The economics of thinness (Ozempic edition)
Will skinny still be desirable when it is more easily achieved by the masses?
Arriving in Stepford, Connecticut, Joanna—protagonist of “The Stepford Wives”, a horror novel—is dragged to a “workout class” at the Simply Stepford Day Spa by a neighbour. The duo are met by 15 identikit women. Their hair, heights and skin colours differ a little. Their waist sizes do not. Each can be no bigger than a British size 8, their waists nipped in by belts and accentuated by 1950s skirts.
This article appeared in the Finance & economics section of the print edition under the headline “Hunger games”
Finance & economics October 26th 2024
From the October 26th 2024 edition
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Trump wastes no time in reigniting trade wars
Canada and Mexico look likely to suffer
How Trump, Starmer and Macron can avoid a debt crunch
With deficits soaring, their finance ministers will have to be smart
What Scott Bessent’s appointment means for the Trump administration
The president-elect’s nominee for treasury secretary faces a gruelling job
What Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders get wrong about credit cards
Forget interest rates. Rewards are the real problem
Computers unleashed economic growth. Will artificial intelligence?
Two years after ChatGPT-3.5 arrived, progress has been slower than expected
Should investors just give up on stocks outside America?
No, but it is getting a lot harder to keep the faith