Facebook apologises after fat-shaming a model

Body-shaming, fat-shaming and other such words are doing the rounds on internet daily, what is shocking is that even social networking giants like Facebook are being party to it.

In one such case, Facebook has been forced to backtrack after it banned an Australian ad featuring a bikini-clad plus-sized model  positive body image. Facebook had banned the photo initially saying the photo's depiction was "undesirable".

It was an advertisement for Melbourne's "Cherchez La Femme: Feminism and Fat" gathering and Facebook rejected and banned it saying the image violated its advertising guidelines.

The Facebook Ads Team wrote to the organisers saying the ad did not comply with their health and fitness policy because "the image depicts a body or body parts in an undesirable manner".

Jessamy Gleeson posted a screenshot of it online which said: "Ads like these are not allowed since they make viewers feel bad about themselves.”  Gleeson was stunned that Facebook "seemingly has no idea that plus-sized, self-describing fat women can feel great about themselves.”

Hence, Gleeson urged followers on the platform to "rage hard at anyone who tries to tell us that some bodies are more 'desirable' than others". It is not the first time that such issues have come to light. Social media has been party to such abuse and trauma for fat shaming lately. But, it is distasteful to see such attitude from Facebook itself.

She wrote on her wall, ”Facebook has ignored the fact that our event is going to be discussing body positivity (which comes in all shapes and sizes, but in the particular case of our event, fat bodies),"

However, Gleeson said that Facebook later apologised for its actions, sending her a note admitting it had incorrectly reviewed the ad.

Gleeson later on posted on Twitter another screenshot which stated that Facebook apologised and clarified that it has to go through millions of ads per week and there are instances that they incorrectly disapprove an image that does not violate the policies. It said, “our policies are in place to help protect the community from offensive ads that can damage their experience on our platform.”

What is ironical is that the ad in context featured model Tess Holliday and it was submitted to promote an event titled Feminism and Fat, organized to promote body positivity.