Shape is the only digital fitness destination and community that offers inclusive, trusted, and empowering expert-led guidance and advice for anyone at any point in their wellness journey who wants to prioritize their health, have fun, and lead an active lifestyle while also cutting through the noise of quick fixes and unvetted fads.
Principles
Providing you with reliable, expert-guided information backed by science is our mission. We offer advice and knowledge from industry pioneers, trusted sources, and individuals who have personal experience in various wellness areas. The aim of our service is to empower you with information, rather than dictating your actions. Thus, while we report on the potential benefits or drawbacks of a specific dietary supplement, cosmetic procedure, or workout regimen, it doesn't necessarily mean it's the right choice for you. We want our content to serve as a roadmap on your wellness journey, guiding you safely and confidently.
We hold a balanced perspective on wellness: valuing both challenging workouts for their ability to fortify your mind, body, and soul, and the essential role of rest and recovery. We advocate for making choices that suit your current needs and circumstances. We trust in the scientific evidence supporting nutrition and its contribution to an active lifestyle. However, we also believe that food should never be associated with guilt—you deserve to enjoy your protein bar and pizza simultaneously. Furthermore, we acknowledge that body positivity, body neutrality, and self-love can coexist with health and fitness aspirations. It's entirely possible—and encouraged—to love your body while striving for improved wellbeing.
Editorial Ethics
The principle of promoting better health underlies the fitness and wellness sectors, a concept universally acknowledged as beneficial. Nonetheless, even the most well-meaning objectives can sometimes lead to adverse consequences. The damaging culture surrounding diets, severe weight loss methods, and instant-result products have all played a part in distorting many people's perceptions of "beauty" and "health". We are committed to ensuring that our content is free from such influences. Still, there may be instances where older articles online don't reflect this ethos despite our regular audits. Please bring it to our attention if you come across any material that doesn't adhere to these standards. Our priority is to establish a secure environment devoid of toxic, provocative, or prejudiced verbiage – both overt and covert. Here are some ways we ensure this:
Fact-Checking
At Shape, we aim to make health and fitness more accessible, engaging, and easy to understand. Even though we tackle complex topics with a lighthearted tone to make them more palatable for our audience, we still place the utmost importance on our research and reporting. Each article we publish undergoes rigorous review from our editors to verify its accuracy and context, ensuring that all facts and figures are up-to-date and accurately reported. We also have a dedicated segment of content that goes through an additional verification process. This is where our professional fact-checkers scrutinize every single sentence, statistic, and factual statement, cross-referencing our articles against peer-reviewed studies and the latest clinical research. In an era where unverified health trends, quick solutions, and misinformation can easily spread online, we recognize the importance of this work.
Writers and Sources
Distinguished in their respective fields, our team of writers encompasses experienced journalists, former editors and industry pioneers. They bring a unique blend of knowledge and acumen to each piece they craft. Regardless of the subject matter — be it an enjoyable beauty tip or an in-depth exploration of a health issue — journalistic integrity and ethics are at the core of every task they undertake. Additionally, our contributors' comprehensive reporting is grounded on Shape’s Writer's Pledge, which compels them to do their utmost to incorporate perspectives from a diverse range of expert sources along with referring to inclusive scientific research or its absence.
At Shape, our aim is to deliver superior human-made content tailored for humans. It is against our policy to publish content automatically generated by AI (Artificial Intelligence) writing instruments such as ChatGPT.
Corrections and Content Quality Updates
We take pride in the accuracy of our reporting, especially during a time when misinformation online — particularly harmful inaccuracies regarding health — can easily spread. However, science can evolve and information can change. We make efforts to regularly review and update content to ensure it’s reflective of the most up-to-date research, understanding, and language, but if you notice an error, please send suggested corrections to [email protected].
Diversity and Inclusion
At Shape, we firmly endorse "wellness for all." Our aspiration is that every reader recognizes themselves within our stories and pages. We acknowledge that "health" and "wellbeing" are not universally defined and can be interpreted differently by everyone. Factors such as accessibility to health services and nutritious food, cultural practices, individual physical and mental health histories, and prejudice and discrimination can mold one's perception of health. We comprehend the weight of our brand's influence, hence taking our commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and allyship seriously, because we trust in this reach's potential to foster a more encompassing wellness environment. In light of this, we have made specific pledges towards Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Allyship, which you can read in full here. Further, we collaborate with Dotdash Meredith’s internal Anti-bias Review Board, who scrutinize content for biases and offer feedback. Shape is also currently forming an expert review board composed of industry leaders. This board will not only validate content for accuracy and completeness but will also monitor sensitivities like mental health stigma, disability, accessibility considerations, and historical and cultural contexts.
Product Reviews
Our product evaluations, whether they are related to examining the finest protein supplements, trialing cordless earphones, or stress-testing athletic footwear, are firmly established in the proficiency of our scrutinizing team, editorial staff, and advisory board contributors. Although we do earn a commission on certain items bought via our content - and we consistently maintain transparency about such potential earnings on every applicable story - all our recommendations are strictly editorial, hinging on comprehensive research, expert advice, and first-hand experience. Brands or PR companies sending products for consideration never influence this; our views and opinions are exclusively ours. When it comes to investing in your wellness, which often means allocating your hard-earned money, our aim is to equip you with impartial knowledge so that you can make well-informed purchasing decisions. You can familiarize yourself further with our guidelines and procedures pertaining to product recommendations here.