Instagram Breaks Sticks & Stones’ Account Over Pubic Hair

Instagram was at it again recently, but thankfully cooler heads prevailed and a great injustice was undone this past week. Back in December, Australian publication Sticks & Stones had their Instagram account deleted after posting the above photo, featuring healthy tufts of pubic hair poking out from the models' swimsuits. Following some recent criticism of that decision, however, Instagram reversed its decision and reinstated their account.

According to The Gloss (link below), the reason that this was cause for controversy had to do with the fact that other notable images featuring men's pubic hair had not been deleted from the social media website, let alone the entire accounts of the poster. 

After criticism over the incident, the Huffington Post reported that Instagram admitted they “made a mistake” and have since since reactivated Sticks And Stones account. In a statement, they said that they “don’t always get it right” when it comes to nudity guidelines.

It’s great that Sticks And Stones account was reactivated but the incident does highlight the double standards of women showing their pubic hair versus men. Jessica Lewis, a model in the photo, pointed out to Mic how Justin Bieber‘s possibly-photoshopped Calvin Klien ads showed pubic hair, yet they were not removed. And then there was that NSFW James Franco selfie. James may have deleted it, but Instagram didn’t flag it first.

I'm glad that Instagram admitted that they "don't always get it right." Admitting that you have a problem is the first step on the road to recovery. Maybe someday soon, we'll look back at this whole Free the Nipple thing and marvel at how backwards we once were. 

Via The Gloss