Hair, Blood and the Nipple 
Instagram Censorship and the Female Body
Gretchen Faust
introDuCtion 
Everybody has the possibility of becoming a content creator within the realm of 
social media, allowing for limitless cultural creation. Social media is an open 
forum permitting anyone to be heard. Content creation provides networked 
individuals opportunities to reach wider audiences, creating an online 
community and capacity to broaden discussion. Shared media contributes to 
expanding knowledge and generates infinite ways of being.
However, these ideals are not echoed by the application of content control 
in social media venues. Facebook, Instagram and Twitter are well-known social 
media outlets that focus on networking, sharing images, and brief words of 
thought. Despite the magnitude of variety in the realm of the internet, social 
media exercises different degrees of censorship to control the portrayal of male 
and female identified bodies.  This paper is going to explore the censorship of 
female identified artist’s bodies on the social media platform Instagram1.   
me thoDology  
This study is navigated with feminist qualitative methods that focus on the 
subject’s experience within their self-imaging practice. The exploration is 
reflective in a sense, as I identify myself as a feminist artist who deals with 
the issue of the body. However, I do not share my work on the social media 
1 | The illustrated images were hand drawn by the author to provide an idea of the 
sources referenced in the essay while respecting the ownership of those who are 
featured in regards to copyright despite the well circulated nature of the Instagram 
photos.
160 Gretchen Faust
platform. Identifying myself as female may have given me more access to 
sharing similar experiences as my subjects. 
My research was based on “following” two female artists (Petra Collins 
and Rupi Kaur) on their Instagram accounts as well as the #FreetheNipple 
movement. Additionally, I interviewed a female artist, Scar, on the topic of her 
experience as a female identifying artist who posts work on Instagram, and its 
issues of censorship. Scar runs an Instagram account2 that is solely dedicated to 
posting on “menstrual experience”; posting submissions of art, photographs, 
comics, poems, etc. to the feed since March 2015. Unlike Petra Collins or Rupi 
Kaur, none of Scar’s postings have been removed or banned despite similarities 
in content. This may be because of the difference in the amount of followers—
possibly the lower volume of traffic onto their feed may protect their visibility 
from the Instagram moderation team.
What is particular to the art that has been shared on Instagram is that it is 
a “self-imaging practice,” where the artist is both object and the subject at the 
same time. This is a challenge towards the conceived social order of image 
production and consumption in our general visual culture.  A “self imaging 
practice” of a female identified artist questions the stereotypical role of image 
production that is controlled through a patriarchal lens. This study is important 
in today’s image-centered society because, while the feminist movement has 
improved the progression towards social equality, there is still a particular ideal 
and image exerted over a woman’s body.
insta-What ?  
In simple terms, Instagram is an online, mobile, photo-sharing, video-sharing 
and social networking service. It enables its users to take pictures and videos 
and simultaneously share them on a variety of social networking platforms 
such as Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and Flickr. Instagram is an interactive way to 
share your life with friends through a series of pictures.  Instagram allows one 
to experience moments in your friends’ lives through pictures as they happen, 
proclaiming the hope of “a world more connected through photos.3” 
The declared goal of Instagram’s service presents the possibility of sharing 
diverse ways of being and experiences, however their terms of service present 
boundaries that readily contest their mission. Instagram’s main concern is to 
have users post photos and videos that are appropriate for a diverse audience. 
The detailed explanation given in their “terms of use” states, “for a variety of 
2 | Scar, Instagram user: x xgirlflu, has over 797 followers.
3 | Instagram’s “Community Guidelines,” April 2015. Accessed: May 24, 2016. https://
help.instagram.com/477434105621119/
Hair, Blood and the Nipple 161
reasons, we don’t allow nudity on Instagram. This includes photos, videos, and 
some digitally-created content that show sexual intercourse, genitals, and close-
ups of fully-nude buttocks.” This censorship also extends to some photos of 
female-identified nipples, but photos of post-mastectomy scarring and women 
actively breastfeeding are allowed. Nudity in photos of paintings and sculptures 
is acceptable.
