Pinterest Is Banning Weight Loss Ads. Here’s Why We Care

Say a goodbye to weight loss ads on Pinterest. As of July 1, 2021, Pinterest has banned all ads that promote weight loss from their website, making the social media platform one of the leading pioneers in the body neutrality and the body positivity movement. 

Pinterest is a place where people go to create and curate their ideal lives. From dream house to dream wedding and all the inbetweens, Pinterest never limits their users’ wishes. And on Thursday the media service took one step forward to make their platform a safe and positive space for all bodies.

Even though it might not be the most popular social media app currently (that’s Facebook), Pinterest knows how to market to and appease their users. So much so that in their statement regarding the ban on weight loss ads, they acknowledge that they are the first and only platform that has blocked these types of ads. 

“This stance makes Pinterest the only major platform to prohibit all weight loss ads. It’s an expansion of our ad policies that have long prohibited body shaming and dangerous weight loss products or claims. We encourage others in the industry to do the same and acknowledge, once and for all, that there’s no such thing as one-size-fits-all.”

With this powerful call to action, Pinterest is paving a way to make social media platforms body-inclusive and loving of everyone.

The Pioneers

Pinterest is an interesting platform in that you can’t completely curate what you want to see. It’s a big search engine that adjusts the content it shows to match your recent searches and interests. Because of that, people have been targeted for weight loss ads after searching seemingly innocuous terms like healthy recipes and wedding planning. 

“Nothing like having to ignore weight loss ads next to my wedding planning inspo.”

I posted Pinterest’s announcement on my story and my friend immediately responded with the statement above. Emily got married last month and planned her wedding with Pinterest’s full support…that is, as long as she lost some weight. 

“I feel like I didn’t get many weight loss ads until I started looking at wedding ideas. Then it was constantly, ‘slim down for your wedding,’ ‘try this spandex to look your best.’ The ads equated wedding planning to losing weight…. Society combined the two and the ads jumped on board to reiterate the narrative.”

I joke about targeted ads all the time. Yes, there are some times when I’ll mention a product and the next day it appears on one of my social media accounts. It’s all fun and games until the ads become about how your body isn’t good enough for the life you’re dreaming of. Trying to plan the happiest day of your life, or your dream home, or even just a new hair color shouldn’t come with weight loss ads shoved in the mix. 

“Last time I checked, he proposed without saying, ‘lose 20 pounds first.’” 

Weight loss ads are harmful, plain and simple. First, the promises they’re making aren’t usually true. The company is selling a product, not a way of life. Quick fixes can quickly get turned around. People who diet often quickly gain back the weight they lost. Once you stop paying for that pill or that app or whatever, if you haven’t made healthy living a lifestyle, you’ll lose the results.

No one should sell weight loss. No company should promote weight loss either. Weight loss is between you and maybe your doctor. Maybe. Weight loss marketers also cash out on people’s fear and shame. Yes, I would like to have washboard abs before I get married, but I’m not going to marry someone if that’s a requirement.

Why Now?

The jokes about the “quarantine 15” were never funny. Everyone has reacted to the pandemic and quarantine in different ways, and some of us did gain a couple of extra pounds. But negative body image and body shaming have been present on social media since it began. While there are so many accounts that promote body positivity, there are also those that suggest starvation and weight loss pills not only as an option, but as a requirement to finding complete satisfaction with our bodies. 

The National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) has found that there has been an uptick in unhealthy eating habits and eating disorders since COVID-19 began. These unhealthy habits are most prevalent in younger people, especially those on social media. 

Pinterest has been working closely with NEDA and was pleasantly surprised to find an uptake in certain trends on their platform. Pinners have been fervently searching terms like “body neutrality,” “healthy mindset quotes,” “stop body shaming quotes,” and “self-love illustration art” more this year than ever before. 

For anyone who might not know the term, Healthline defines body neutrality as a movement that “promotes acceptance of you body as it is, encouraging you to recognize its abilities and nonphysical characteristics over your appearance. This movement aims to decentralize the body as an object by challenging the myth that the way you look drives your worth.” This term has become popularized recently on social media and other platforms, but Pinterest is the first to actually make this a company policy. 

Instead of capitalizing on the shame some people feel after gaining a few extra pounds, Pinterest is celebrating everyone’s bodies now.

What Does This Mean? 

Pinterest is where people plan their ideal lives. The website offers anything anyone would ever want, they need only to search it. And now they can search without being bombarded by an ad telling them to “lose weight quickly.”

Pinterest’s ban applies to all ads that have any pictures, promotions, or testimonials about weight loss. They will also not allow ads whose language or imagery favors or degrades a certain body type. Any reference to BMI will not be tolerated on the site from now on. 

Pinterest and TikTok both have banned content promoting weight loss pills, before and after pictures, weight loss procedures, or body shaming. Pinterest just took a necessary step forward in their pursuit of a body-positive platform. 

That being said, the website will still allow ads that promote healthy lifestyles and fitness services, just as long as the company’s purpose isn’t for their clients to lose weight. 

If someone does search for a keyword that might be an indicator of an eating disorder, Pinterest will block the results and direct them to websites like NEDA to help them find additional resources.

What Now?

Pinterest’s dedication to promoting body neutrality is huge. The company is actively saying that they don’t mind not making a profit off of people’s insecurities, and they’re the first social media platform to do this. Other social media companies now need to follow their lead and remove the ads from their websites, too. 

Have weight loss ads hurt you? What do you think about Pinterest’s new policy? Comment below.

For More Articles On Body Image, Read These:

It’s Time We Embrace Body Positivity, Because All Bodies Are Beautiful

How To Help Your Daughters And Granddaughters Have A Healthy Body Image

Celebrities Love To Endorse Diets On Instagram. Can This Lead To Disordered Eating?