Prominent Seattle woman says Facebook banned her weight loss photo

by Coleen Singer at Sssh.com

SEATTLE — The wife of former Washington State Attorney General Rob McKenna says Facebook won’t allow her to post a photo of her dramatic weight loss because it promotes an “idealized body image.”

Marilyn McKenna, who says she lost 120 pounds more than six years ago, now dedicates much of her life to speaking and writing about heath. She’s in the process of writing a book about weight loss and has her own Facebook fan page that promotes healthy eating and exercise.

Read on…

McKenna said she was recently cleaning out her closet when she found a pair of her “fat pants,” which she saved as a reminder of her heavier days.

“I said, ‘Rob, take a picture,'” she said. “So I got into one side of the pants, because I can fit in one side now, and we got a good laugh out of it and it was kind of funny.”

Thinking the photo was funny and inspirational for others trying to lose weight, McKenna posted the picture on her Facebook page. On Thursday morning, she said Facebook removed the photo.

“They sent me an email back when I inquired, saying ‘This kind of image isn’t allowed,'” she said. “I think they said it promotes an idealized body image, and they’re trying to discourage that type of thing.”

McKenna said Facebook officials told her users aren’t allowed to post before-and-after photos or anything with a scale or a tape measure.

“I’m certainly not about idealizing any kind of body image,” she said. “I write about weight loss. I write about healthy eating and healthy lifestyles.”

One of McKenna’s Facebook followers sumed it up nicely, post:

Hi Marilyn,

Want to congratulate you on your amazing weight loss. Success like yours is not easily obtained, requires tons of dedication and commitment to yourself. I’m currently on my own weight & health journey, changing my old habits has been one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. I also call bullshit on Facebook’s decision regarding your photo. I believe it to be inspiring and hope more people will see the transformation you have made. I’d like to thank my local news station WTVM News Leader 9 for sharing your story.

Facebook pretty quickly came up with a better excuse than the “idealized body image” statement, saying the photo was rejected because McKenna was attempting to “boost” the post, which is a paid service offered by Facebook to bring the post to a larger audience. Because it’s a paid service, Facebook considers boosted posts to be advertisements.

If that didn’t set off your bullshit alert, nothing will!