Instagram Just Implemented a Great Policy for Diet Products
Instagram has been criticized for ages for its tolerance of pervasive (and, let's face it, annoying) diet spon-con. If you don't know what I'm talking about, go check one of the Kardashians' profiles right now. Scroll down a bit, and chances are you'll see an "#ad" for Flat Tummy Tea or another product that promises miracle weight loss. Actor Jameela Jamil is just one of the many people who have called out these ads for encouraging toxic diet culture. Earlier this year Jamil directly took Khloé Kardashian to task for promoting Flat Tummy Tea.
"It's incredibly awful that this industry bullied you until you became this fixated on your appearance," she wrote to the reality star in March. "That's the media's fault. But now please don't put that back into the world, and hurt other girls, the way you have been hurt."
It appears Instagram has taken notice of the issue. The social media platform has announced several new policies about spon-con and ads, calling out ones that revolve around weight loss, in particular. Under the new rules, users under 18 won't be able to see posts promoting weight loss or cosmetic procedures with incentive to purchase product. Also, IG has nixed posts that make "miraculous claims" about a product. Translation: If an influencer insists she lost 10 pounds in 72 hours just by drinking a shake, that post is going down. And good riddance.
“We want Instagram to be a positive place for everyone that uses it, and this policy is part of our ongoing work to reduce the pressure that people can sometimes feel as a result of social media," Emma Collins, a public policy manager at Instagram, said in a press release.
Jamil is, no surprise, thrilled about these changes. "It sets the tone that this is not okay in our society," she told British Elle. "We have hyper-normalized flogging nonsense to young impressionable people. These people are selling hair-growth gummies but wearing extensions, or photoshopping themselves to look slimmer and selling a weight-loss shake. There are so many lies being told, and we’ve accepted that as a cultural norm."
While social media still has considerable room for improvement, moves like this one are a step in the right direction.
In her cover interview with Glamour, Jamil clarified that her criticism of the Kardashians doesn't mean she hates them. “I just want them to stop selling laxatives, and then I will get off that dick," she said, laughing. “That’s all I'm trying to do. I'm not trying to attack anyone. But if you have a lot of power and influence and money, and you’re using yours irresponsibly, and other people aren't aware that they're being sold a lie, I’m gonna step on that dick.”
Originally Appeared on Glamour
