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Pinterest’s newest updates
Pinterest is rolling out a new body type technology made to increase representation and inclusivity of body sizes on its platform. The company has been quietly releasing this new experience powered in part by a newly revealed AI system that can recognize different body shapes, forms, and sizes, over the last few months.
Users who were been given early access started to notice changes in their search results. Without adding qualifiers such as “plus size” when searching for images on the site, women of all sizes, even plus size, were among the results.
Head of Pinterest’s inclusive product team, Annie Ta, said the new technology is aimed at making users feel that Pinterest celebrates diverse body types and delivers content that feels more relevant. “Our mission is to help people feel inspired, and you can’t feel inspired unless you’re actually feeling like you were included in the product experience,” Ta says.
The social media platform worked alongside the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance (NAAFA), model and size advocate Tess Holliday, and Pinterest creators Natalie Craig, Kellie Brown, and Stefany Brito to ensure that they develop the app based off feedback and insights to increase body representation in a healthy and positive way.
Plus size users often feel overlooked and underappreciated in digital spaces. Several applications do not help with body inclusivity, as searches on other picture sharing platforms bring up images of predominantly thin and white women when searching for things such as “back to school outfit inspiration”.
Pinterest’s newest update will allow a space for people of all body types to feel more accepted, and inspired, without having to do deep searches or scroll on the app for hours. “At Pinterest, we believe that inspiration begins with inclusion,” says Sabrina Ellis, Pinterest’s chief product officer. “That’s why we continue to develop inclusive product experiences that make it easier to find the best ideas that feel made for you.”
The latest tech is live in the U.S., U.K., Ireland, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, and will soon roll out in additional international markets. Since the social media platform has only just started rolling out these changes, users can expect the experience to improve over the next couple of months.
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