Monday evening saw the steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art transform into a runway for celebrities, continuing the recent trend of showcasing ultra-slim physiques. This year’s Met Gala, an event synonymous with high fashion and bold statements, provided an ideal platform for stars and fashion icons to flaunt their svelte figures.
The 2026 Met Gala theme, ‘Fashion Is Art,’ urged attendees to don attire that celebrated the body as an art form. This theme aligns with the Costume Institute’s spring exhibition, which is dedicated to exploring the human form. However, in an era where weight loss injections have become entwined with celebrity culture’s fixation on thinness, this celebration of the natural body feels a decade overdue.
Coco Pierrel, a certified integrative nutritionist and founder of Eat Shed Glow, highlighted the accessibility of these weight-loss treatments among the Hollywood elite. “GLP-1s arrived in Hollywood first due to access and money,” Pierrel explained. “These drugs cost over a thousand dollars a month—affordable for celebrities, yet a major financial commitment for most people.”
“Hollywood has always been a testing ground for beauty standards that are later marketed to the general public,” Pierrel continued, emphasizing how the industry has historically prized thinness and eternal youth. This enduring culture undoubtedly influences the evolving aesthetic ideals that extend beyond the red carpet.
‘The truth is Hollywood has always been the laboratory for whatever beauty standard the rest of us mortals are about to be sold, and the industry has always rewarded thinness and looking young forever,’ she added.
‘If money can buy thinness, why wouldn’t they?’
The annual fashion event, which raises money for the museum’s Costume Institute, coincides with the opening of the spring 2026 exhibition, titled ‘Costume Art.’
The exhibit will display fashion pieces alongside nearly 400 objects from across the museum’s collections, such as paintings and sculptures that depict the dressed body. As such, mannequins will also play a key role in the exhibit, rather than simply disappearing beneath garments.
Olivia Wilde stepped onto the carpet in an off-the-shoulder black gown
Maude Apatow arrived to the Met Gala in a backless black number with a high neck and mesh paneling
According to Vogue, curator in charge Andrew Bolton has organized the exhibit into a series of categories based on thematic body types, including the naked body, the classical body, the pregnant body, the aging body, the anatomical body and the mortal body.
Indeed, there is irony to be enjoyed in that this year’s Met Gala theme places such a strong emphasis on the beauty of the human figure at a time when GLP-1s have become the weight loss drug du jour.
‘Hollywood has always been an environment where appearance is tied to professional opportunity and worth, so it’s not surprising that when an effective weight loss tool became available, it spread quickly,’ Brian Abell, a certified nutritionist and personal trainer at Fit Happens Personal Training, told the Daily Mail.
‘What concerns me about that is the message it sends, that this is the ideal to chase, without any conversation about what it actually takes to get there or what the trade-offs might be,’ he added.
‘It’s a familiar cycle in Hollywood: a tool emerges, it gets adopted way too fast by the masses, and the nuance gets lost.’
While not all of Tinseltown is taking the medication – though some celebrities have been open about their use of GLP-1s, such as Serena Williams, who took to the Met Gala carpet in a metallic ensemble – the drug has seemingly impacted beauty standards.
As stars ascended the stairs of the Met on Monday evening, many boasted their chiseled cheeks, jutting collarbones and ultra-thin waists in figure-flaunting gowns.
Models Gigi Hadid and Irina Shayk dared to bare their slender torsos – Hadid in a glittering completely sheer gown and Shayk in a two-piece set, her hipbones jutting from her exposed midriff.
Naked dressing appeared to be a theme this year as multiple A-listers, such as model Alex Consani and musician Doja Cat, wore barely-there dresses.
Actress Maude Apatow, too, wore a high-neck black dress with a sheer panel down the front, exposing her slender frame. And singer Gracie Abrams’s collarbones could be seen beneath the straps of her ornately embellished gold gown.
Meanwhile, Olivia Wilde – fresh off the heels of online controversy for her gaunt appearance – stepped onto the carpet in an off-the-shoulder black gown that hugged her small frame.
The actress, 42, sparked concerns after her San Francisco International Film Festival appearance last month where her face appeared more sunken-in as she posed on the red carpet.
The photos went viral and sparked concerns about the star’s weight as well as accusations about Ozempic use. Wilde, however, chalked up her on-camera appearance to the fisheye lens being used on the red carpet – not any kind of weight loss aid.
Irina Shayk’s barely there, timepiece-inspired number bared her toned midriff and jutting hipbones
Alex Consani joined in the naked dressing trend, too
After exiting the carpet, Doja Cat stripped off the jacket she was wearing, exposing a mesh dress
Gracie Abrams arrived to the Met Gala in an extravagant gold dress
Experts have previously noted that GLP-1s can contribute to what has been dubbed ‘Ozempic face,’ a term used to describe the sunken, aged or sagging facial appearance brought on by rapid weight loss, which is one of the more ghastly side effects of weight loss injections.
‘People may notice sagging skin, hollowed cheeks, or even muscle loss, which can make the body look less toned and youthful,’ Dr Claudia Kim, a cosmetic surgeon and the chief medical officer at New Look New Life Cosmetic Surgical Arts in New York City told the Daily Mail. ‘These changes can be distressing, and many patients end up seeking cosmetic procedures to restore lost volume or tighten the skin.’
She has noticed a significant increase in the demand for cosmetic procedures to correct the physical side effects of weight loss. Dermal fillers, facial fat transfers or even facelifts have been recommended by experts as a way to treat Ozempic face.
Dr Kim noted that skin-tightening treatments, such as radiofrequency or ultrasound therapy, have become quite popular because they help stimulate collagen production and improve the elasticity of the skin, making it firmer and more toned.
Fat transfer, which involves taking fat from one part of the body and moving it to another, is also used to restore volume to areas like the face or breasts that may have deflated as a result of weight loss.
In 2025, the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery reported a 50 percent increase in the average number of fat grafting procedures performed within the last year, aimed to restore lost volume caused by Ozempic face.
GLP-1 medications, more commonly known by brand names like Ozempic and Wegovy, work by mimicking a naturally occurring hormone in the body to regulate blood sugar and stimulate the feeling of fullness.
While Ozempic was originally developed for the treatment of Type 2 diabetes, it quickly gained popularity for its ability to help patients lose weight too.
However, GLP-1s do not come without their side effects.
They have been linked to serious complications such as permanent sight loss, scurvy, sagging skin, and even a potentially higher risk of developing pancreatitis – not to mention the serious tummy troubles, like vomiting and diarrhea, they can trigger.
Experts agree: these weight loss medications aren’t going anywhere any time soon.
But when it comes to A-list events like the Met Gala, experts also warned that the shrinking figures of celebrities in Hollywood may come with a dangerous risk.
‘In an environment where appearance plays such a crucial role in success, weight loss drugs like Ozempic provide a quick and relatively easy solution to shed pounds, helping celebrities meet the physical standards expected in their industry,’ said Dr Kim.
‘There’s no doubt that the cultural pressure to conform to these standards has intensified, especially as social media platforms amplify this desire for quick results and ‘perfect’ appearances. However, this can come at a cost,’ she warned.
‘People are more likely to resort to extreme measures, like weight loss drugs, without fully considering the potential long-term impacts on their skin, body, and mental health. I think it’s time we start focusing on more inclusive beauty standards that appreciate diverse body types, and that encourage people to focus on their health, both physical and mental, rather than just conforming to a single ideal.’