Image 1
(Left) Illustration of Dan Bilzerian’s Instagram, Bilzerian is known as the “King 
of Instagram.” (Right) Illustration of a well known “selfie” from Kim Kardashian’s 
Instagram feed. Kardashian is within the top ten Instagram most followed users—
only second to Instagram itself. Illustration by author. 
Social media’s definition of what constitutes “nudity” and what is permissible 
regarding the female nipple is constantly contested. There is the common idea 
that if you wouldn’t show the photo or video you are thinking about uploading 
to a child, or your boss, or your parents, you probably shouldn’t share it on 
Instagram (Raiss 2015). As with the rest of Instagram’s “Community Guidelines,” 
the familiar tone of this cautionary statement contradicts the manner of 
enforcement. A photo that violates the ban on “nudity or mature content” will 
be taken down, the user will be served with either a perfunctory warning or a 
suspension of their account and content; in some cases the person’s account 
will be terminated.  
Similar to Facebook, Instagram doesn’t get into the messy business of 
distinguishing between pornography and art. Their blanket ban on so-called 
“mature content” and the inconsistency of enforcement has users struggling 
to wade their way through ill-defined concepts relating to the morality around 
photo sharing. Male nipples and the thong-clad asses that populate the famed 
“Instagram King” Dan Bilzerian’s feed4, together with posts of Kim Kardashian 
4 | Dan Bilzerian is an American professional poker player, actor and internet social 
media celebrity with over 16.4 million followers. Bilzerian commonly posts photos of 
women, guns and trips to Vegas.
162 Gretchen Faust
West’s5 bottom are allowed to stay. While female nipples and bare buttocks that 
don’t belong to Kim Kardashian are asked to leave the platform (Raiss 2015). 
Representations made by Instagram often state that they try to find a balance 
between allowing people to express themselves creatively whilst retaining 
policies that maintain a “comfortable experience for our global and culturally 
diverse community”. However, this line of what is acceptable is always in flux, 
with constant revisions and what Instagram often refers to as mistakes. The 
platform is well aware of this inconsistency in their policies, and honestly states 
“we recognize that we don’t always get it right” (Vagianos 2015). 
what starteD this rumble? Pe tr a Collins anD the 
visible, imPermissible hair  
On the outskirts of the celebrity-driven Instagram feeds, there have been a few 
social personalities that have brought attention to what is permissible and what 
is inacceptable on the social media feed. What makes the cut and what does not 
in the social feed, is a mirror of what our plugged-in culture promotes within 
its values.
Petra Collins is a portraiture photographer, fashion photographer and 
fashion designer from Toronto, Canada6. Her work addresses “what is hidden 
from our culture”. Common themes in her work surround what is natural to a 
post-pubescent body, the menstrual cycle of young women and masturbation. 
She sparked an internet discussion after designing a t-shirt for American 
Apparel that featured a line drawing of a vagina bleeding. 
Her rise as a social media sensation began in March 2013, when Collins’ 
Instagram account was deleted for a photograph of herself that showed her 
own pubic hair emerging from bikini bottoms. Collins claims the account 
deletion was unfounded because it did not break any of Instagram’s terms 
and conditions.  When asked about her intention with her work, “I guess I 
was trying to combat feelings of the male gaze through my images. I wanted 
to create images that represented my own  sexuality, not a sexuality that was 
dictated by someone else–like, ‘How do I make this  mine?’” (Collins, 2013). 
Collins openly wrote about her experience of Instagram taking down her photo 
stating: “What I did have was an image of MY body that didn’t meet society’s 
standard of ‘femininity’” (ibid.).
5 | Kim Kardashian West is an American television and social media personality, 
socialite, and model. She has over 65.4 million followers on Instagram. Kardashian 
released a book called Selfies in May 2015 that contained over 445 photos of her 
chronological “selfie” photographs.
