Iskra Lawrence Was ‘Really Scared’ About Ozempic After Eating Disorder

After overcoming an eating disorder, model Iskra Lawrence has complicated feelings about individuals using Ozempic to slim down.

“You know what I’ve always said, and I’ll stick to it, ‘Your body, your business,’” Lawrence, 34, exclusively told Us Weekly while promoting her partnership with Elvie. “I was terrified when I first heard about Ozempic and then started realizing that whether they were direct about it or secretive about it, it did seem like my peers or people that I looked up to in the industry had potentially been taking it or you don’t know and you’re questioning it.”

She added, “I was really scared coming from an eating disorder background that it was just going to emphasize this obsession with thinness. I also was really worried because it can cost money [and] then going to divide and create this disparity of people with lower income who didn’t have access to this drug and people who did and feeding into this really divisive, classist fatphobia.”

Ozempic, Wegovy and other similar semaglutides are commonly prescribed to adults with conditions such as high blood pressure or type 2 diabetes as a way to manage their weight. Many celebrities, however, have recently tried the medication as a quick method to slim down despite many doctors’ objections and warnings.

“There were so many thoughts. I didn’t really know how to feel about it,” Lawrence, who struggled with disordered eating growing up, told Us. “However, I’ve had multiple close friends who were not online, just mom friends — from women that I know in Austin and in the business, and they have found it life-changing. Either they felt demotivated or felt like they’ve tried things in the past that never seemed to really move the needle for them in the sense of a healthy lifestyle change.”

Lawrence’s pals soon “saw immediate results” that then kickstarted a motivation to adapt their diet and prioritize workouts more frequently.

“My friend was like, ‘It’s like someone held my hand and was with me on this journey that I’ve been trying to do for many, many years, and now I feel my best and the binge-eating voices have calmed down,’” Lawrence explained. “We don’t know how it’s going to impact our society, I don’t think, because it’s still so early. I think it’s something that should be available to people who need it.”

While there are positives to using drugs like Ozempic, Lawrence also cautions individuals from trying it without undergoing counseling and doing additional research.

“As a society, we’re going to have to be really aware of how we judge people A, who choose to be on it because ‘Your body, your choice, you go for it,’ But B, the people who are wanting to and don’t have access to it, and then how if they’re then shunned because of fatphobia, how that’s going to play into society,” Lawrence said. “I think it’s new, it’s kind of scary, but I think it’s also been beneficial for a lot of people. I love to see people happy and confident and feeling empowered. If this drug did that for them, that makes me feel excited for them. It’s a lot to unpack though.”

The model shares two children, 4-year-old son Alpha and a 1-month-old daughter, with boyfriend Philip Payne. Throughout her pregnancies, she would often get triggered by her past eating disorder struggles.

“It doesn’t go away. You are always going to have to manage it, but it does give you this sense of accomplishment. It does mean that when you’ve battled with something that’s inwards, it’s not external,” Lawrence told Us earlier this month. “It’s not, like, you can move to a different country or break up with this toxic person or it’s inside of you and those are always the most challenging battles. So I think for me, that’s what I’ve always reverted back to. It’s, like, I’ve got my toolbox. Sometimes I might not be able to find the one I need, but it’s in there. I did it; I chose recovery, and I am capable of figuring it out.”

She continued, “We don’t know when it’s going to pop back up. We don’t know when it’s going to be triggered, but we just have to … keep on going in the direction that we want to, even if it’s small [or] a little bit bumpy.”

Lawrence also keeps her Elvie breast pump in her daily toolbox.

“I feel like my experience with my son, I never expected pumping to be such a huge part of my life,” she explained to Us. “I really assumed that breast-feeding was going to come easily and it was COVID and I felt so isolated and stressed and I actually found that the Elvie pump that I had, the double pump, enabled me to still have the confidence to go out and do the things I wanted to do and get on with things I needed to around the house, but still be able to commit to giving my son my milk, which felt like it felt important to me because the breast-feeding was such a struggle.”

She upgraded to the company’s Stride 2 pump after her daughter was born last month, finding success with the product’s hospital-grade suction and its discreet operating sounds.

If you or someone you know struggles with an eating disorder, visit the National Alliance for Eating Disorders website or call their hotline at +1 (866) 662-1235. Text “ALLIANCE” to 741741 for free, 24/7 support.

With reporting by Christina Garibaldi