The body positivity movement that dominated social media between 2019 and 2020 has experienced a dramatic decline, leaving many of its most prominent advocates struggling to adapt their careers and online presence.
The rise of GLP-1 stuff like Ozempic and Wegovy has fundamentally shifted cultural attitudes toward weight loss, creating an uncomfortable reality for those who built their brands on the premise that weight loss was impossible or unnecessary.
Virgie Tovar, a self-described “weight discrimination expert” and “body futurist,” exemplifies this challenging transition. Once a prominent voice in the fat acceptance movement, she now hosts a podcast called “GLP1 Truth Serum Pods,” focusing on the very medications that have undermined the core tenets of her previous advocacy.
She recently posted a rant about her experience at New York Fashion Week, where she reported being “fat shamed three out of five days.”
Even more striking is the case of Jordan Underwood, another former fat acceptance activist who has lost 200 pounds over the past two years while receiving treatment for stage four lipedema. Despite this dramatic transformation, Underwood appears reluctant to discuss their weight loss journey openly, seemingly caught between their previous advocacy and their current reality.
According to sources, this reluctance illustrates the position many former body positivity advocates find themselves in – having achieved what they once claimed was impossible while fearing backlash from their established audience.
The pendulum swing from extreme body positivity to what some describe as “pro-weight loss culture” has left these activists in professional limbo. Companies that once eagerly partnered with plus-size influencers during the movement’s peak are no longer seeking these collaborations. The plus-size fashion industry, which thrived during body positivity’s heyday, is reportedly “being dismantled” as cultural attitudes shift.