2024-10-31
13 分钟The Economist Hello, Alok Jha here.
I host Babbage, our science and tech podcast.
Welcome to Editors' Picks.
Here's an article handpicked from the latest edition of The Economist, read aloud.
I thought you might enjoy it.
Arriving in Stepford, Connecticut.
Joanna, protagonist of The Stepford Wives, a horror novel,
is dragged to a work-out class at the Simply Stepford Day Spa by a neighbour.
The duo are met by fifteen 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 eight,
their waists nipped in by belts and accentuated by 1950s skirts.
As some describe it, this is where the world is now heading,
owing to the discovery of weight loss drugs.
In three short years,
since America's Federal Drug Administration approved these medications,
their use has exploded.
Novo Nordisk, maker of Azempic and Wigovy, has become Europe's most valuable company.
Eli Lilly, which manufactures Manjaro, was one of America's best performers last year.
And celebrities including Oprah Winfrey and Kelly Clarkson have emerged almost overnight,