But as of April, the rules have broadened beyond specific anatomy: “Sexually suggestive” content can also be removed from hashtags and Explore pages.
But what is “sexually suggestive” is completely subjective, Pelizzari argues. “What is arousing to one person is not arousing to another […] To one person, it could be a picture of a face with a finger in someone’s mouth.” Just as in film, where scenes of female pleasure have
historically been given more sensitive ratings, such loose terms risk double standards or overreach.
Vague policies ultimately beget vague enforcement. In response to an image of nude women reading magazines, Tunick was reprimanded by Facebook (which owns Instagram) for not using big enough pixels to cover the participants’ nipples. On Spirit’s account, a blurred nude photo was removed but another with a clearly exposed nipple remains.