Facebook Promotes Violence And Death But Rejects Ad For Healthy Living

I recently tried to place an ad on Facebook for my No Pink Dumbbells Fitness Boot Camp. It was rejected with this explanation...

Images that are overly explicit or provocative, or that reveal too much skin, are not permitted. Images that may either degrade or idealize any health condition or body type are also not allowed.

You read that right. The company that promotes a game called "Mafia Wars", where the object is to fight, steal, kill, and grow your criminal empire objects to my ad promoting fitness. Of course, if more people were out being active, they'd have less time to spend sitting on their butts posting on Facebook or playing Farmville or Mafia Wars.

This is the photo I used in the rejected ad.  ====>

Let me just acknowledge that Facebook has every right to refuse to publish ads for any idiotic reason they choose but I have every right to take to my blog and point out how stupid their policy is.

Because they didn't specify, I don't know if my sin was showing too much skin or idealizing a health condition. Either one is ridiculous.

Unless Facebook thinks we're in a time warp and wants to reinstate the Barbara Eden / No Belly Buttons! rule, how is that photo showing "too much skin?"  If Facebook has a problem with navels they need to take it up with Cher; she pretty much single handedly destroyed the belly button ban back in the early 70's.

Seriously, you can see as much or more skin in any underwear ad in your Sunday newspaper and definitely more skin on any public beach.

I do plead guilty to "idealizing any health condition."

I believe that health is preferable to illness. I believe that a strong body is preferable to a weak one. I believe (and research backs me up) that being physically active improves your mental, emotional and physical health in tons of ways and is preferable to being inactive. I believe that having the energy and the fitness level to be able to enjoy a variety of activities as I age is preferable to slouching in front of the TV or sitting on the sidelines.

Our country is drowning in health care costs. Much of those costs come from conditions that are preventable with good nutrition, not smoking and regular exercise. In fact, the top 5 preventable causes of death in this country are...

• Smoking 
• High blood pressure
• Overweight / obesity
• Inadequate physical activity / Inactivity 
• High blood sugar 

All of them can be eliminated or improved through a healthy lifestyle. By trying to pretend that all health is equal, Facebook does its users a disservice and while it prohibits me from "idealizing any health condition", people are dying.

But at least they won't get their feelings hurt by seeing the fit midsection of a faceless women.