Serena Williams shocked fans when she admitted she took weight loss medication to help her lose 31 pounds.
Tennis champion revealed on August 21 that she is taking weight loss medication after struggling to see results from diet and exercise following her postpartum journey after the birth of her two daughters, Olympia and Adira.
Last Thursday, Serena Williams launched a campaign with Ro, a company that prescribes GLP-1 medications, to normalize the use of weight loss drugs and combat the narrative that taking them is the “easy way out.”
After her announcement, fans took to social media to discuss the nuances of a pro athlete becoming the face of a weight-loss drug. Initially, many were of Serena Williams’s decision to take her personal life into her own hands to make sure she’s at her optimal best health-wise.
Now, the tides seem to have shifted after several reports highlighted that her husband, Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, is an investor in Ro, a GLP-1 medication company, and serves on its board.
Since this revelation, many are questioning the ethics around Serena Williams using her influence as a highly inspirational athlete to endorse a drug for aesthetic reasons.
Some critics pointed out that GLP-1s are not a casual OTC drug. They have numerous potential side effects and unanswered questions regarding their longer-term efficacy. They are also costly.
In a conversation about her decision to use weight-loss medication, Williams mentioned to Vogue, “I don’t really care what people are saying about my body anymore. But what is important to me is transparency.” She expressed that she will be revealing more of her story shortly, stating, “because there’s no shame in this.”
