7 ms·

Pinterest bans all weight loss ads

24 points by el_duderino 5y ago

paulpauper 5y ago
future headline: pinterest reinstates weight loss ads (like google and facebook reinstateing crypto ads)
owaisin 5y ago
And why is that?
dbt00 5y ago
makes sense, this is a huge area for fraud.
slumdev 5y ago
> It's an expansion of our ad policies that have long prohibited body shaming Having a BMI* greater than 25 is a risk factor for heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and cancer. This move is guided by feelings, not facts. *Yes, everyone knows by now that BMI doesn't apply to people who are very short, very tall, or bodybuilders. There are other measures like body fat percentage or waist-hip ratio that can also be used.
- striking 5y ago
  > Ads promoting healthy lifestyles, habits or fitness services and products are still allowed on the platform if they do not "focus on weight loss." The company said it had developed the policy with guidance from the National Eating Disorders Association. I think it's really easy to lose sight of just how many ads go beyond health and sell an idealized image in order to make money off of people's insecurities. Would you agree that there are probably at least a few ads that do that instead of promoting healthy practices?
  - slumdev 5y ago
    Sure. There's a balance somewhere in between idealized images and "Healthy at Every Size". But if a product is intended for weight loss, I would expect its ads to focus on weight loss...
- clucas 5y ago
  It's possible that obese people face health risks, but the ads in question (1) do not actually affect those health risks positively, (2) cause other harm that is greater than the health risks associated with obesity, or (3) both. I would investigate that possiblity before baldly asserting that the decision was guided by feelings and not facts. Just saying "but obesity is dangerous" should not give a free pass to deceptive/harmful weight-loss ads. EDIT to complete the thought: If Pinterest did the analysis to determine that all or almost all weight-loss ads are deceptive or harmful, then just cutting them off is the right thing, and is based on facts, not emotion. I don't know if that's the case, but you need to know that piece before you can say for sure it was based on emotion.
- Fomite 5y ago
  Two notes: 1) Shaming is a bad idea, even in that case. We see this in all manner of public health policies - shame isn't particularly effective as a motivating tool. It also leads to poor outcomes - like people with obesity getting measurably worse care and skinny people being under-tested for heart disease and diabetes because those are "fat people diseases". 2) Not all weight loss is the same. Carefully constructed diet and appropriate exercise tailored to your goals under the supervision of a doctor? Great. Some pill from an unregulated supplement manufacturer? Not great. As a professor of mine once put it, the swiftest way to drop your BMI is to suddenly have one leg and both arms amputated. But few of us would say that's healthy weight loss.
drannex 5y ago
Tumblr made this decision a long time ago. I remember the surreal amount of brands who hounded myself and others to post, just getting someone to start a trial paid out $60, and then additional if they paid for the whole treatment. I never took part since I was/am against anything that focuses on eating disorders or anorexia, but there was a time when tumblr would ban your entire account within minutes of a post going up. Truly a hectic time as bans (not suspensions) were without warning sent out to dozens (multiple!) of the top accounts on Tumblr.
halotrope 5y ago
This is a very sensible move. It has been scientifically proven that weight loss is impossible for any extended period of time. Edit: This is satire. Anecdotally it is very difficult to lose weight for a number of reasons.
- rolobio 5y ago
  What? Once you're overweight, you will be overweight forever? Surely we can have more hope than that! My father has lost a lot of weight and kept it off for years, it gives me hope that I can live a more healthy lifestyle.
  - halotrope 5y ago
    To clarify, there are exceptions bit the vast majority of people are overweight because of metabolic imbalances like high cortisol and insulin resistance. There is no way to escape that without addressing the root causes. Maybe your father did, this is an achievement. I wish hin all the best.
- WillDaSilva 5y ago
  I'm not sure if you're being sarcastic or serious. Could you please explain what you mean? Studies have shown that temporary diets (as opposed to lifestyle changes) rarely lead to long-lasting weight loss, but that's a far cry from "it has been scientifically proven that weight loss is impossible".
- slumdev 5y ago
  This doesn't make any sense without context and a citation. Edit: Seeing that response, I think your top-level comment is a victim of Poe's Law...
  - halotrope 5y ago
    I assumed it was common knowledge. Happy to share to source[1] 1: https://www.theonion.com/new-study-finds-it-is-impossible-to-lose-weight-no-one-1819575105 https://www.theonion.com/new-study-finds-it-is-impossible-to...
bpodgursky 5y ago
Sort of funny that everyone is getting onto the all-bodies-are-healthy train right as we are on the cusp of getting of FDA-certified, safe and reliable weight-loss drugs for the masses.
- PaulHoule 5y ago
