Instagrammer Hannah Maylou is one of many activists who want to liberate the female nipple on Instagram. With a few exceptions, images showing female nipples are removed from the platform.
But this only applies to the female nipple, not the male nipple. This gender-specific distinction has been denounced by feminists for years. The reasoning is based primarily on the socially widespread but sexist assumption that the female nipple is automatically something sexual and the male nipple is not.
The problem particularly affects the image platform Instagram. This is why there are always protests against “nipple censorship”. Many women want to at least have the opportunity to show their nipples. Like any other man.
Hannah Maylou responded with, among other things, this protest image, which smugly alludes to the male nipple:
Check out this post on Instagram
Artists have also suffered from nipple censorship
For some, nipple censorship has already become a potential financial problem. Artists who sell their art via Instagram have been repeatedly banned in recent years if their works contain nudity and, in particular, female nipples.
Of course, there can be no question of ponography here either, but it is still difficult to violate the regulations. Artists who cannot rely on galleries or agencies in particular need a platform as large as Instagram to present their work.
Instagram remains vague in its terms of use
Explaining why certain nudity is not permitted, the terms of use states: “We recognize that people sometimes wish to share images of nudity as an artistic or creative form of representation. , for various reasons, displaying nudity on Instagram is not permitted. (…) There are also some photos in which women’s nipples can be seen.”
The community terms and conditions of Facebook, which includes Instagram, state in more detail: “Facebook restricts the depiction of nudity or sexual acts because some members of our community find this type of content offensive.”
Although exceptions are now gradually being made in the terms of use of Facebook and Instagram, a female nipple is often still taboo : “For example, we restrict the display of female breasts if the nipples are visible, but allow images that are, for example Depicting protest actions or breastfeeding women, or photos of scarring after mastectomies.
The female nipple, unlike the male one, is not allowed to exist “just like that”.
A female nipple can therefore only be shown publicly if it is either used for protest, is breastfeeding or has been amputated, otherwise it appears to be obscene and belongs to the category of “nudity or sexual acts”.
To immediately equate a female nipple with something sexual or even with pornography, when this does not apply to the male nipple, shows how much the female body is still degraded into a sexual object. Because it shouldn't be women's fault that the female nipple is considered sexual, stimulating and, unfortunately, obscene.
This perspective reflects a very male perspective and reproduces a sexist perspective in which, with a few exceptions, the female nipple can only be considered a sex object.
And what about the male nipple?
Just because the male nipple has not been turned into a sexual object for centuries, it is now allowed to simply exist and does not have to protest, breastfeed, or anything else in order to be shown.
The female nipple could simply be a gland on a human body or just what the owner wants to use it for. But society still decides how to deal with it. And so Instagramers like Hannah Maylou or accounts like “ free the nipple” contribute to a possible reinterpretation.
By the way: The account Genderless Nipple shows particularly well how arbitrary the choice between male and female nipples can be. Or would you know the difference?
Check out this post on Instagram
Also interesting: Police warn: Fraud via email. Be careful if an email asks you to follow a link and enter your personal information. More here.
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1) This content reflects the current state of affairs at the time of publication. The reproduction of individual images, screenshots, embeds or video sequences serves to discuss the topic. 2) Individual contributions were created through the use of machine assistance and were carefully checked by the Mimikama editorial team before publication. ( Reason )

