Pinterest officially introduces its 'body type' range tool in the US

Pinterest has made an announcement that users in the United States can now officially use its tool for filtering searches by various body shapes. The feature was first tested by the platform last year, and it's presently being tested in Canada.

Pinterest's search landing page now showcases companies that are inclusive of all sizes, such as Eloquii, Ganni, Mara Hoffman, Osei Duro, Gia / Irl, and more, as part of the launch.

Body type ranges are part of a broader effort to develop AI-powered technology that is additive rather than addictive. The tool is powered by Pinterest’s patent-pending innovation, body type technology, which uses shape, size and form to identify various body types in over 3.5 billion images on the platform.

The feature allows visitors to see four different body types at the top of the results page by typing into the search field and selecting the "Body Types" option. The body type choice may be kept to the user's device if they choose the same option repeatedly.

Currently, Pinterest's body type ranges feature is limited to wedding and women's fashion inspiration. "Pinterest is a visual discovery platform and we want users to be able to see themselves reflected in their search results," said Sabrina Ellis, Chief Product Officer at Pinterest. "That’s why we are leveraging AI to bring greater inclusion to our product design. Body type ranges increase representation on the platform and give Pinterest users more intentional choice and control over what they see on Pinterest. We have already seen that people who use body type ranges had a 66% higher engagement rate per session on Pinterest than those who haven’t used the tool."

Later this year, the company claims it intends to expand into men's apparel.

Pinterest's patent-pending computer vision technology powers the tool. It was introduced last year and leverages form, size, and shape to recognize different body types in over 3.5 billion photographs on the platform. To make more users feel represented on the site, the platform also offers other inclusive features, such as skin tone ranges and hairstyles.