Pinterest Under Fire For New "Body Type" Feature That Prioritizes Obesity And Excludes Other Figures
Pinterest now lets you select your body type for more tailored fashion inspo. Except, it's mostly obese women, a handful of thin ones, and zero representation of average-sized or other diverse body types. So much for "inclusivity."
Pinterest has rolled out a new feature to help women find fashion inspo by filtering photos based on their body type.
Unfortunately, the platform’s new feature has only left users scratching their heads and tweeting their frustrations.
Pinterest’s new move allows users to select specific body types to better tailor their #OOTD searches. Unfortunately, their attempt at “inclusivity” flopped by including only different types of obesity and plus-sized women. While there were a few thin models, there was a lack of hourglass or apple figures and athletic women.
X (formerly Twitter) user @Cluffalo wrote about her frustrations, tweeting, “Kinda messed up that Pinterest lets you select a ‘body type’ for results and you’re mostly just allowed to choose between types of obesity. What happened to ‘pear shape,’ ‘hourglass,’ etc.?”
This resonated with other women, especially those who don’t fit neatly into the options provided. Take @Ms_1776, who replied to @Cluffalo with a shape chart showing the body types, including rectangle, apple, pear, hourglass, and inverted triangle. “Agreed. That chart isn’t ‘inclusive,’ it’s confusing and even the thin women are dressed in a very unflattering way. I like the simple shapes chart.”
“Representation Matters”
Inclusivity should mean everyone sees themselves represented, but it has turned into only promoting extreme body types. I’m a petite woman with broad shoulders, a larger chest, and a short torso, but Pinterest’s filter couldn’t even come close to my body type. And I’m not alone.
@Nyct0phil3_x tweeted, “None of these represent me. I’m a pretty standard medium size. Not tall or short, not thin or fat. No clothes inspiration for me I guess.” Meanwhile, @mrs_alyse chimed in, “Yeah, I’m plus size, and I look nothing like any of the options.” So, who is this feature really for?
Some users did manage to find body types that were almost similar but still fell short. @NotKatWeegee pointed out, “I GUESS this is the closest to me but even then not really. I have a higher waist to hip ratio and more boobs, so seeing how clothes fit on her would barely help lol.”
@grace_porto55 noted, “Also no pregnant women lol.” That’s…kind of a big oversight.
This hypocrisy hasn’t gone unnoticed. Body positivity, which started as a movement to celebrate all shapes and sizes, often seems to exclude the naturally skinny and curvy. As someone who has naturally thin friends battling insecurities, it’s heartbreaking to see how body-shaming cuts both ways.
Pinterest’s intentions might have been good, but their execution left a lot to be desired. Creating filters for body types could’ve been groundbreaking if they actually represented the diverse shapes of real people. Somehow, they’ve managed to alienate nearly everyone who doesn’t fit a very narrow mold… or, ironically, a very wide one. Thin, athletic, pregnant, and average-sized users all feel left out. For a feature claiming to embrace inclusivity, it’s painfully exclusive.
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