6 | Petra Collins has 300,000 followers on her Instagram account.
Hair, Blood and the Nipple 163
Image 2 
Illustration of the image Petra Collins had posted on her Instagram in March 2013 
and was subsequently removed and later allowed on the social platform. Illustration 
by author.  
It is perplexing that such an image, apparently so harmless and familiar, could 
be banned alongside accepted imagery posted by celebrities that promote an 
aggressive sexuality and gender. This situation is salient in illustrating the 
capacity for society to be shocked and appalled by what is otherwise “natural” 
amidst a proliferation of sexually violent or disgustingly derogatory images that 
regularly populate our media as a whole. It highlights the hypocrisy at play; 
Instagram’s community standards deem someone’s body in a more “natural” 
state to be unacceptable. 
Responding to the inescapable reach of social media, Collins offers images 
of unflinching honesty, exploring the aspects of privacy and publicity of 
growing up as a woman at a moment when female bodies are ubiquitously 
hyper-mediated by Photoshop and social media. Collins writes, “I’m used to 
being told by society that I must regulate my body to fit the norm.” The point 
that makes Collin’s essay on censorship and social media significant is the idea 
that the internet is an outlet from real life and if an image or concept is banned 
in this apparently limitless realm, then how can other ways of being manifest 
in our real time experience? If particular imagery of bodies are silenced or 
censored in a place of boundless possibility, then is there any place to be free?
164 Gretchen Faust
ruPi k aur anD ‘le aking PatriarChy’−what tyPe of blooD 
is toler ateD?
When Rupi Kaur7 decided to make the taboo around menstruation the theme 
of her university photography project, she wasn’t expecting to become the focus 
within Instagram’s continuous censorship war. The Canadian poet and artist 
uploaded an image from her photographic series onto Instagram in March 2015, 
depicting her fully clothed but with a spot of blood between her legs and on the 
sheets. Instagram removed it—twice—claiming that her photo violated their 
terms of service. 
Kaur decided to convey menstruation to demystify the cultural stigmas 
that surround it. She developed the series of work with her sister Prabh over 
a weekend. After the photo series was created Kaur decided to share it online; 
this action formed a component of the project, tracking how different medias 
embraced or rejected the material (Tsjeng 2015). Before the image was taken 
down by the Instagram team, her page was swarmed by internet trolls8, leaving 
comments like “come over here and let me make your vagina bleed” and “fuck 
your feminism”. Instagram deleted the picture less than 24 hours after it was 
posted. Kaur stated that Instagram did not give her any reason, nor did they 
contact her before the removal of her image. 
The response to, and subsequent censorship of, the photo series amplified 
Kaur’s motive behind her work. Kaur discussed that “it wasn’t just a project 
for my school course anymore, it felt like a personal attack on my humanity” 
(Tsjeng 2015).  Kaur did not complain directly to Instagram, but instead posted 
the photo again with the hope of informing her audience of the nature of the 
censorship happening on Instagram.  Kaur repeated the post of the image that 
same night it had been removed; again it was removed the following morning 
(Tsjeng 2015).  
Interestingly enough, Instagram only claims to prohibit images that are 
“violent, nude, partially nude, discriminatory, unlawful, infringing, hateful, 
pornographic or sexually suggestive”. Within this list there is no mention of 
menstrual blood. Nonetheless, Kaur’s image of a blood spot was removed twice. 
Kaur moved her image to Facebook to discuss the censorship on Instagram. In 
her Facebook post, Kaur discussed that she is aware that some communities 
and cultures go out of their way to shun and oppress a woman for the duration 
of her period. In a Facebook post, she wrote, “Instagram is another one of them. 
Their patriarchy is leaking. Their misogyny is leaking. We will not be censored.” 
7 | Rupi Kaur has 387,000 Instagram followers.
8 | An internet troll is someone online who posts comments with the deliberate intent 
of provoking readers into an emotional response. Comments may be inflammatory, off 
topic, or harassing.