  See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semaglutide https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semaglutide
spoonjim 5y ago
This is a little weird. Excess weight is one of the leading causes of premature death and disability in America, and will probably cost me some years myself.
- MattGaiser 5y ago
  I think the problem is the number of shady people in the space. Pinterest can either filter them or just ban the category.
- goatinaboat 5y ago
  It is also the number one factor in Covid mortality, once you discount old age which is non-discretionary.
- Fomite 5y ago
  The problem is not "Weight loss might be a good idea" but that the industry is swarming with scams, unregulated companies, and stuff that is actively harmful to health.
- pininja 5y ago
  This ban is a critic of how to address excess weight commercially. > Ads promoting healthy lifestyles, habits or fitness services and products are still allowed on the platform if they do not "focus on weight loss." “Get thin fast” products do more harm than good, so they’re banning the messaging typically used by that family of goods.
- thomascgalvin 5y ago
  You're not wrong, but nobody that's advertising on Pinterest is helping fix the problem. Some people can handle their own weight loss, by intentionally altering their relationship to food. Some people need actual medical help, either counseling, surgery, or something else that has been proven effective to the standards of the FDA. Nobody needs a bottle of FatBlaster 9000, which has an equal chance of being sawdust or caffeine. And nobody needs to be assaulted by "before and after" shots of two different models who have both been photoshopped to hell and back, presenting an unrealistic idea of what is possible and/or healthy.
flowerlad 5y ago
Ads for legit weight loss products should be allowed. How else would I learn about products that could help me lose weight? Would it be a good idea to ban ads for wheelchairs on the basis that it is "disability shaming"?
- fotta 5y ago
  What is "legit" though? I've yet to see an FDA approved weight loss product whereas wheelchairs do have to get FDA approval.
  - kart23 5y ago
    https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-approves-new-drug-treatment-chronic-weight-management-first-2014 https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-appr...
    - fotta 5y ago
      Oh interesting. Being pedantic here but I'm guessing there's a strong distinction between "weight regulation" and "weight loss" in the regulatory context though?
    - dawnerd 5y ago
      "for use in addition to a reduced calorie diet and increased physical activity" So really it's not doing much other than reducing how hungry someone feels. Want to lose weight? It's easy. Go keto. For people that are fat, like myself, cutting carbs will, by nature, cut calories and a higher fat/protein diet will make you feel more full and eat less calories. The problem is a lot of people like myself want to lose weight while still eating fast food and sitting down all day. No pill/injection will change that.
      - notwhereyouare 5y ago
        or get a meal plan that pre-portions your meals. My partner and I struggled to do keto, we lasted like 3 months. The results were impressive, but not sustainable for us. We've started a pre-packaged meal plan. Meals are normally good (only had a couple we didn't like) but we are down a combined 75+ pounds and still doing the pre-packaged meals since we get a decent selection. Now, we do get a TON of chicken, and that is a struggle, but it's a trade off. As to your last point, agree. There's no magic pill that will let you lose weight without fundamental changes
mfer 5y ago
I'm torn on this. On one hand there is a lot of body shaming and there are many fad weight loss diets that don't work and are even unhealthy. Sometimes they are flat out scams that make people who do them a lot of money. On the other hand, in America being overweight and obese (in the medical sense) is common and the cause of many health problems. In terms of policy (going beyond individuals) the lack of health caused by all of this increases health care costs we have to deal with as a society. And, the health issues are getting worse and spreading. Or, so I've read. We need ways to help deal with this.
- void_mint 5y ago
  I guess it depends on whether or not you think weight loss ads drive health. I certainly do not.
  - mfer 5y ago
    Weight loss is a major factor in health. There's a bunch of science on that. On one hand, Pinterest is taking into account eating disorders going up. On the other hand, being overweight is talked about with body image and not about the health aspects. Tons of doctors don't even want to address it. My guess is concern about loosing patients or the lack of billing codes for insurance about spending the time on it. I don't like the fad ads. I also don't really like the lack of people talking about the health aspects either.
    - void_mint 5y ago
      Right, you answered a question I didn't ask. Do weight loss _ads_ drive weight loss?
      - mfer 5y ago
        You didn’t ask a question in the previous comment. So, I commented. I don’t know what weight loss ads look like. I don’t generally know what any ads look like thanks to blockers. If I were to guessing would guess they aren’t any good. Yet, I do personally know people who lost weight which lead to better health from weight loss programs. They aren’t the new fads. I think it’s very much worth talking about weight and health in our culture. Not just the mental health stopping shaming but the physical health around things like heart disease, the biggest killer of Americans according to the CDC.
