Serena, GLP-1s and the creative tension: three lenses on a cultural flashpoint

Serena Williams’ med-health partnership with Ro has been among the most polarising events of recent years. But it depends on which lens you view it through, says Kat Thomas, founder and global chief creative officer, One Green Bean.

When Serena Williams announced her partnership with Ro to front its GLP-1 weight-loss campaign, the reaction was instant and polarised. Some called it a cultural betrayal, others a reframing of weight-loss as legitimate healthcare. As someone who works in creativity and communications, and as a woman, I tend to reflect on these things through three distinct lenses.

As a creative…

Creativity thrives on tension, and this campaign has it in spades. Serena is a symbol of unapologetic strength, yet here she appears in a world often associated with more than a tinge of cringe… weight-loss advertising. That collision is perhaps what makes her so inspired as an ambassador.

Execution-wise, the idea is pretty simple: even the strongest, most disciplined among us sometimes need help. Visually, Serena’s presence is shot to convey power and control.

It forces us to hold two thoughts at once: that a champion can still be vulnerable, and vulnerability can itself be powerful.

The creative challenge, of course, is whether this narrative provokes thought and curiosity or whether it simply provokes.

As a brand PR specialist…

The comms challenge is thornier. This isn’t just storytelling; it’s both education and reputation management at scale.

Alex Light, writing in The Independent, made a point echoed by many UK journalists:

“Even the most accomplished women remain trapped by society’s obsession with thinness... the idea that natural biology is a problem to be solved is precisely what keeps us all stuck in relentless cycles of correction.”

The Guardian claimed Serena’s move “normalises expensive weight-loss drugs for lifestyle use rather than medical need, potentially widening inequality while complicating her legacy as a figure who resisted narrow beauty standards”.

For comms professionals, these critiques highlight the razor’s edge: how do you make a campaign feel empowering without fuelling the very anxieties it claims to soothe?

The answer may lie in honesty.

By refusing to gloss over the controversy and instead leaning into Serena’s rationale, signing up and owning it with confidence.

As a woman…

I’ve admired Serena not just for her sporting achievements but for her visible defiance of convention—her body, her power, her refusal to conform. So yes, I felt a bit of discomfort seeing her step into this space.

But I also recognise that GLP-1s are one of the most divisive forces in the cultural conversation around women’s bodies. On one side, they’re framed as a medical breakthrough that could liberate millions from stigma and struggle; on the other, they’re condemned as diet culture in a syringe, a dangerous shortcut dressed up as healthcare. What’s striking is how little room there is to sit in the middle.

Women are being pulled into two camps and expected either to vilify or endorse.

I struggle to be informed enough to take a side yet. That’s the pressure point Serena has walked into - she’s not just promoting a drug, she’s embodying the dilemma every woman recognises: that your body, your choices, and even your stance on them, are up for public judgement.

Complex conclusions

I feel Serena’s campaign is both controversial and inspired.

As a creative, I see daring simplicity. As a comms professional, I see reputational risk and narrative complexity. And as a woman, I see honesty in the face of a lot of performative opinions flying about.

The campaign probably won’t resolve the tension it sparks. But perhaps that’s its creative triumph. It invites us to live with the contradiction. As to whether it works, the proof will be in the pudding. Or, more accurately, the plummeting sales of puddings.