Jameela Jamil’s Work Here Is Done. Instagram Has Changed Their Rules On The Promotion Of Diet Products

Jameela Jamil hasn’t just been screaming “that crap will make you shit your pants” into the wind. Her ongoing campaign to name and shame promoters of liquid laxatives and “detox” products like Flat Tummy teas and shakes, The Koven’s official beverage of choice (after their own liquefied farts), has produced actual positive results (unlike the products she’s been railing against). According to Elle, Instagram has made changes to their policies regarding sponsored posts that promote weight loss or cosmetic procedures. The entire cast of Vanderpump Rules will probably be looking to pick up a few extra shifts at SUR this month, thanks in part to Jameela’s squawking.

Instagram’s change in policy comes as a result of hearing the concerns of anti-bullshit campaigners like Jameela whose petition to “Stop Celebrities and Influencers From Promoting Toxic Diet Products on Social Media” garnered 250,000 signatures. They also solicited community feedback, spoke to “youth specialists” and consulted an expert in “digital media and society” from the University of Sheffield (via Elle):

From today (Wednesday 18 September), Instagram – which has around one billion users – will begin rolling out a new policy focused on these very products – detox teas, diet pills, ‘appetite-suppressing’ lollipops – the list goes on.

Under these new rules, if a post promotes a weight loss product or cosmetic procedure and has a price tag fixed to it, users who are younger than 18-years-old will be prohibited from viewing the post.

The second major policy move is the banning of any content that makes a ‘miraculous claim’ about diet or weight loss products. So, for example, if an influencer posts a picture of themselves sipping diet tea, promoting their discount code, and telling their followers how they managed to lose 10lbs rapidly solely due to the tea, it will be removed for violating the new community guidelines.

Jameela talked to Elle about the changes which she sees as a big win for impressionable kids saying “it sets the tone that this is not ok in our society”.

‘For huge corporations – who are the main access points for these companies to sell their products to young people over the internet – to say they don’t condone this sends out a huge ripple across the earth. It says that if giant corporations are willing to take a stand against this then it must be really serious’

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THIS IS HUGE NEWS. @i_weigh are changing the world together. After a bunch of shouting, screaming, and petitioning… we have managed to get the attention of the people at the top, and they have heard us and want to protect us. And this is just the beginning of our efforts. As of now, if you’re under 18, you will no longer be exposed to any diet/detox products, and for all other ages; all fad products that have bogus, unrealistic claims will be taken down and easy to report. I’ve been working with Instagram all year towards this, who were amazing to deal with, and they expressed that they passionately care about creating a safer space for us all online. This happened so much faster than I expected and I’m so proud and happy and relieved. WELL DONE to the many people who have been working towards this huge change. This is a mass effort. This is an extraordinary win that is going to make a big difference. Influencers have to be more responsible. ❤️

A post shared by Jameela Jamil (@jameelajamilofficial) on Sep 18, 2019 at 10:08am PDT

Great! Problem solved. What will Jameela do in her retirement? Will she take all her The Good Place money and start jobs program for out of work Influencers? She could call it The Jameela Jamil Home For Thirsty Bitches where they can learn important life skills like learning how to take a picture with a front facing camera, and attend classes in how consume food using a fork instead of a straw.

Pic: Wenn.com