WillDaSilva 5y ago
I strongly oppose the notion that one can be healthy/fit at every size, and I don't view claims that overweight people should lose weight as intrinsically body-shaming, but I still think this is a good move. Those who are buying ads on Pinterest for weight loss aren't doing so out of good will and a desire for people to be healthier - they're doing so to generate profit. They have no interest in actually helping a person change their lifestyle so as to lose weight, keep it off, and become healthier, as those people do not make for repeat customers. Also it's harder to sell a "lifestyle change" (i.e. the information one could use to go from being overweight to a healthy weight) than it is to sell ineffective and sometimes dangerous alternatives such as diet pills and plans.
- silicon2401 5y ago
  > I strongly oppose the notion that one can be healthy/fit at every size, and I don't view claims that overweight people should lose weight as intrinsically body-shaming, I agree. Society lacks nuance. Health outcomes worsen as weight increases, that's just physics. Joints get more strained and the body literally gets slipper during surgery with more fat. There's a weight/body composition spectrum where most people would be healthiest. At the same time, one shouldn't be shamed for being overweight just like we don't shame people for not drinking enough water or drinking alcohol (even though you could argue these are worse than being fat). The modern approach to safeguarding short-term emotions above everything else will come at the cost of other things like physical health, long-term mental health, etc.
whymauri 5y ago
I might be biased because my mom fell victim to snake oil weight loss treatments on the Internet that sent her to hospital. Some of these advertisements are for 'medicines' that are so aggressive and lacking in proper dosage practices that they can cause permanent/chronic damage. The dose maketh the poison, and with little oversight these advertisers specialize in peddling poisons with little accountability. I'm inclined to believe this is a net positive, honestly. Think about how this can affect: * Less tech savvy and skeptical people. * People who don't understand medicine well. * Different geos that are harder to monitor for safety violations and false advertisement. This stuff is huge in Latin America -- does Pinterest really have the bandwidth to monitor these ads in all their geos? What about different legalities by geo? * People with eating disorders whose user experience is degraded by this kind of advertisement. Etcetera. Facebook gets constantly lambasted for their poor moderation -- this is a healthier pre-emptive attitude than theirs, I think.
mfer 5y ago
Where I live there are many doctors who don't want to talk with their patients about their weight. Talking about weight has become off limits for many and this isn't good for them or society. According to the CDC [1]: > Obesity-related conditions include heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancer. These are among the leading causes of preventable, premature death. On a personal level, all these health problems suck. In addition to these, obese and even overweight folks have less energy and vitality than they would otherwise have. That sucks, too. On a societal level, there are so many costs that go along with the healthcare for these. [1] https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/adult.html https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/adult.html
kingsuper20 5y ago
I wonder if we can get Pinterest to take down deodorant ads because they cause smell shaming. It's shaping up to be a great decade.
xet7 5y ago
Next steps: 1) Ban all ads 2) Remove all Javascript from webbrowser side. 3) Lower bandwidth bills and CPU usage + faster website for all visitors = Profit! Thanks!
zeeshanqureshi 5y ago
Wow, so many people here are reacting so strongly for and against this move. We need to try and look at it objectively [0]. Regardless of what the official statement is, the most obvious reason for this move has to be because weight loss is an area that is riddled with misleading claims and scams, thus it makes for bad user experience. [0] - http://www.paulgraham.com/identity.html http://www.paulgraham.com/identity.html
- mfer 5y ago
  Their reason for it is body image and eating disorders [1]. [1] https://newsroom.pinterest.com/en/post/pinterest-embraces-body-acceptance-with-new-ad-policy https://newsroom.pinterest.com/en/post/pinterest-embraces-bo...
  - zeeshanqureshi 5y ago
    Of course, brand image et al.
  - TheAdamAndChe 5y ago
    Shame and disgust in myself drove a massive amount of weight loss. I feel better and am far more fit now. Given America's obesity epidemic, it's sad to me that they are focusing on a small percentage of people with such issues.
deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
Simulacra 5y ago
I'm surprised an ad-network hasn't risen up offering to promote the ads others won't; tobacco, alcohol, drugs, weight loss, pyramid schemes, you name it. Some might be legally unavailable, but I don't see what's stopping a rogue advertising network from engaging in the practice.

