Most of us dream of a magic pill to kick off the extra pounds we’ve magically acquired (mostly likely from our drinking and late night habits) because god knows going to the gym and eating clean actually takes work—who wants to do that?! On my search to find this magic pill, I stumbled upon a diet pill I remember seeing my mom take when I was younger.
Alli (orlistat 60 milligram capsules) is the only FDA approved over-the-counter aid for weight loss. Orlistat is a lipase inhibitor and binds to enzymes that break down fat, it claims to block 25% of ingested fat from being absorbed. This pill also claims that for every 5 pounds you lose through diet and exercise, it will help you lose 2-3 more.
Inactive Ingredients: FD&C blue no. 2, edible ink, gelatin, iron oxide, microcrystalline cellulose, povidone, sodium lauryl sulfate, sodium starch glycolate, talc, titanium dioxide.
Ingredients: Active Ingredients: In Each Sealed Capsule: Orlistat (60 mg). Purpose: Weight Loss Aid. Inactive Ingredients: FD&C Blue 2, Edible Ink, Gelatin, Iron Oxide, Microcrystalline Cellulose, Povidone, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Sodium Starch Glycolate, Talc, Titanium Dioxide.
A 60 count goes for $40 and is supposedly for men and women however, it appears to be only marketed for women. Ads for Alli contain slim women: one holding a measuring tape around her waist indicating all of the invisible weight she has lost, one smiling woman in a bikini, and even one cheering on a scale. In this particular commercial ad, a woman is praising how much it has helped her and that the actresses ‘doctor’ husband wouldn’t let her take it if it wasn’t safe:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hDKCvRknIeE
While the pill aims to improve a healthy lifestyle, it’s marketing to a specific gender is something to be noted. In society there is a beauty standard that slim women are beautiful. The fact that Alli markets the female population, while largely ignoring males, shows the capitalization of this beauty standard by weight loss pill manufacturers. Through this beauty standard the weight loss pill becomes gendered and indicates that it is the women who must pay the price, literally and figuratively, for beauty.
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Hi Kelli-
ReplyDeleteYes! I love that you are calling out the beauty industry!! I think this view of women is so outdated and actually kind of embarrassing that huge companies still think it's okay to capitalize on this standard. Especially with the husband giving his consent for his wife to take the pill and how he "wouldn't let her" if it wasn't safe. And, why do they assume that people are able to lose weight through diet and exercise, what if they just aren't losing weight? What does the pill do then? Men don't need lose weight too? Thank you for giving me something to think about!
-Callista