A popular clothing company has sparked fierce backlash after debuting an ‘I heart Ozempic’ shirt at Berlin Fashion Week.
Namilia, a ‘provocative gender-neutral clubwear’ brand beloved by celebrities like Rihanna, Cardi B, Megan Fox, and Paris Hilton, is facing severe criticism online after it showcased some of its new items during a runway show in Germany last week.
Among its latest designs was a white tank top that had the words ‘I heart Ozempic’ sprawled across the front – and many social media users were unhappy with the message.
After Namilia shared a snap of a model wearing the clothing item on Instagram, it was quickly flooded with angry comments from people who branded the brand as ‘cringe’ and ‘distasteful’ for promoting the Type-2 diabetes drug-turned-popular weight loss aid.
‘Poor taste with the shirt, SMH (shaking my head),’ one outraged user wrote.
Another scathed, ‘I believe there’s nothing to joke about when talking about the abuse of Ozempic for the sake of being extremely skinny.’
‘Ozempic T-shirt is a GIANT no. People are dying from Ozempic shortage. Do better,’ someone else added.
‘Ew, where have your morals gone?’ a different user asked.
‘So disappointed to see y’all endorse 2000s fatphobia and skinny culture,’ a fifth comment read.
A sixth said, ‘I’ve never blocked or unfollowed someone so fast.’
DailyMail.com has reached out to Namilia for comment.
While describing its latest collection, Namilia explained on social media that it partnered with Ed Hardy to ‘reimagine its iconic status in celebrity culture’ and ‘transform archive and vintage garments into couture gowns and elevating streetwear pieces with handcrafted embroidery and couture tailoring.’
‘Together we explore the lifecycle of fame and the pop cultural landscape of the ’00s and early 2010s, a decade defined by paparazzi shots and ruthless tabloid gossip and its cultural impact on us today,’ it wrote.
‘Everyone wants to be famous, and anyone can reproduce their likeness via social media, inviting the same adoring worship and cutthroat criticism that were once reserved only for the tabloids.
‘Being famous, with all its glamour and destruction, can feel so attainable nowadays.
‘We are obsessed with this cycle of rising and falling that turns stars into victims, especially for women.
‘We worship the diva and shun the w**** as the limelight inevitably wears down her decadence into decay.
‘While pop culture supposedly shames those who fall out of public grace, their spectacle also inspires the next generation.
‘Namilia asks why pop culture pushes us to our breaking points for recognition, attention and some kind of belonging?
‘Why does society desperately categorize us into stereotypes only to be disappointed when we fail to fully live up to these impossible standards?’
Namilia was created in 2015 by designers Nan Li and Emilia Pfohl, and is ‘built upon an aesthetic of unapologetic, bold political statements and sex-positivity,’ according to its website.
Other shirts in the new collection say things like, ‘Fame kills,’ ‘Too pretty for rehab,’ and, ‘Fashion faux pas.’
Ozempic, a diabetes medication taken via injection once a week, has shot up in popularity in recent years after it was revealed that it can also help people slim down.
Hundreds of thousands of people have rushed to get their hands on it, and even a slew of stars have confessed to using the drug to lose weight, including Chelsea Handler and Elon Musk.
But the company behind it, Novo Nordisk, recently confessed that it was struggling to keep up with the high demand.
Namilia co-founder Nan defended the shirt to The New York Post amid the backlash, explaining, ‘The Ozempic craze for us has been played out in a double standard in pop culture.
‘On one side, celebrities and their followers are willing to do anything they can to fit the still prevalent super slim body ideal in pop culture.
‘But on the other side, nobody is willing to admit to abusing medication to meet the often unrealistic expectations of current beauty standards.’
