What is Pinterest’s ‘Body Type’ feature?
In March 2024, Pinterest rolled out a new ‘body type’ feature allowing users to search for fashion that matches their body type.
Historically, users would need to include their body type in their search. For example, I searched for ‘cottagecore outfits midsize.”
Why do we need a ‘body type’ feature?
Some great examples matched my query, but within two scrolls I was served pins and promoted pins that didn’t match my query. Not only that, but when I scrolled a little bit farther, the pins in my feed were all petite. Something like this can lead to a bad user experience and contradicts Pinterest’s goal of creating a body-positive space.
Bloomingdales isn’t known for size inclusivity and this ad does not help
Cute but not for me
Search results can be negatively impacted by the terminology used. For example, I’m a size 14, and many of my search queries in the past included the phrase ‘plus size.’ For the most part, the results didn’t seem to match what I was looking for.
To circumvent this issue, Pinterest’s ‘body type’ feature uses images of various examples of body types for a user to select.
How do I use Pinterest’s ‘body type’ feature?
Once you’re logged into Pinterest, click the search bar and search for something that is apparel / fashion-related. For me, I chose Cottagecore fashion. Click the button under the search bar that says ‘body types’ and a pop up of different body types appears. Once you select the body type group, your results should fit within that shape category.
I love how each group is made up of a variety of different shapes, races, and skin colors. However, I will say this screen does remind me of Stila's color-correcting primer.
This is pretty representative of my shape and fashion aesthetics (which heavily contrasts my nerdy gremlin personality)
Current Limitations
Listen, I love the direction this is going in but it does need some work. First of all, Pinterest only showed a small amount of pins that fit the body type selected. By the second scroll, it gave me the option of selecting by season. I thought this would be a layered interest (body type + season) but selecting spring just created a new search for ‘cottagecore fashion spring’ without the body type layered in.
Woah, two ads in one shot and neither of them are relevant to me
The final limitation is that this option is only available on the Pinterest app for United States and Canada users.
How does this benefit social media marketers (in e-commerce fashion)?
Even though there are limitations on selecting body type, this update can already benefit fashion advertisers.
How it benefits advertisers now
Since Pinterest added a body type variable in search, body type is important to users. With that in mind, fashion brands should include body types in their product descriptions.
Let’s say you’re a fashion brand that offers petite sizes along with regular fit apparel. If you add petite in your product descriptions, Pinterest users searching for petite fashion can see a product feed of your petite products.
You can also apply this same knowledge for carousel, video, and static promoted pins as well. Pinterest ads allow you to target based on keywords. Let’s say you have assets that showcase plus-size models and apparel. You can create a specific ad group that targets those who are actively searching for plus-size fashion. 
This is just an example of different body-shape keywords available in-platform. I do not recommend adding them all into the same ad group because it takes away from the personalized experience.
By creating a more custom experience for your target audience, it can help increase brand awareness of your product offerings and attract new customers into your sales funnel.
Final Thoughts
I really do love that Pinterest continues to make its platform a safe and positive space on the internet. If you haven’t been using Pinterest in your media mix, you’re missing out. All the good vibes and positive associations can positively impact your brand, and Pinterest's targeting capabilities are one of the more extensive in the digital space.
If you would like to know more about Pinterest ads and how it can work for you, contact us and/or read more on our blog.
