Pharmaceutical manufacturer Eli Lilly has emerged as a sponsor for Vogue World in Milan, raising fresh concerns among eating disorder charities and academics regarding the intersection of high fashion and weight-loss drugs. The American pharmaceutical company, which produces Mounjaro and the Foundayo pill, was listed in the event credits as a “fashion adjacent” sponsor on Tuesday night, following previous sponsorships at Vogue World in Hollywood and the Met Gala livestream earlier this year.
Industry Ties and Academic Criticism
The ongoing partnership between fashion platforms and a weight-loss drug manufacturer has drawn fierce criticism from researchers studying body image. Charlotte Markey, a professor of psychology at Rutgers University and author of The Body Image book series, stated that the collaboration suggests thinness is being positioned as something to aspire to and medically achieve. Markey noted that merging pharmaceutical marketing with fashion marketing normalizes the idea that changing the body medically is simply another wellness choice.
Tom Quinn, director of external affairs at the eating disorder charity Beat, echoed those concerns, calling the partnership alarming. Quinn stated that GLP-1 medications can be very attractive for individuals with eating disorders, and pointed out that a sponsorship by the manufacturer of Mounjaro creates a problematic association given the fashion industry’s history of promoting unrealistic body ideals.
Size Inclusivity and Catwalk Realities
The partnership arrives as critics argue the fashion industry has seen a reverse in its progress toward size inclusivity, driven partly by the widespread use of GLP-1s for aesthetic weight loss. A report published by Vogue Business found that across 198 shows in the September 2025 womenswear collections, 97.1% of the 9,038 looks presented were shown on straight-size models measuring US size 0-4. Plus-size models accounted for just 0.9% of the total, while mid-size models represented 2%.
While this week’s Milan show featured plus-size models Paloma Elsesser and Ashley Graham, and omitted any direct references to thinness or weight-loss drugs in its promotional materials, plus-size model and advocate Felicity Hayward dismissed the casting as box ticking and size diversity cosplay by Vogue.
Brand Strategy and Corporate Response
As part of the Milan partnership, Vogue published a video on its website titled Portrait of Progress. Produced in collaboration with Eli Lilly, the video compares pharmaceutical technologies to fashion manufacturing. Lauren Downing Peters, an associate professor of fashion studies at Columbia College in Chicago, observed that the video links health as a precondition for creativity without directly mentioning thinness or weight-loss drugs.
Eli Lilly holds over 60% of the diabetes and weight-loss drug market in the US with a trillion-dollar valuation, and the UK recently became the first country in Europe to approve the company’s weight-loss pill in August. A Condé Nast source maintained that the partnership focused on Eli Lilly’s overall brand rather than any particular drug. An Eli Lilly spokesperson stated that the sponsorship is part of the company’s 150th anniversary, noting that health provides the freedom to move and explore, and that partnering with platforms like Vogue helps shift the conversation about weight from aesthetics to health while challenging obesity stigma.
Did You Know?
In August, the UK became the first country in Europe to approve Eli Lilly’s weight-loss pill, while the company currently holds over 60% of the diabetes and weight-loss drug market in the United States.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why was Eli Lilly credited at Vogue World?
Eli Lilly was listed as a “fashion adjacent” sponsor for Vogue World in Milan as part of a broader corporate partnership tied to the pharmaceutical company’s 150th anniversary.
What specific medications does Eli Lilly manufacture?
Eli Lilly manufactures a wide range of medicines, including the weight-loss jabs Mounjaro and the Foundayo pill.
What are the main concerns raised by critics?
Eating disorder charities and academic researchers have warned that associating fashion platforms with weight-loss drug manufacturers normalizes the medical alteration of bodies and reinforces unrealistic thinness ideals.
Did the Vogue World event promote weight-loss drugs directly?
Promotional materials for the Milan event made no reference to thinness or specific weight-loss drugs, though a co-produced video on the Vogue website compared pharmaceutical technologies to fashion manufacturing.
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