Serena Williams' controversial weight-loss drug Super Bowl commercial branded 'disgusting'
Serena Williams has caught some flack on social media after promoting a weight-loss drug in a new commercial that was featured during the Super Bowl.
There are seemingly three sorts of people who are excited for the Super Bowl: Those who are interested in the game, those who are interested in the halftime performance, and those who are excited for the commercials.
Wen it comes to the Super Bowl, there is almost an expectation for a company to pull out their best advertisement. People even regularly discuss what is the best ad each year, and what some of the best commercials have been.
It seems one of them this year, which featured tennis super star Serena Williams, won’t be featured on any of these lists, however...
Advert
In the ad, Williams is promoting Ro, a GLP-1 drug that helps people to lose weight, with the athlete saying: "It's not a shortcut. It's science."
She goes on to say: "I’m on Ro, 34 pounds down on GLP-1, healthier on Ro, supported on Ro. FDA approved GLP-1 options, now even in a pill, weight loss expertise I trust.
“I’m moving better on Ro, I’m feeling better on Ro, I am Serena Williams, this is me on Ro."
The ad didn’t go down particularly well on social media, with many people discussing the issues they have with it with on X.
One user said: “Serena Williams pushing weight loss drugs.... disgusting.”
Another said: “The GLP-1 commercials are absolutely disgusting.
“They target not only obese people but also those with perfectly healthy (looking bodies). That’s why they feature Serena Williams in their Super Bowl ad- to show that even a non-overweight athlete uses the drug.
“Its a vanity drug that promotes unhealthy eating habits with a ‘quick fix’ weight loss injection or pill.”
A third added: “I thought that was weird. She played professionally for 20 years and now she needs to lose 30? I do not get it.”
While another wrote: “It's pretty damn gross when she could be an advocate for healthy eating. What will she do with all that money? Buy more food that she can't eat!????”
And another disappointed user added: “We are over-medicalizing problems caused by bad food, bad habits, and bad systems. Serena should at best be advertising sneakers, sports shoes than syringes.”
UNILAD has contacted Serena Williams’ representatives for comment.
Topics: Celebrity, Super Bowl, US News, Health, Sport
Gerrard Kaonga