We’re pleased to see so much of the feminist blogosphere taking on this horrifying story. (By the way, what’s with using the young woman’s name and no one else‘s?)
Zuzu at Feministe has done a superb analysis, with a comment thread that’s well worth your time, including a lot of personal stories.
It got us thinking, however.
***
The psychopharmacologists are missing a bet. Someone, somewhere, should be delving through the drug-design software trying to reverse the effects of Olanzapine, the drug that made the young woman in this story get sane and gain weight.
Just think about it.
“We have perfected the weight-loss drug. Enipaznalo not only takes off those excess pounds, it makes you beautiful. Movie-star beautiful. There’s just one catch; it also makes you crazy.
“Well, really crazy. But beautiful. So beautiful your psychiatrist will really want to cure you, and the guys on the ward will really want to fuck you. But don’t worry, the ward is locked, and nothing really bad can happen. Honest. And you’ll be beautiful.”
A terrifying number of women would line up around the block to take it. The ones who thought the trade-off might not be worth it would have to stave off pressure from their parents, husbands, doctors, and bosses. And everyone in line would be saying to herself, “Not everyone gets the schizophrenia side effect. I could be lucky.”
And then the pharmaceutical companies could work on another drug that helped manage the craziness effects of the new drug.
Don’t you just love the world we live in?
(We got the original article, as we get so many other stories, from Arthur D. Hlavaty, this time via Stef.)