Episode description

Hello from the Condé cafeteria! 

This week, our guest is Samhita Mukhopadhyay, a writer and editor and the former executive editor at Teen Vogue. [5:30] Samhita’s personal essay in The Cut explores how being prescribed the new weight-loss drug Mounjaro, not long after her father died of complications from diabetes, challenged her thinking around health and body image. [36:00] We also discuss the decline(?) of the girlboss—Samhita is writing a book on women and work culture—and the enduring power of individualistic corporate feminism. Plus, we hear about Samhita’s tenure at Teen Vogue as the outlet expanded its political coverage and tried to change the culture of fashion magazines. (Apologies for the slightly worse-than-usual audio quality on this ep.)

In this episode, we ask: 

Has the body image discourse around Ozempic and Mounjaro limited the drugs’ real, life-changing possibilities? 

What does it mean for both weight-loss culture and health access that these are pricey prescription medications? 

When is hating on girlboss culture classist and racist? 

For more, see: 

* Samhita’s essays on the weight-loss drug Mounjaro and The Demise of the Girlboss

* Jia Tolentino’s take: Will the Ozempic Era Change How We Think About Being Fat and Being Thin? 

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