Zepbound’s NYC Event Left Me With These Key Takeaways

When I walked into Zepbound’s Changing the Threads exhibit in New York City, the first thing I noticed were the clothes suspended around the space. And no, I wasn’t paying much attention to the silhouettes, sizes, or fabric of these garments. It was the words embroidered onto them that, truthfully, made me tear up.

Zepbound, for context, is an injectable prescription medicine for chronic weight management in adults with obesity or overweight with weight-related medical conditions. Knowing that made the installation feel even more resonant, because the exhibit wasn’t just a display of clothes. It was an invitation to see the real people, stories, and stigma behind a medical condition that’s often misunderstood.

The clothes told the same story in different words — it’s the story from those living with the shame and judgment of obesity. The biases and stigmas that so many of us still carry around obesity are rampant, and this exhibit worked to not only bring these stigmas to light, but also to prompt visitors to question where these stigmas came from and why they aren’t true.

Part fashion installation and storytelling project, this exhibit allowed viewers to confront their biases around obesity that they might not even be aware of. And after spending time with the pieces and speaking with people behind the campaign, I walked away with several takeaways that completely reframed how I think about obesity, representation, and stigma.

#1: Obesity is still widely misunderstood

One of the key ideas that this exhibit effectively conveyed was that tackling obesity isn’t as simple as just going on a diet and exercising. “Obesity is not a personal failure or a cosmetic issue,” explained Dr. Clare Lee, Lilly obesity physician and researcher. “It’s a chronic, progressive disease.” Lee told me that people living with obesity have tried, on average, 19 different diets. Hearing that underscored just how much quiet, persistent effort often sits behind a struggle others oversimplify.

Interestingly, when I spoke to Jacob Martinez, a Zepbound patient, he shared that, despite the fact that he has a biology degree, he still didn’t fully understand what obesity was. It just goes to show that many people internalize diet-culture myths and misunderstand obesity’s medical reality.

#2: The harshest stigma often comes from people who don’t live with obesity

The loudest criticism often comes from those who have never lived with obesity themselves. Nita Danielle, a Zepbound patient and lifestyle influencer, told me about one of her earliest collaborations with a clothing brand years ago. After she posted a photo wearing their jeans, the brand immediately faced backlash. “People said the brand was ‘promoting obesity’ just by including me in the campaign,” Danielle said.

What should have been a celebratory moment quickly turned into self-doubt. “It really made me question, ‘Do I want to be in this space? Am I signing myself up for all of this critique and criticism online?” she said. Her visibility, by just existing in the campaign, became a spark for other people’s biases.

It was Tan France, fashion expert, star of Netflix’s Queer Eye, and Lilly Brand Partner for Zepbound, who underscored how important it is for outsiders to engage with these stories. “I want anyone who hasn’t lived with obesity to come and read these stories and tell me it hasn’t moved them,” he said. Because while the exhibit validates people living with obesity, it also serves as a mirror for everyone else. It asks visitors to confront the assumptions, judgments, and quiet (or loud) prejudices they may have carried for years without realizing it. The truth is, the stigma isn’t created by people experiencing obesity. Sadly, it’s usually upheld by those around them.

#3: Men carry their own unspoken shame around obesity

It wasn’t until I spoke with Martinez that I realized I’d never even thought about how men might carry weight stigma differently than women — and how much men rarely talk about it, either. Martinez told me that even he struggled to open up about taking medication for his obesity. “Initially, I was kind of ashamed…I didn’t really want people to know I was on medication,” he said. He explained that admitting he needed help didn’t fit the version of “masculinity” he felt he was supposed to embody. “It’s tough to say, ‘Hey, I have an issue, or I have this disease,’” he added.

Martinez had a fear of being judged for needing medical treatment. “[Getting on medication for obesity] is not cheating. It’s a real sickness. It’s a real disease,” he told me. It was a reminder that even men, who fully understand obesity as a medical condition, still grapple with cultural expectations to stay “strong, stay “self-reliant,” and to just “bulk up at the gym.” His willingness to share his journey wasn’t just for himself, though. “I wanted to help other men,” he said. He hopes that sharing his story and experience might invite other men to speak up as well.

#4: For many people, the biggest relief comes from being heard, rather than just being treated

A message that continued to come back to me again and again as I toured the exhibit and spoke to members of the campaign was that people experiencing obesity often feel unheard. For many, there’s a sense of relief that goes beyond the medication itself — it comes from finally feeling understood. Lee told me that so many of her patients arrive in her office carrying years of shame and self-blame from trying everything on their own. “So many patients come in and they’ve tried everything… there’s almost a sigh of relief — finally, someone is listening,” she said. It’s a shift from judgment to validation that our healthcare system and culture don’t always recognize.

The participants’ stories echoed this theme over and over. Danielle told me, “I hope they walk away feeling seen, knowing that they’re not alone,” a sentiment that felt woven into every garment on display. And Martinez described seeing his own journey stitched into clothing as “a reminder of where I’ve come from and where I’m going.” For them, it’s not just about numbers on a scale, it’s about recognition. The Changing the Threads exhibit underscored that the first step in dismantling weight stigma is simply acknowledging people’s experiences with empathy, something that many of them have been waiting far too long to receive.

My Final Takeaway

As I left the exhibit, I found myself checking my own internalized biases around obesity. One of the things I appreciated most about this event was how it revealed the real, lived experiences of people who’ve spent years feeling misunderstood, dismissed, or judged.

The conversations I had made me realize that breaking weight stigma really begins with listening first. Whether you’ve lived with obesity or know someone who has, the exhibit offered a full, nuanced picture of a disease society has too often oversimplified. After spending time in that room, I walked away feeling changed.