If you’ve scrolled through social media or watched TV, you’ve probably seen campaigns featuring women describing how difficult weight loss can be. These say you’ve probably “tried everything”. Then, viewers are encouraged to “talk to a doctor” about managing their weight.

At first glance, these and similar campaigns may look like lifestyle-based health promotion messages. But pharmaceutical companies that market popular weight-loss drugs – such as Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro – are behind them.

In a recent paper, we describe how some of these promotions feature women of colour and First Nations celebrities, no doubt to appeal to this demographic. We argue these campaigns are thinly veiled promotions for weight-loss drugs, even if they don’t mention the drugs’ names.

Here’s why we are so concerned.

From Oprah Winfrey to Casey Donovan

Oprah Winfrey’s 2025 tour to Australia was sponsored by the drug company Lilly, also known as Eli Lilly. The company makes the weight-loss drug Mounjaro. Winfrey did not mention specific weight-loss drugs on her tour. But she appeared in live events where she talked about her weight-loss treatment.

During the 2026 Super Bowl, one of the most watched sporting events worldwide, tennis star Serena Williams was featured in an ad for telehealth platform Ro. In a series of promotional images, she poses as if she’s about to inject herself.

In Australia,........

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