Podcast Summary: Hoy por Hoy – La mirada | Najat El Hachmi: "Hay mujeres tomando Ozempic antes de la boda o para la operación bikini"

Date: December 4, 2025
Host: SER Podcast (Commentary by Najat El Hachmi)
Episode Theme: Societal implications and critical perspective on the booming use of weight-loss medications like Ozempic and the deeper roots of obesity.

Episode Overview

In this reflective editorial, Najat El Hachmi examines the recent pronouncement by the World Health Organization on the medicalization of obesity—particularly the recommended prescription of trend-setting weight-loss drugs, such as Ozempic. El Hachmi delivers a sharp, critical analysis of how societal structures, from the food industry to urban design and work culture, compound the issues of obesity, and questions whether turning to medication is truly addressing the underlying causes. She also raises concerns about the growing normalization of these medications for cosmetic purposes and the return of an aggressive culture of thinness.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Medicalization of Obesity

• [00:08] The episode opens with a reference to the WHO’s new guideline recommending prescribing weight-loss drugs for obesity.
• Najat questions the systemic issues behind obesity:
  • Sedentarism shaped by urban environments.
  • Highly-marketed, addictive food products.
  • Structural factors like long work hours, precarious jobs, deficient public transport, and lack of accessible recreational spaces.
• She highlights the irony of treating a systemic, environment-induced problem primarily through pharmaceutical intervention.

2. The Food Industry & Societal Manipulation

• Najat draws parallels between the tobacco industry's decline and the food industry's rise, suggesting former tobacco marketers have fueled food addiction:
  • “Los publicistas y expertos en marketing que tuvieron que buscarse la vida después de que perdieran sus trabajos en las tabacaleras se reinventaron creando la adicción a la comida.”
    — Najat El Hachmi [00:27]

3. Societal Infrastructure & Health

• The lack of “no consumerist” social spaces and poor public transport are cited as key obstacles to healthy lifestyles.
• The direct link between work culture (long hours, precariousness) and poor health is emphasized.

4. Pharmaceuticals: Miracle or Mirage?

• Najat points out the seductive promise of medications like Ozempic—a simple solution (just one weekly injection)—contrasted with the reality:

  • These drugs do not “cure” but rather “treat,” potentially fostering lifetime dependency.
  • They come with significant side effects and ongoing costs.

• Quote:

  • “Parece que un pinchazo semanal nos devolverá toda esa salud que el sistema nos ha robado, aunque tengamos que pagar nosotros los numerosos efectos secundarios de estos medicamentos que no curan, sino que tratan y nos convierten en adictos de por vida.”
    — Najat El Hachmi [00:52]

5. A New Wave of Body Pressure

• Najat sounds the alarm about cosmetic use of Ozempic:
  • People, particularly women, using these powerful drugs for events (“antes de una boda o para la operación bikini”).
• She notes the resurgence of thinness as an obsessive societal ideal, threatening body diversity and inclusion.
• Critical commentary:
  • “La que no esté delgada será porque no quiere o no quiere gastarse su buen dinerito en esa nueva esclavitud entre la semaglutida y el bótox. No sé yo... qué quedará para pegar el alquiler.”
    — Najat El Hachmi [01:38]

Notable Quotes

• On corporate responsibility and the addiction cycle:
  “Los publicistas y expertos en marketing... crearon la adicción a la comida.” [00:27]

• On the pharmaceutical ‘solution’:
  “...un pinchazo semanal nos devolverá toda esa salud que el sistema nos ha robado... medicamentos que no curan, sino que tratan y nos convierten en adictos de por vida.” [00:52]

• On societal pressure and privilege:
  “Hay mujeres tomando Ozempic antes de una boda o para la operación bikini... La que no esté delgada será porque no quiere o no quiere gastarse su buen dinerito en esa nueva esclavitud entre la semaglutida y el bótox.” [01:13, 01:38]

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:08 – Introduction: WHO’s new recommendation, questioning systemic root causes.
• 00:27 – Food addiction and industry marketing.
• 00:35 – Lack of social and urban infrastructure for health.
• 00:52 – The promise and pitfalls of pharmaceutical intervention.
• 01:13 – Cosmetic use of weight-loss medication; social implications.
• 01:38 – Critique of the new ‘thinness cult’ and new forms of body-related economic pressure.

Memorable Moments

• Najat’s sarcastic remark about what’s left after spending on beauty and health standards:
  “No sé yo qué quedará para pagar el alquiler.” [01:40]

• The sharp juxtaposition of medical necessity versus social pressure and capitalistic exploitation.

In Summary

This episode offers a powerful, concise critique of the current trend toward easy pharmaceutical answers to the complex, deeply social problem of obesity, warning against the renewed tyranny of thinness at the expense of body diversity and holistic well-being. Najat El Hachmi’s “mirada” exposes how systemic forces—far beyond individual will or choice—drive health outcomes, and cautions against letting new technologies or drugs distract from the real roots of the issue.