Ballet dancer Atte Kilpinen joked about diet pills in his April Fool’s prank, but not everyone laughed

Ballet dancer Atte Kilpinen. Picture: Janne Aaltonen

Ballet dancer Atte Kilpinen published on April Fool’s Day on social media a post in which he appears shirtless with his stomach pulled in so that his ribs are clearly visible.

In the text, he says that since the beginning of the year, he has been taking the slimming drug Ozempic. Kilpinen says he notices a huge difference because he wanted to be in the best possible shape for the last time Kreutzer sonatafor the show.

The publication has partly amused Kilpinen’s followers. In their comments, others have found the joke to be tasteless, as many need medicine to treat obesity. On the other hand, many athletes have also suffered from eating disorders and excessive idealization of thinness.

Shield sorry if his post has offended people.

“It was meant to be a harmless April Fool’s joke and at the same time laugh a little at myself, because I’m a top athlete and sometimes I overdo my training,” he tells HS.

Kilpinen says that he also wanted to criticize the unreasonable beauty ideals of Hollywood stars, which nowadays also involves taking diet pills.

“Many top stars abroad have used Ozempic, even though they are really small people.”

He himself says that he is critical of medicine, and does not even take Burana, even if the places hurt. Kilpinen emphasizes that he eats healthy meat, fish and vegetables.

“My intention was not to idealize thinness. I want to respect all bodies.”

Stateside The use of Ozempic for weight loss has been relatively common among movie stars, but also among some athletes. Tennis star Serena Williams on told having lost more than 14 kilos using the medicine.

Professor of clinical metabolism at the University of Helsinki Kirsi Pietiläinen has studied obesity and the factors affecting it. In his opinion, joking about diet pills and Hollywood news takes attention away from why the drugs are needed and used.

“It’s a wrong message that already thin people should still lose weight,” Pietiläinen says.

“People should be allowed to be at peace in their own bodies. If you are inclined to pursue thinness, then you will catch this message even less. Now there is a lot of talk about this, and it is thought that this is even some kind of norm.”

Doctors in my opinion, instead of slimming drugs, we should talk about obesity drugs. Even though Ozempic has started to be used as a generic name for a slimming drug, it is a brand name. Initially, the drug is intended for the treatment of diabetes.

In addition to the intended use of Ozempic, misconceptions have also spread about the drug’s possible side effects.

It has been claimed to cause pancreatitis and gallstones, but according to Pietiläinen, these harms are rare. The most common side effects are nausea, heartburn, constipation and diarrhea, which are experienced by about 20 percent of people who use the medicine.

In February sparked a conversation between Atte Kilpinen Don Quixote – about the costume he used in the ballet, which had padding on the stomach to make Kilpinen look fat.

Artistic director of the National Ballet Javier Torres defended the costuming solution because Kilpinen played Sancho Panza, who is depicted in the ballet’s basis Miguel de Cervantesin Don Quixote – in the novel fat.