24 points by el_duderino 5y ago

paulpauper 5y ago

future headline: pinterest reinstates weight loss ads (like google and facebook reinstateing crypto ads)

owaisin 5y ago

And why is that?

dbt00 5y ago

makes sense, this is a huge area for fraud.

slumdev 5y ago

> It's an expansion of our ad policies that have long prohibited body shaming Having a BMI* greater than 25 is a risk factor for heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and cancer. This move is guided by feelings, not facts. *Yes, everyone knows by now that BMI doesn't apply to people who are very short, very tall, or bodybuilders. There are other measures like body fat percentage or waist-hip ratio that can also be used.

striking 5y ago
> Ads promoting healthy lifestyles, habits or fitness services and products are still allowed on the platform if they do not "focus on weight loss." The company said it had developed the policy with guidance from the National Eating Disorders Association. I think it's really easy to lose sight of just how many ads go beyond health and sell an idealized image in order to make money off of people's insecurities. Would you agree that there are probably at least a few ads that do that instead of promoting healthy practices?
- slumdev 5y ago
  Sure. There's a balance somewhere in between idealized images and "Healthy at Every Size". But if a product is intended for weight loss, I would expect its ads to focus on weight loss...
clucas 5y ago
It's possible that obese people face health risks, but the ads in question (1) do not actually affect those health risks positively, (2) cause other harm that is greater than the health risks associated with obesity, or (3) both. I would investigate that possiblity before baldly asserting that the decision was guided by feelings and not facts. Just saying "but obesity is dangerous" should not give a free pass to deceptive/harmful weight-loss ads. EDIT to complete the thought: If Pinterest did the analysis to determine that all or almost all weight-loss ads are deceptive or harmful, then just cutting them off is the right thing, and is based on facts, not emotion. I don't know if that's the case, but you need to know that piece before you can say for sure it was based on emotion.
Fomite 5y ago
Two notes: 1) Shaming is a bad idea, even in that case. We see this in all manner of public health policies - shame isn't particularly effective as a motivating tool. It also leads to poor outcomes - like people with obesity getting measurably worse care and skinny people being under-tested for heart disease and diabetes because those are "fat people diseases". 2) Not all weight loss is the same. Carefully constructed diet and appropriate exercise tailored to your goals under the supervision of a doctor? Great. Some pill from an unregulated supplement manufacturer? Not great. As a professor of mine once put it, the swiftest way to drop your BMI is to suddenly have one leg and both arms amputated. But few of us would say that's healthy weight loss.

drannex 5y ago

Tumblr made this decision a long time ago. I remember the surreal amount of brands who hounded myself and others to post, just getting someone to start a trial paid out $60, and then additional if they paid for the whole treatment. I never took part since I was/am against anything that focuses on eating disorders or anorexia, but there was a time when tumblr would ban your entire account within minutes of a post going up. Truly a hectic time as bans (not suspensions) were without warning sent out to dozens (multiple!) of the top accounts on Tumblr.

halotrope 5y ago

This is a very sensible move. It has been scientifically proven that weight loss is impossible for any extended period of time. Edit: This is satire. Anecdotally it is very difficult to lose weight for a number of reasons.

rolobio 5y ago
What? Once you're overweight, you will be overweight forever? Surely we can have more hope than that! My father has lost a lot of weight and kept it off for years, it gives me hope that I can live a more healthy lifestyle.
- halotrope 5y ago
  To clarify, there are exceptions bit the vast majority of people are overweight because of metabolic imbalances like high cortisol and insulin resistance. There is no way to escape that without addressing the root causes. Maybe your father did, this is an achievement. I wish hin all the best.
WillDaSilva 5y ago
I'm not sure if you're being sarcastic or serious. Could you please explain what you mean? Studies have shown that temporary diets (as opposed to lifestyle changes) rarely lead to long-lasting weight loss, but that's a far cry from "it has been scientifically proven that weight loss is impossible".
slumdev 5y ago
This doesn't make any sense without context and a citation. Edit: Seeing that response, I think your top-level comment is a victim of Poe's Law...
- halotrope 5y ago
  I assumed it was common knowledge. Happy to share to source[1] 1: https://www.theonion.com/new-study-finds-it-is-impossible-to-lose-weight-no-one-1819575105 https://www.theonion.com/new-study-finds-it-is-impossible-to...

bpodgursky 5y ago

Sort of funny that everyone is getting onto the all-bodies-are-healthy train right as we are on the cusp of getting of FDA-certified, safe and reliable weight-loss drugs for the masses.

