Instagram Explains Why It Won't #FreeTheNipple

The #FreeTheNipple campaign continues, with Instagram explaining the reason behind their ban. Photo: Instagram

Instagram has been under scrutiny for some time now regarding their no-nipple policy, and finally they have revealed the reasoning behind their ban.

According to Business Insider, Instagram CEO Kevin Systrom has explained the reason they block female nipples (male nipples are ok FYI) and apparently it's all down to Apple.

Instagram is "committed to artistic freedom," Systrom said, however "in order to scale effectively there are [some] tough calls."

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Those tough calls refer to keeping in line with Apple's standards, in that unless your app is restricted to adults only, you can't have any nudity.

Therefore in order to keep Instagram available for everyone to enjoy, they have strict guidelines in place, despite the accessibility of nude photos online and other apps including Twitter and Snapchat.

In the site's Community Guidelines section they explain what is and isn't going to pass when it comes to nudity:

We know that there are times when people might want to share nude images that are artistic or creative in nature, but for a variety of reasons, we don't allow nudity on Instagram. This includes photos, videos, and some digitally-created content that show sexual intercourse, genitals, and close-ups of fully-nude buttocks. It also includes some photos of female nipples, but photos of post-mastectomy scarring and women actively breastfeeding are allowed. Nudity in photos of paintings and sculptures is OK, too.

So it seems like it's Apple's move in the fight to #FreeTheNipple.

Apple are yet to comment.

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