them for cosmetic reasons (…),” reflects Bélanger, noting the many advertisements about the topic displayed all around.
A bit later, he adds that nowadays when a public figure loses weight, they’re flooded with messages asking how they did it. If they say they did it naturally, people don’t believe them; if they admit using a product, they’re criticized for it.
“I don’t really know where I stand on all this, because obviously anything cosmetic is incredibly delicate,” he admits.
The Final Word
“What I know, for example, and I’m convinced of it, is that we must learn to love ourselves. But today we have access to these treatments, to tools, to procedures that can change our appearance at the click of a finger. And perhaps… our self-esteem can be completely transformed. So, is that wrong? Why should we deprive ourselves of it? If it truly makes us feel good, why not go for it? So I really don’t have the answers to my questions. I’m in the process, perhaps like you all. But what I know is that we only have one life, one body, and we’re better off learning to feel good in it. Because we spend a lot of time focusing on our little insecurities (…) the most important thing isn’t what we look like, it’s being healthy and how we feel (…),” he concludes.
Recall that in recent years, several celebrities have publicly admitted using Ozempic or a similar weight-loss drug.
And you, are you as torn as Patrice about the situation?
This content was created with the help of AI.
