Women’s Health Content Is Routinely Censored on Social Media
And it’s no wonder why
Menopause, infertility, miscarriage, period, uterus, cervix, breastfeeding, tampon, PCOS and puberty.
According to research by the period brand Bodyform, these are just some out of 40 words surrounding women and people assigned female at birth’s health that are being routinely censored across various social media platforms.
Well, on the one hand, the online world has been an important source of discussions around women’s health and bodies that often attempt to de-stigmatise taboo topics. But on the other, it also perpetuates the idea that female anatomy is shameful and should be hidden away, which, ultimately, adds up to all that stigma.
And it’s not just the case of social media giants censoring certain anatomical and medical terms.
This censorship also extends to creators, medical practitioners, charities, brands and other organisations that cover topics at the intersection of women’s health and gender inequalities and can essentially lead to censorship of entire areas of knowledge.
Just because the hidden codes running this place — a.k.a. the algorithms — label them as ‘inappropriate.’
