Instagram has long been the source of online backlash against its policy decisions, but the social media giant has now had a change of heart, reinstating ‘#curvy’.
While campaigners have long debated the no-nudity policy (which later sparked the #freethenipple movement), Instagram accepted that they acted too rashly in banning the hashtag ‘curvy’.
The term, which has been used to promote positive body image, was banned when Instagram found the hashtag was sometimes associated with images of nudity or pornography.
Their decision to ban the tag led to outcry though, with #curvee and #bringbackcurvy hashtags trending on the photo sharing site within hours of the announcement.
In a statement to media, Instagram revealed their decision to reintroduce the phrasing:
“We want people to be able to express themselves, and hashtags are a great way to do that. At the same time, we have a responsibility to act when we see hashtags being used to spread inappropriate content to our community. In the case of #curvy, we don’t like putting restrictions around a term that many people use in very positive ways, so we have decided to unblock the hashtag while taking steps to ensure that it’s not used as a vehicle for bad content.”
A spokesperson for Instagram said the site will be:
“limiting pictures appearing on the hashtag to those photos/videos that we are more confident will be ‘clean’.”
While the move has been welcomed by campaigners, others are hopeful that it could signal changes in the controversial decision to only censor female nipples on the app.
