Jameela Jamil celebrates on Twitter as diet tea company hit with $1m fine and Cardi B reprimanded

'(Flicks hair)'
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Megan C. Hills13 March 2020

Activist Jameela Jamil is celebrating on Twitter today after a ‘detox tea’ company was fined $1 million for failing to disclose sponsored ads and making misleading claims.

The company, Teami, was hit with the fine by the Federal Trade Commission and has previously worked with the likes of Cardi B and Alexa Vega - both of whom were sent formal warnings by the FTC.

Jamil retweeted a report by blog The Fashion Law about the news on Twitter, captioning it, “I f**king TOLD Ya. (Flicks hair).”

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Jamil, who became famous for her blistering attacks on the appetite suppressant and weight loss industry last year, has actually previously criticised influencers that have worked with Teami.

She actually shared Cardi B’s Teami post when it first went up in 2018, writing, “They got Cardi B on the laxative nonsense “detox” tea. GOD I hope all these celebrities all shit their pants in public, the way the poor women who buy this nonsense upon their recommendation do. Not that they actually take this s**t. They just flog it because they need MORE MONEY.”

After Cardi B responded to her, saying that she would “never s**t my pants cause there’s public bathrooms everywhere”, Jamil told her, “Regarding her response: she will never s**t her pants, not because of bushes, but because she probably doesn’t ever take the products she promotes... during her promotional video she keeps looking at the name of the product on the cup... almost as if she’s never seen it…”

Cardi B in her famous dress at the 2020 Grammys
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Teami Tea, whose products claim to have weight loss, detoxing and antibacterial properties, agreed to a $1 million settlement with the FTC last week. This came after it was initially set at $15.2 million (the amount the company made off the products) but was changed due to an “inability to pay” according to Law.com.

The FTC goes into the case in more detail on its website, discussing claims made specifically about one of its products (the Teami 30 Day Detox Pack) which claimed to ‘help consumers lose weight, and that its other teas fight cancer, clear clogged arteries, decrease migraines, treat and prevent flus, and treat colds.’ The FTC alleged that they were made ‘without reliable scientific evidence.’

Cardi B
AP

In addition to this, a number of Teami’s sponsored partners were hit with a “warning to prominently disclose paid endorsements” - which included a screenshot of their post - and told influencers that they could be “subject to legal enforcement action by the FTC.”

Additionally, it told the influencers in question to “provide a written response to this letter...describing what actions you are or will be taking to ensure…[you] conspicuously disclose your relationships.”

In the letter specifically addressed to Cardi B, the FTC wrote, “You were paid by Teami, LLC (“Teami”) to create this post. In a federal court complaint filed today, the Federal Trade Commission alleged that the post was deceptive because it lacked a clear disclosure that you were paid to promote Teami products.”

Matt Sayles/Invision/AP

It also included guidelines set out by the FTC regarding paid sponsorships, which have become increasingly strict in recent years (and especially following controversies such as Fyre Festival).

These for example include making sure that a sponsored disclosure is “clear and conspicuous - meaning that it can be seen above the Read More button and makes it completely clear that the post is a paid-for one.

In the case of Cardi B, who shared a video, they also warned her to explicitly disclose sponsorships in her videos moving forwards - saying, “Because the video could be viewed without anyone seeing a disclosure, you should disclose any material connection in the video itself, and not just the text portion of your post.”

Other influencers to work with Teami, including Kylie Jenner, did not appear to receive a letter.

Andrew Smith, the director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, said, “Social media is full of people peddling so-called detox teas, promising weight loss. Companies need to back up health claims with credible science and ensure influencers prominently disclose that they’re getting paid to promote a product.”

Jamil has previously been instrumental in encouraging social media platforms to crack down on the promotion of diet products and cosmetic surgery, which led to both Instagram and its parent company Facebook putting age restrictions on the content.

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