Hair, Blood and the Nipple 165
The post immediately went viral—it was shared 6,339 times and liked by more 
than 36,000 people.  Kaur’s photo had suddenly reappeared on her Instagram 
page within the next morning.  
Image 3 
Rupi Kaur’s image that was removed twice from her Instagram feed, first posted 
in March 2015. Illustration by author.  
It is important to keep in mind that Kaur’s image was censored on a platform 
where revealing imagery is persistent. The natural cycle and monthly experience 
of the women is not tolerable to be seen; as Kaur puts it “It is okay to sell what’s 
between a woman’s legs, more than it is okay to mention its inner workings.” 
Kaur is still surprised the image was as controversial as it ended up being, 
stating, “I never thought it was such a big deal, it’s just a red spot.”
166 Gretchen Faust
but whose niPPle makes the Cut? #FReetheNipple   
Image 4
Images taken from Freethenipple’s Instagram feed https://www.instagram.com/
freethenipple/. Illustration by author.  
Standards of acceptance of nudity between genders are far from equal in most 
cultures. This can be seen in the casual example of a bathing suit: how many 
women are obliged to cover their chest area, while it is cultural accepted for a 
male identifying person to be bare-chested. Female bodies are still subject to 
intense scrutiny and censorship when it comes to nipples—a form of disapproval 
to which, unfairly, men are not subject. Women are regularly expelled from 
Instagram for posting photos with any portion of the areola exposed, while 
photos sans nipple—degrading as they might be—remain unchallenged. 
The #FreetheNipple movement was sparked by various Instagram users, 
however celebrity Scout Willis was able to use her public leverage to bring more 
light to the matter. Willis used her body to campaign against gender inequality 
and the double standard of censoring women more than men. During summer 
2014, Willis walked around the streets of New York City topless to protest 
against Instagram’s rules on nudity. She did this to point out “that what is legal 
by New York state law is not allowed on Instagram.” (Willis, 2014) 
Willis has been criticized for relating the visibility of nipples with equality, 
however to her, “nipples seem to be at the very heart of the issue.” Willis 
highlighted the historic point in 1930s American society when men’s nipples 
were just as provocative and shameful as the nipples of women are now.  Willis 
recounts the public action taken in 1935 where a flash mob of topless men 
descended upon Atlantic City in New York City, 42 of whom were arrested. 
Men fought and they were heard, so changing not only the law but also social 
consciousness. By 1936, male bare chests were accepted as the norm in New 
Hair, Blood and the Nipple 167
York City.  Unfortunately, the divide still stands and it wasn’t until 1992 that 
women were allowed to be topless in public in New York City (Ridge 2013).
However, one thing to keep in mind while scrolling through #freethenipple 
is that many of the postings share some common features: a lot of the people 
posting are white, thin and able-bodied. Many are conventionally attractive and 
most of those posting are young. For a campaign that is asking for equality 
and visibility, it brings to question the nature of exactly what is allowed to be 
celebrated. The movement claims to work  against sexual objectification and 
censorship—something that arguably  affects all women at some point in 
their lives—however the lack of diversity within its hashtag community only 
perpetuates what the movement is working against.
Image 5 
Scout Willis’ action in New York City, posted on Twitter during Summer 2014 that 
sparked publicity on Instagram’s nipple ban. Illustration by author.  
ConCluDing thoughts
As  Jessica Valenti  (2015) from The Guardian points out, “the very nature of 
social media has made it easier for women to present a more diverse set of 
images on what the female form can look like.” However, the continuous act of 
concealing something by removing the image from public view makes it seem 
that the posted matter is illicit. 