PaulHoule 5y ago
See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semaglutide https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semaglutide

spoonjim 5y ago

This is a little weird. Excess weight is one of the leading causes of premature death and disability in America, and will probably cost me some years myself.

MattGaiser 5y ago
I think the problem is the number of shady people in the space. Pinterest can either filter them or just ban the category.
goatinaboat 5y ago
It is also the number one factor in Covid mortality, once you discount old age which is non-discretionary.
Fomite 5y ago
The problem is not "Weight loss might be a good idea" but that the industry is swarming with scams, unregulated companies, and stuff that is actively harmful to health.
pininja 5y ago
This ban is a critic of how to address excess weight commercially. > Ads promoting healthy lifestyles, habits or fitness services and products are still allowed on the platform if they do not "focus on weight loss." “Get thin fast” products do more harm than good, so they’re banning the messaging typically used by that family of goods.
thomascgalvin 5y ago
You're not wrong, but nobody that's advertising on Pinterest is helping fix the problem. Some people can handle their own weight loss, by intentionally altering their relationship to food. Some people need actual medical help, either counseling, surgery, or something else that has been proven effective to the standards of the FDA. Nobody needs a bottle of FatBlaster 9000, which has an equal chance of being sawdust or caffeine. And nobody needs to be assaulted by "before and after" shots of two different models who have both been photoshopped to hell and back, presenting an unrealistic idea of what is possible and/or healthy.

flowerlad 5y ago

Ads for legit weight loss products should be allowed. How else would I learn about products that could help me lose weight? Would it be a good idea to ban ads for wheelchairs on the basis that it is "disability shaming"?

fotta 5y ago
What is "legit" though? I've yet to see an FDA approved weight loss product whereas wheelchairs do have to get FDA approval.
- kart23 5y ago
  https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-approves-new-drug-treatment-chronic-weight-management-first-2014 https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-appr...
  - fotta 5y ago
    Oh interesting. Being pedantic here but I'm guessing there's a strong distinction between "weight regulation" and "weight loss" in the regulatory context though?
  - dawnerd 5y ago
    "for use in addition to a reduced calorie diet and increased physical activity" So really it's not doing much other than reducing how hungry someone feels. Want to lose weight? It's easy. Go keto. For people that are fat, like myself, cutting carbs will, by nature, cut calories and a higher fat/protein diet will make you feel more full and eat less calories. The problem is a lot of people like myself want to lose weight while still eating fast food and sitting down all day. No pill/injection will change that.
    - notwhereyouare 5y ago
      or get a meal plan that pre-portions your meals. My partner and I struggled to do keto, we lasted like 3 months. The results were impressive, but not sustainable for us. We've started a pre-packaged meal plan. Meals are normally good (only had a couple we didn't like) but we are down a combined 75+ pounds and still doing the pre-packaged meals since we get a decent selection. Now, we do get a TON of chicken, and that is a struggle, but it's a trade off. As to your last point, agree. There's no magic pill that will let you lose weight without fundamental changes

mfer 5y ago

I'm torn on this. On one hand there is a lot of body shaming and there are many fad weight loss diets that don't work and are even unhealthy. Sometimes they are flat out scams that make people who do them a lot of money. On the other hand, in America being overweight and obese (in the medical sense) is common and the cause of many health problems. In terms of policy (going beyond individuals) the lack of health caused by all of this increases health care costs we have to deal with as a society. And, the health issues are getting worse and spreading. Or, so I've read. We need ways to help deal with this.

void_mint 5y ago
I guess it depends on whether or not you think weight loss ads drive health. I certainly do not.
- mfer 5y ago
  Weight loss is a major factor in health. There's a bunch of science on that. On one hand, Pinterest is taking into account eating disorders going up. On the other hand, being overweight is talked about with body image and not about the health aspects. Tons of doctors don't even want to address it. My guess is concern about loosing patients or the lack of billing codes for insurance about spending the time on it. I don't like the fad ads. I also don't really like the lack of people talking about the health aspects either.
  - void_mint 5y ago
    Right, you answered a question I didn't ask. Do weight loss _ads_ drive weight loss?
    - mfer 5y ago
      You didn’t ask a question in the previous comment. So, I commented. I don’t know what weight loss ads look like. I don’t generally know what any ads look like thanks to blockers. If I were to guessing would guess they aren’t any good. Yet, I do personally know people who lost weight which lead to better health from weight loss programs. They aren’t the new fads. I think it’s very much worth talking about weight and health in our culture. Not just the mental health stopping shaming but the physical health around things like heart disease, the biggest killer of Americans according to the CDC.

