Note: The following post contains images of (100% natural and normal) female nudity.
It’s 2019, and for some frustrating reason nipples on female-presenting bodies are still seen as inherently sexual. This attitude makes it more difficult to breastfeed in public or to share a natural, topless selfie even in a nonsexual context. And recently, comedian Sarah Silverman called this ridiculous double standard out after Instagram flagged one of her photos.
In a May 9th tweet, Silverman shared a photo in which she stands topless in front of her bathroom mirror. She wrote that Instagram had removed the photo on the grounds that it was “obscene.”
Sarah Silverman
✔@SarahKSilverman
IG took this pic down bc it was obscene. Unsexualized women’s breasts r obscene. If they’re oiled up & smashed down by, say, sexy suspenders covering just the nipples, that’s not obscene. That’s sexy!
To recap:
women’s breasts = obscene men’s breasts =not obscene. pic.twitter.com/ZlhZki9SKj31.5K
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On Instagram, she made her point by sharing a censored version of the picture alongside an uncensored image of a topless man.
Instagram’s community guidelines note that “some photos of female nipples” are considered inappropriate nudity. However, the social media site states that “photos of post-op mastectomy scarring and women actively breastfeeding are allowed.” Pictures of nude paintings or statues are also permitted, per the guidelines.
Again, it’s 2019, but apparently this still needs reiterating: Topless women—just like topless men—are not inherently sexual. Now can major social media platforms please change their policies to reflect this?
