Tampa, Fla. – The Obesity Action Coalition (OAC) applauds Instagram and Tumblr for banning the recently created “Project Harpoon” (also known as “Thinner Beauty”) accounts. “The OAC was very excited to learn of the swift action among social media leaders in their removal of ‘Project Harpoon’ accounts. ‘Project Harpoon’ is a clear example of the reality of fat-shaming in today’s society, and it must absolutely stop,” said Joe Nadglowski, OAC President and CEO.
According to the leader of the group, the mission of “Project Harpoon” is to “promote thinner beauty” and “skinny acceptance.” To date, the group’s main focus seems to be taking pictures of women and editing the photos to display what the women would look like if they were “thinner.”
Social media giants Instagram and Tumblr have banned “Project Harpoon” pages due to site policy violations; however, the remaining outlets for the campaign at this point seem to be Facebook and Twitter. The OAC is calling on its more than 50,000 members nationwide to contact Facebook and Twitter and advocate for the immediate removal of all “Project Harpoon” pages.
“It is our hope that Facebook and Twitter follow suit and remove all ‘Project Harpoon’ and ‘Thinner Beauty’ pages. These types of fat-shaming tactics are extremely harmful toward individuals affected by the disease of obesity. They have the potential to harm someone on many levels, such as emotional, mental and physical. I stand with all OAC members in asking for the immediate removal of these pointless pages,” said Ted Kyle, RPh, MBA, OAC Chairman.
The OAC maintains a strong stance on weight bias (fat-shaming) in that “Individuals affected by obesity frequently struggle with not only the health and physical consequences of their disease but also with workplace and other social consequences. Discrimination against individuals affected by obesity occurs in schools, workplaces, doctors’ offices and more. No person should be discriminated against based on their size or weight.”
“The OAC recently launched a new movement, ‘Ban the F Word,’ that focuses on eradicating fat-shaming and weight bias. To date, the movement has had many successes, and we look forward to another one with Facebook and Twitter’s help,” said Joe Nadglowski.
The Obesity Action Coalition (OAC), a more than 50,000 member-strong National nonprofit organization, is dedicated to improving the lives of individuals affected by the disease of obesity through education, advocacy and support.