AI Summary
5 min readThe internet is full of people writing "we're worried about you" under photos of celebrities like Natalia Dyer from Stranger Things. That tone of concern, appearing in comment sections where nastiness used to live, is something Angelina Chapman, a features writer at the Cut, noticed as a genuine shift. It signals a cultural moment where silence about extreme thinness no longer feels like the right or progressive option, but nobody is sure what to say instead.
This episode of It's Been a Minute brings together Chapman and licensed psychologist Dr. Vanessa Scaring to examine how we talk about weight online and in real life, especially as celebrity bodies have visibly trended smaller since the introduction of Ozempic and other GLP-1 drugs. The conversation is organized around a central tension: how to engage thoughtfully with what we are seeing without causing harm, either to the celebrities themselves or to the young people absorbing these images.
The return of a familiar problem
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What you'll learn
- 1 (00:00) **Opening & Introductions** - Host Brittany Luse frames the episode around the shrinking size of celebrities and the difficulty of discussing weight online, then introduces guests Dr. Vanessa Scaring (psychologist) and Angelina Chapman (writer at The Cut).
- 2 (01:51) **When Did the Trend Toward Thinness Become Visible?** - Angelina Chapman pinpoints the post-COVID era, when Ozempic entered mainstream conversation and red carpets began to look like “a parade of skeletons.”
- 3 (04:39) **How the Public Began to Notice and React** - Angelina describes seeing a shift in online comments from bullying to expressions of concern, like “we’re worried about you,” under photos of celebrities such as Natalia Dyer.
- 4 (06:49) **The Core Dilemma: How to Talk About Women’s Bodies** - The conversation shifts to the feminist principle of not commenting on women’s bodies, now being questioned as silence may no longer feel progressive.
- 5 (09:43) **The Impact on Young Girls and Teens** - Angelina shares stories from interviews with moms of daughters as young as six, who ask for “hollowed out clavicles” like Ariana Grande’s.
- 6 (13:28) **The Benefit of Naming the Problem** - The group discusses how having a term like “diet culture” allows for more conscious parenting and public discourse, even if the problem feels worse.
- 7 (15:43) **Where Is the Line Between Concern and Shaming?** - Brittany asks how to differentiate thoughtful engagement from public shaming of celebrities who may already be struggling with health issues.
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Show Notes
The defining mantra of the 90s and early aughts, has reappeared as celebrities, influencers and everyday women shrink in size. But as people get smaller, others are talking. Online and in person, imperfect, candid and concern conversations are happening about the the thinner frames we see online and in person. But what’s the best way to have these conversations? To learn how Brittany spoke with Angelina Chapman, features writer at The Cut and Vanessa Scaringi, PhD, licensed psychologist, to learn how to express concern, without pointing fingers.
Want more about body image? Check out these IBAM episodes:
GLP-1s & eating disorders have a complicated relationship
The difference between losing weight & being "healthy"
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