WillDaSilva 5y ago

I strongly oppose the notion that one can be healthy/fit at every size, and I don't view claims that overweight people should lose weight as intrinsically body-shaming, but I still think this is a good move. Those who are buying ads on Pinterest for weight loss aren't doing so out of good will and a desire for people to be healthier - they're doing so to generate profit. They have no interest in actually helping a person change their lifestyle so as to lose weight, keep it off, and become healthier, as those people do not make for repeat customers. Also it's harder to sell a "lifestyle change" (i.e. the information one could use to go from being overweight to a healthy weight) than it is to sell ineffective and sometimes dangerous alternatives such as diet pills and plans.

silicon2401 5y ago
> I strongly oppose the notion that one can be healthy/fit at every size, and I don't view claims that overweight people should lose weight as intrinsically body-shaming, I agree. Society lacks nuance. Health outcomes worsen as weight increases, that's just physics. Joints get more strained and the body literally gets slipper during surgery with more fat. There's a weight/body composition spectrum where most people would be healthiest. At the same time, one shouldn't be shamed for being overweight just like we don't shame people for not drinking enough water or drinking alcohol (even though you could argue these are worse than being fat). The modern approach to safeguarding short-term emotions above everything else will come at the cost of other things like physical health, long-term mental health, etc.

whymauri 5y ago

I might be biased because my mom fell victim to snake oil weight loss treatments on the Internet that sent her to hospital. Some of these advertisements are for 'medicines' that are so aggressive and lacking in proper dosage practices that they can cause permanent/chronic damage. The dose maketh the poison, and with little oversight these advertisers specialize in peddling poisons with little accountability. I'm inclined to believe this is a net positive, honestly. Think about how this can affect: * Less tech savvy and skeptical people. * People who don't understand medicine well. * Different geos that are harder to monitor for safety violations and false advertisement. This stuff is huge in Latin America -- does Pinterest really have the bandwidth to monitor these ads in all their geos? What about different legalities by geo? * People with eating disorders whose user experience is degraded by this kind of advertisement. Etcetera. Facebook gets constantly lambasted for their poor moderation -- this is a healthier pre-emptive attitude than theirs, I think.

mfer 5y ago

Where I live there are many doctors who don't want to talk with their patients about their weight. Talking about weight has become off limits for many and this isn't good for them or society. According to the CDC [1]: > Obesity-related conditions include heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancer. These are among the leading causes of preventable, premature death. On a personal level, all these health problems suck. In addition to these, obese and even overweight folks have less energy and vitality than they would otherwise have. That sucks, too. On a societal level, there are so many costs that go along with the healthcare for these. [1] https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/adult.html https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/adult.html

kingsuper20 5y ago

I wonder if we can get Pinterest to take down deodorant ads because they cause smell shaming. It's shaping up to be a great decade.

xet7 5y ago

Next steps: 1) Ban all ads 2) Remove all Javascript from webbrowser side. 3) Lower bandwidth bills and CPU usage + faster website for all visitors = Profit! Thanks!

zeeshanqureshi 5y ago

Wow, so many people here are reacting so strongly for and against this move. We need to try and look at it objectively [0]. Regardless of what the official statement is, the most obvious reason for this move has to be because weight loss is an area that is riddled with misleading claims and scams, thus it makes for bad user experience. [0] - http://www.paulgraham.com/identity.html http://www.paulgraham.com/identity.html

mfer 5y ago
Their reason for it is body image and eating disorders [1]. [1] https://newsroom.pinterest.com/en/post/pinterest-embraces-body-acceptance-with-new-ad-policy https://newsroom.pinterest.com/en/post/pinterest-embraces-bo...
- zeeshanqureshi 5y ago
  Of course, brand image et al.
- TheAdamAndChe 5y ago
  Shame and disgust in myself drove a massive amount of weight loss. I feel better and am far more fit now. Given America's obesity epidemic, it's sad to me that they are focusing on a small percentage of people with such issues.

deleted 5y ago

[deleted]

Simulacra 5y ago

I'm surprised an ad-network hasn't risen up offering to promote the ads others won't; tobacco, alcohol, drugs, weight loss, pyramid schemes, you name it. Some might be legally unavailable, but I don't see what's stopping a rogue advertising network from engaging in the practice.