Upon following the issues of hair, blood and nipple in different social 
situations, it becomes apparent that aspects of internet culture bear an 
unhealthy disconnect between bodies and personal identities.  It is interesting 
168 Gretchen Faust
that an image of a nipple is more offensive than the violent imagery that is 
posted throughout the internet. I am still left questioning why features of basic 
physiology are more threatening than firearms.  Kaur’s photographs and her 
act of sharing them on social media makes the blatant point that society is 
uncomfortable with women menstruating but is  comfortable with women 
being objectified.
While imagery that does not fit the mold has been flagged on social media, 
it is the use of social media that has made it possible to bring attention to 
such censorship. Digital connectivity provides women with a very public way 
to assert their identities, build a supportive private or public community, 
and in some ways liberate their bodies from injustice or oppressive societal 
norms (Ruiz 2015). The censorship of the hair, blood and nipple shed light on 
a still murky facet of the vast social media universe. Imagery is censored by 
a geographically dispersed group of photo moderators who work 24/7 on the 
moderation of Instagram’s social platform. The moderators are not robots; they 
are human beings. Their cultural differences may mean that a certain photo is 
either banned, accepted, flagged for moderation, or approved in different global 
contexts. A set of corporate guidelines can prove insufficient for a network of 
photo moderators with their own preferences and biases (Shapiro 2012).
This type of gendered moderation or harassment has severe implications for 
women’s status on the internet, as it is a reflection of the inequality that exists 
in our physical world. I recognize that I may have bias in my methods with this 
paper, but I believe that the photographs speak for themselves in actualizing 
the content that is allowed or not allowed on Instagram.
referenCes
Bernard, Katherine (2013): “The Power of Instagram: Petra Collins and 
Kim Kardashian in the Age of the Selfie”. In: Vogue. http://www.vogue.
com/872835/the-power-of-instagram-petra-collins-and-kim-kardashian-in-
the-age-of-the-selfie/
Bourdet, Kelly (2015): “Women With Body Hair: 16 NSFW Photos Of The Real 
Deal”. In: Refinery 29. http://www.refinery29.com/body-hair-pictures#slide
Cliff, Aimee (2015): “Why Is Pop Still So Scared Of The Vagina?” In: The Fader. 
http://www.thefader.com/2015/03/30/why-is-pop-still-so-scared-of-the-va 
gina
Collins, Petra (2013): “Why Instagram Censored my Body”. In: Huffington Post. 
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/petra-collins/why-instagram-censored-
my-body_b_4118416.html  
Hair, Blood and the Nipple 169
De Cicco, Gabriela (2013) “Women In Arts: Activism And Censorship”. In: 
Association for Women’s Rights in Development. http://www.awid.org/
News-Analysis/Friday-Files/Women-in-Arts-Activism-and-Censorship 
Greenhouse, Emily (2015): “Facebook Can’t Tell the Difference Between Art 
and Porn”. In: Bloomberg Politics. http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/ar 
ticles/2015-03-12/facebook-can-t-tell-the-difference-between-art-and-porn
Harrity, Christopher (2015) “Why Does Facebook Censor Gay Images?”. http://
www.advocate.com/politics/media/2015/01/30/why-does-facebook-censor-
gay-images 
Hass, Amanda (2014): “Why Women Aren’t Welcome on the Internet”. In: 
Pacific Standard. http://www.psmag.com/health-and-behavior/women-are 
nt-welcome-internet-72170
Heins, Marjorie (2014): “The Brave New World of Social Media Censorship”. In: 
Harvard Law Review. http://harvardlawreview.org/2014/06/the-brave-new-
world-of-social-media-censorship/
Hill, Milli (2014): “By removing photos of childbirth, Facebook is censoring 
powerful female images” In: The Guardian. http://www.theguardian.com/
commentisfree/2014/oct/22/facebook-removing-childbirth-female-images   
Kinsella, Felicity ( 2015): “Why We Need to Stand Up to Social Medias Outdated 
Rules on Censorship”. In: i-d magazine. https://i-d.vice.com/en_gb/article/
why-we-need-to-stand-up-to-social-medias-outdated-rules-on-censorship
Mayfield, Kerrita (2015): “Challenging the Ideal Female Form”. In: Pacific Standard. 
