Ashley Tisdale has shared her complicated feelings towards diet culture and Ozempic, revealing that oftentimes she feels like either everyone is on it or talking about it starting it.
While the High School Musical actress, 40, has been tempted to use the weight loss drug, she says she has ultimately decided against using it – although she respects and is supportive of people who do.
In a candid essay, Ashley voiced her frustration about weight loss, diet culture, and body image, in which she lamented ‘we keep moving the goalposts and it’s exhausting.’
Ashley, who shares two children with her husband Christopher French, relayed her feelings in a blog post uploaded on her website.
She wrote, ‘To be clear: I have absolutely ZERO judgment toward anyone using Ozempic or other similar medications. Zero. Just like with plastic surgery or any other personal decision about your body, I believe it’s yours to make.
‘If a shot helps you feel healthier and more comfortable in your body, I fully support that. These drugs can be life-changing, and for many people, they are truly transformative.
‘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. In the 2000s it was big boobs, then suddenly flat chests were in.
‘The 2010s brought body positivity, and now it’s like we’re back to chasing ultra-slim everything. We keep moving the goalposts and it’s exhausting.’
Ashley Tisdale has been praised for sharing her honest thoughts on Ozempic
The actress saidit feels like everyone’s either on a GLP-1 drug or talking about starting it
Ashley noted that the culture and online commentary about Ozempic and body image has ‘made it harder’ to drown out the noise.
‘People pick apart bodies on the internet in ways they’d never dare say to someone’s face,’ she said.
‘Speculating (“is she pregnant?”) and critiquing (“she looks gaunt!”) is treated like it’s normal, but it’s not.
‘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.
‘For me, even though there are days I’ve been tempted, I’ve decided that Ozempic isn’t the right move for me. I’m not against Western medicine by any means, but I like to take a holistic view of weight, which is so deeply tied to hormones, sleep, food, mental health, genetics, and stress. (And sometimes autoimmune issues, which I personally live with.)’
Since having her second child, Emerson, last year, Ashley has ‘worked hard to accept my body as it’s evolved through two pregnancies, immune flare-ups, and different seasons of womanhood.’
‘Maybe it would have gone faster with a GLP-1, but that wasn’t the path I took,’ she wrote.
‘Some of the things that have helped me reconnect with my body postpartum are following a macro-based lifestyle, doing yoga and Pilates, and walking 12,000 steps a day.’
The mom-of-two has decided against using Ozempic, despite being tempted
Ashley noted there is no ‘right way’ to ‘make peace with the person in the mirror’ (pictured with her two daughters)
Concluding her post, Ashley urged people to practice self-kindness.
‘The real win is making peace with the person in the mirror — today, tomorrow, and every season after,’ she said.
‘I’m not using Ozempic, but if you are, that’s your call and it’s completely valid. There’s no one right way to do this. What matters is choosing the path that helps you feel strong, confident, and at home in your own body.’
Ashley’s remarks on Ozempic and body image resonated with many social media users, who agreed with her take.
Commenting on Reddit, one said: ‘She has a point about who is using it and why, and it’s so sad to see how far people are willing to go for a body size they deem ideal or needed or to even just take Ozempic for the sake of taking it.’
Echoing a similar sentiment, another wrote: ‘She makes a solid point. When it’s solely for aesthetics, it is rarely healthy.’
‘She’s not wrong,’ added a third. ‘I grew up during the heroin chic phase and man, it did a f***** number on me. And here I am, a couple of decades later, still trying to unpack all of it. I feel like we are back in that phase again and it depresses me.’
Ozempic (semaglutide) is an injectable medication for Type 2 diabetes. It helps improve blood sugar levels and reduce the risk of major cardiovascular events.
It works by mimicking the GLP-1 hormone, aiding insulin release and slowing digestion to control appetite. Administered weekly, it supports weight management and overall health when combined with diet and exercise
