To date, I have never purchased anything that I discovered via an ad on any social media platform. Due to the nature of targeted online marketing I regularly see ads on my personal feeds for things I have already purchased, but I have a strong distrust of what their algorithms propose to me, especially when they are not-so-subtly hinting that I might not like my body as it is. I’m talking about those ads entitled “Loose-fitting tops”, and those teaser videos where a well-rounded model pulls on a stretchy garment that smooths out every bump and makes her two sizes skinnier. I am a tech-savvy person who primarily uses these platforms as business tools and compared to normal people, I spend very little time using them for my own diversion. Because of my uncooperative behaviour, these platforms don’t “like” me very much and I have to jump through hoops to get my content properly viewed.
But then, it happened.
I got sucked in while falling asleep one night, smartphone in hand, scrolling through the day’s postings for the first time in weeks. Before I knew it, I’d clicked on a link to a website selling promising-looking undergarments that claimed they would be the epitome of comfort for my naturally gravity-enhanced body parts, on sale for — get this — only 4 hours, 13 minutes and 23 more seconds at Black Friday slashed prices.