http://www.psmag.com/books-and-culture/challenging-the-ideal-fe 
male-form
O’Neil, Lauren (2014): “#FreeTheNipple: Scout Willis goes topless in NYC to 
protest Instagram’s nudity policy”. CBCNews. http://www.cbc.ca/news 
blogs/yourcommunity/2014/05/freethenipple-scout-willis-goes-topless-in-
nyc-to-protest-instagrams-nudity-policy.html 
Olszanowski, Magdalena (2014): “Feminist Self-Imaging and Instagram: 
Tactics of Circumventing Sensorship”. In: Visual Communications 
Quarterly 21/2, pp. 83-95.  
Raiss, Liz (2014): “How Social Media Censorship Impacts Self-Expression”. In: 
The Fader. http://www.thefader.com/2014/12/23/6-creatives-on-the-conse 
quences-of-social-media-censorship
Ridge, Hannah (2013): “Topless Women in Public Not Breaking the Law, Says 
NYPD”. In: Mic. http://mic.com/articles/42359/topless-women-in-public-
not-breaking-the-law-says-nypd
Ruiz, Rebecca (2015): “These women used social media to reclaim their bodies” 
In: Mashable. http://mashable.com/2015/03/23/women-empowerment-so 
cial-media/   
Shapiro, Ezira (2012): “Network of ‘Moderators’ Decide What Photos Can Be 
Posted on Facebook, Google, Other Social Media”. The Daily Beast. http://
170 Gretchen Faust
www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/09/12/network-of-moderators-
decide-what-photos-can-be-posted-on-facebook-google-other-social-media.
html
Sigrun (2015): “Natural female bush gets shamed” Instagram censorship—A 
talk with Ainsley from Sticks and Stones Agency”. In: C- heads Magazine. 
http://www.c-heads.com/2015/01/12/natural-female-bush-gets-shamed-
instagram-cencorship-a-talk-with-ainsley-from-sticks-and-stones-agency/ 
Stoeffel, Kat (2013): “Instagram Censors Artistic Bush”. In: The Cut. New York 
Magazine. http://nymag.com/thecut/2013/10/instagram-censors-artistic-bu 
sh.html
Taylor, Aleix (2014): “Your Concise Guide to Social Media’s Female Nipple 
Policies”. In: Hyperallergic. http://hyperallergic.com/131620/your-concise-
guide-to-social-medias-female-nipple-policies/ 
Tsjeng, Zing (2015): “Why Instagram censored this image of an artist on her 
period”. In: Dazed Digital. http://www.dazeddigital.com/artsandculture/
article/24258/1/why-instagram-censored-this-image-of-an-artist-on-her-
period 
Vagianos, Alanna (2015): “Instagram Admits They ‘Don’t Always Get It 
Right’ When It Comes To Nudity” In: Huffington Post. http://www.
huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/21/instagram-pubic-hair-censorship-sticks-
and-stones_n_6515654.html   
Valenti, Jessica (2015): “Social media is protecting men from periods, breast 
milk and body hair”. In. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/
commentisfree/2015/mar/30/social-media-protecting-men-periods-breast-
milk-body-hair
Villenave, Samantha (2013): “The New Digital Puritans: Social Network 
Censorship #NSFW”. In: Hyperallergic. http://hyperallergic.com/64648/
the-new-digital-puritans-social-network-censorship-nsfw/
Weinstockh, Tish (2015): “Are #breastfeeding selfies the new #freethenipple?” 
In: ID-Magazine. https://i-d.vice.com/en_gb/article/are-breastfeeding-
selfies-the-new-freethenipple 
Willis, Scout (2014): “I Am Scout Willis And This Is The Only Thing I Have 
To Say About Walking Topless Down The Streets Of New York Last Week”. 
In: XO Jane. http://www.xojane.com/issues/scout-willis-topless-instagram-
protest