“Just Take Munjaro Babe” - Are We The Unhappiest Generation Yet?

“Just take Munjaro babe” - We’re May 2025 and my wedding is fast approaching. As problematic as it sounds, similarly to many brides-to-be, To me, Looking my skinniest came D-day was very high on the list on priorities.

It topped what paper I was printing our menus on or how to deal with last minute cancellations.

Looking back now as I’m sipping on spritz-es and stuffing myself with mountains of feta cheese pies in Greece, I can’t help but wonder why. Was I willing to go through momentary discomfort justified by a very short-term goal or do I suffer from a year-round- damn it; life-round pressure that can’t seem to be able to depart from my existence?

By Cynthia Jreige

For context, a decade ago, I set out on a weight-loss journey that transformed me from a rather uncomfortable three-digit number on the scale to someone who might just be fit enough for the next Hyrox competition.

It took efforts, tears, deceptions, nights binging on store-bought processed carrot cakes thinking I’ll never make it, doctor visits to scrutinize my hormone panels under every angle, hours and hours at the gym, unlearning everything I thought I knew about calories, fat, protein. It took Discipline with a capital D.

Losing 43 kilograms didn’t happen overnight. Yet almost 12 years and that many kilos lost later, I’m still suggested a little shot of Munjaro. I’m to blame for thinking it’s a good idea but the system is to blame for making me think it’s a good idea.

Now hear me out: this isn’t a criticism of the product itself. I’ve seen its positive effects on quite a few friends and everyone can decide what is good for them and their bodies. It’s just revelatory of a deeply rooted issue our society has with body image. This suggestion, that initially sounded harmless, got me thinking - a lot. It’s 2025, and we, the ChatGpt generation, are chasing quick fixes rather than self-love. Have we learned nothing yet?

Because it isn’t just losing weight. It’s plumping your lips. It’s erasing the fine lines on your forehead and the memories of the laughters that go with them. It’s buying fake followers because a steady but slow growth isn’t enough anymore. It’s smiling on social media and fighting in public. It’s being fed product placements we don’t need by people we think we relate to. Is anything real anymore?

Are we the most depressed generation yet that we think, or are forced to think, that nothing we do, wear or say is ever enough? Are Millennials and Gen Z even happy? The data says: not quite. While around 73% of Gen Z call themselves at least “somewhat happy” (APA Stress in America, 2023), stress and anxiety hit harder than ever—46% admit feeling anxious most of the time and nearly one in four say their lives lack meaning (McKinsey Health Institute, 2022). Millennials fare little better, with 41% reporting frequent stress (APA, 2023). Compared to Boomers, the under-30s score lower on life satisfaction in the World Happiness Report 2024 (SDSN). Add to that the geopolitical context of our times, witnessing famines and a genocide broadcasted live on our screens, eco-anxiety, inflation.

Our dopamine levels are surely out of control; so much to see, do, explore every hour of every day. The good and the bad. FOMO rather than JOMO- we criticize a system that we are actively part and its toxicity that we ourselves help fuel.

We want low-cost airline tickets while sipping on paper straws, we want to find the love of our lives but discard people at the first sight of an ick, we want the world on a platter as long as it comes effortlessly.

But life isn’t a Parisian influencer’s OOTD and ‘effortless’ is merely an illusion, in every aspect of life.

And while she might be the queen of questionable dance performances on her social media channels, one thing you can’t take away from Britney Spears is that she was right about one thing’: you better work, *itch’.

So, sure, arguably why go through sweat and tears if you can save yourself the discomfort? Well it might be a tough one to hear but the answer is simply: to take your power back. Because guess who’s the sole captain aboard the ship of your life? Taking the easy way out won’t always serve you. Because through failing, through not looking like everyone else, through doing 1345 burpees, you’ll realize how capable you are and from there on: you’ll become invincible.