Instagram hair and makeup platform removes video following public backlash.
Hair Tips DIY, sharing “inspiration and tips” to their 4.5 million followers, veered off-brand when they posted a video promoting push-up bras.
The before and after video of a woman putting on the push-up bra was captioned with: “My boyfriend said he would leave me if I didn’t get a breast lift” “So I got an adhesive push-up bra instead”.
Many took to the post calling out Hair Tips DIY including Collective Shout’s Renee Chopping urging the platform to remove the ad.
“Why are you promoting this? Not only does it have nothing to do with your brand but you are actively promoting a toxic view of relationships and body image. Please consider the well-being of your followers and remove the ad.”
“Unfollow… you can’t seriously post for women and post this video with that message.”
“This advertisement is disgusting especially for young women and girls… shame on you.”
“I thought she was going to say “so I dumped him.” So disappointing and such bad marketing.”
“Definitely unfollowing after this ad”
Just a few hours later Hair Tips DIY removed the video.
While the self-objectification and anxiety of women and girls continue to rise, ads posted by Hair Tips DIY and others like them only further promote body dissatisfaction and self-objectification.
What are these products communicating to teens - a demographic the beauty and fashion industry is increasingly targeting? That it is our duty to look a certain way for the benefit of others? That conforming to meet unrealistic beauty standards is expected?
Body image remains one of the top concerns for teens today.
Research by the University of NSW and Macquarie University found that spending as little as thirty minutes a day on Instagram is enough to prompt a woman to self-objectify, fixate on her weight and appearance, and value her body for its appearance above its health and physical functions.
More recently Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen leaked internal research that showed 30% of teen girls felt Instagram made dissatisfaction with their body worse.
We shouldn’t be surprised when our social media feeds are flooded with advertisements that reinforce a narrow standard of beauty and objectify women.
While we still have a lot of work ahead of us we can take this time to celebrate this collective win and the power of taking action! Hair Tips DIY did not issue a statement, however, we can rest assured the message was received loud and clear - women and girls deserve better than being pressured to look a certain way.
See Also:
Self-objectification is harming our girls
Add your comment