Instagram Banned My Side Boob

Exploring the sexist censorship of the female form

Photo by freestocks.org from Pexels

I’ve been writing about body hair a lot. I can’t seem to help myself. I didn’t realize how much anger was inside me after all the years of having partners who made me feel ashamed of this function of my body.

I decided to do something outside my comfort zone — post a photo of my goddamn adorable stubbly armpits on Instagram.

In the photo, I’m topless, facing away from the camera, my arm on my hip so you can see my fuzz. Sure, there’s some side boob, but I cropped out enough so there’s no nipple showing (god forbid).

The photo was immediately removed by Instagram. I was annoyed so I responded with a completely logical action: I posted it again, expecting a different result.

Immediately, I received another warning about nudity and sexual content, saying that if I posted it again, my account would be deleted.

I was incensed.

This picture is not depicting sexual activity. And what’s an arm and a little side boob? Is that nudity? Is that obscene? I’m 43 years old, for god’s sake. If someone finds…