Ads relating to weight loss, dieting testimonials, or language or imagery that idealises or denigrates certain body types are now banned on Pinterest.

To explain its policy, the photo-sharing platform talks about body neutrality, a concept that advocates self-acceptance.

It is about feeling good about yourself, but without necessarily loving your body or being obsessed with your physique. To achieve that, people should focus on things that feel good and allow them to feel comfortable, without thinking about physical appearance.

It’s about finding a balance, a middle ground between self-love and body-hatred.

Above all, body neutrality is meant to be kind and compassionate. With this trend, thinking about yourself does not mean thinking about physical appearance, but rather about achievements and the search for well-being.

Far from the goals of “body transformation”, sport and fitness activities are seen as a way to preserve health and feel good. The same goes for nutrition – the goal is wellness rather than weight loss. ‘

In fact, this movement is all about health, both physical and mental.

On social media, the movement counts some 160,000 posts on the Instagram platform. The trend also provides a space for women to talk about their bodies and openly show their supposed “flaws”.

This trend is gaining ground over the body-positivity trend, which involves loving your body no matter what it looks like – curves, defects, cellulite, stretch marks or love handles.

Though highly present on social media, the concept of body positivity has been strongly criticised for its lack of inclusiveness, which body neutrality aims to address and overcome.