Fashion, living and recipes are among the most frequently searched terms on the Pinterest image platform. As the first major social network, Pinterest now bans weight-loss advertising to protect the mental health of its community.
In the fight against bodyshaming, the online network Pinterest has banned weight loss advertising on its platform. The service, a kind of virtual bulletin board for sharing pictures, said Thursday it would no longer allow ads containing reports of weight loss or references to the body mass index. Certain body types should no longer be “idealized or denigrated”. Bodyshaming is the discrimination or offense against people because of their body.
Especially in summer, many people put themselves under pressure because of their bodies
Pinterest claims to be the first online platform to implement such an advertising ban. People of all ages are facing “body image and mental health challenges, especially now that we are leaving the corona pandemic behind and ushering in the summer season,” says Pinterest. According to a study by the Else Kröner Fresenius Center for Nutritional Medicine (EKFZ), 40 percent of Germans gained weight during the Corona period, an average of around 5.6 kilograms. Now in the summer, especially since face-to-face meetings have become possible again, many people are putting themselves under even more psychological pressure than usual. The step should therefore serve to protect mental health in online networks. Advertisements on fitness or a healthy lifestyle are still allowed, however.
The Association for Help with Eating Disorders (NEDA) in the USA praised the platform’s decision. “We hope this global approach will encourage other organizations and companies to think about potentially harmful advertising messages,” said Neda CEO Elizabeth Thompson.
Pinterest was launched in 2010 as a virtual pin board. Users can share pictures in different categories. The platform can also be used as a search engine for products. The business model is based on the sale of advertising. The site also plays a role in online trading, as many brands use the network to draw customers’ attention to their products. The San Francisco-based company reported in April that it had more than 478 million users worldwide.
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