JAKARTA - Pinterest Inc. introduced a feature that allows people who are looking for a specific hairstyle. This search allows users to filter results based on six hair patterns: curly, curly, wavy, straight and shaved or bald.
This new feature is an attempt to make Pinterest's image-sharing platform more inclusive by making it easier for people of color to find relevant styles. This feature will be available in the US, Canada, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, and the UK, to begin with.
Inclusive features like these can also help social platforms like Pinterest potentially attract a more diverse user base.
“The new filter, which took about eight months to develop, is part of an ongoing process,” said Annie Ta, head of inclusive products at Pinterest.
“We have an opportunity and a responsibility to increase online representation and ensure that people from all communities no matter who they are, or how they identify, can find inspiration for themselves on Pinterest,” said Ta.
"Our goal is to continue to build on this and ensure that we build an inclusive product in everything we do," he added.
This new feature was created using computer vision technology and by team members working on Pinterest's inclusive beauty search results product, which allows users to perform searches on beauty filtering results by skin tone. The feature was first released in the US in 2018.
The social media company has also invested resources and added tools to make their platform more inclusive, amid longstanding concerns with online hate content and calls for companies to help fight racial injustice.
Pinterest has a reputation for being a relatively safe place for users, but last April they launched a request asking influencers to post good content, stick to factual information and inclusion practices, among other commitments.
In July, the social media company banned ads that mentioned weight loss language and images, body mass index, and testimonials about weight loss.
Companies like Pinterest, Microsoft Corp.'s LinkedIn. and Facebook Inc. has also used reminders to users to be positive before they add comments, a technique known as nudging, among other steps.
Pinterest last month reported 91 million average monthly users in the US for the second quarter, down 5% from a year earlier, citing the "engagement barrier" of people spending less time at home than they did at the start of the coronavirus pandemic. Globally, Pinterest reports 454 million monthly active users, a 9% increase from the previous year.
The hair pattern filter will initially work on common hair searches, such as "summer hairstyles", "glamorous hair" and "short hair", but the company plans to explore other ways it can be used across platforms.
Pinterest's skin tone search results filter has evolved since its introduction, the company said, citing a new feature in January 2020 that lets augmented-reality lipstick users try out other lip colors on the skin tone they identify.
Pinterest selected the six available filters in collaboration with Naeemah LaFond, editorial hairstylist and global artistic director of hair care brand Amika, owned by Heat Makes Sense Inc., and other experts and researchers.
This feature means people of color can spend less time weeding through search results to find a style that suits them, says Ms. LaFond.
"This new tool clearly marks a much-needed milestone for racial equality in coding," said Ms. LaFond.
Providing granular search filters for hair and skin tone is a step in the right direction, said Shannae Ingleton Smith, head of influencer business and talent development at Kensington Gray Agency Inc., an influencer agency.
"It just shows that they're thinking about you—that you're not just an afterthought, that you're actually forward-thinking and you're part of the decision-making process," says Ingleton Smith.
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