The rapid rise of weight-loss drugs is set to reshape public health strategies, drive economic growth and overhaul the food industry.
But another effect of the burgeoning sector is to be felt in the art world, where views about the weight of the subject depicted could change. Obesity has been portrayed in artwork throughout history and was once regarded as a sign of wealth and success, particularly in western culture.
From Paleolithic monuments from 30,000 years ago featuring oversized physical features, to Ottoman emperors and the Mona Lisa – many subjects of art have been lauded for being overweight, or even obese. But as the effect of weight-loss drugs seeps deeper into society, the way the physical form is celebrated in art is now sure to change, an expert from the University of Texas Health Science Centre at Houston said.
New picture emerges
Speaking at the European Congress on Obesity in Istanbul, paediatric endocrinologist Dr Michael Yafi said trends could evolve to the point that future art features gaunt-looking faces.
“Corpulence was long a sign of prosperity, wealth, high social status and physical strength,” he said. “Men with obesity were portrayed as heroes, leaders, royals and nobles and women with excess body fat were symbols of beauty, fertility and prosperity.”
Social status
Dr Yafi referred to examples of artwork from across the centuries to illustrate how obesity was seen as a sign of prosperity, wealth, high social status and physical strength until relatively recently.
One of the earliest examples is the Venus of Willendorf, an ancient stone figurine depicting a woman with excess body fat and features such as the hips exaggerated in size. Further examples can be seen in religious art from the Middle Ages, where children and angels were portrayed as having folds of skin and excess body fat.
Composers Bach and Handel were also portrayed with excess body fat. Their vision deteriorated as they got older, with experts speculating that Type 2 diabetes was the cause.
Artists such as Rubens and Renoir, as well as Colombian creative Fernando Botero, were inspired by women with excess body fat. One of the most famous paintings of all was also inspired by the larger female form.
Famous body of work
Lisa Gherardini, the woman with the enigmatic smile in Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa, has a fuller figure.
“It’s been speculated that she had lipid metabolism disorder, meaning she couldn’t break down fat properly, but a simpler explanation is that she had put on weight in pregnancy,” Dr Yafi said. “After all, she’d had four children by this time.”
The depiction of obesity only changed in the second half of the last century, when doctors discovered the link between obesity and diets rich in saturated fat with metabolic and cardiovascular disease.
Now widespread use of GLP-1 drugs including Mounjaro and Wegovy are allowing people to lose large amounts of weight and also affecting the way we celebrate art.
Changing face of art
This has led to so-called GLP-1 face, a condition in which rapid fat loss from the cheeks, temples and under the eyes makes wrinkles appear more prominent, skin look loose and eyes seem sunken.
“People are talking about this effect, plastic surgeons are documenting it and, as more people use these drugs, GLP-1 face will be depicted in art,” Dr Yafi said. “I am sure that if Picasso had been alive today, he would have painted it.”
Body positive
Art inspired by body shape continues to inspire people today. UAE-based artist and photographer Waleed Shah highlighted personal stories of body insecurities and mental health in his book, Rock Your Ugly. It features 50 real-life experiences, focusing on body positivity and dismantling toxic standards with a collection of black-and-white, artistically shot photographs.
“In the past, yes obesity was a sign of prosperity,” he told The National. “Today, fast food and processed foods are generally cheaper than a healthy diet, so prosperity now looks a lot slimmer than before.
“I strongly believe that all these failures in the human system and the human body are the result of emotional, psychological factors that need to be dealt with first.”
His book shows people facing personal challenges. The series includes photos of obesity, a scar from surgery, scoliosis, breast cancer, or depression and celebrates the imperfections of the physical form.
“A slimmer body is celebrated, because you know the educational side of things where you can heal yourself and move away from obesity,” Shah said. “But the way it's being done [with weight-loss drugs] is detrimental to the actual human body and the psychology of everybody that's viewing this work of art.”
