by
Black Girl With Long Hair
Does Instagram have a double standard when it comes to portrayals of the female experience?
Poet and artist Rupi Kaur created a photoseries displaying the experience of menstruation. The photos display things most of us are familiar with or have experienced; using a hot water bottle to alleviate cramps, bleeding through clothing, and throwing away pads. Rupi described the photoseries as an exploration of a process that she is working hard to ‘love’ and ‘celebrate’.
But after posting a photo of a woman in bed, bleeding through her pants on Instagram, it was taken down by the photo-sharing site for violating community guidelines.
The artist attempted a second time to post the photo and it was removed again. Her powerful response has the internet buzzing:
thank you @instagram for providing me with the exact response my work was created to critique. you deleted a photo of a woman who is fully covered and menstruating stating that it goes against community guidelines when your guidelines outline that it is nothing but acceptable. the girl is fully clothed. the photo is mine. it is not attacking a certain group. nor is it spam. and because it does not break those guidelines i will repost it again. i will not apologize for not feeding the ego and pride of misogynist society that will have my body in an underwear but not be okay with a small leak. when your pages are filled with countless photos/accounts where women (so many who are underage) are objectified. pornified. and treated less than human. thank you.
this image is a part of my photoseries project for my visual rhetoric course. you can view the full series at rupikaur.com the photos were shot by myself and @prabhkaur1
i bleed each month to help make humankind a possibility. my womb is home to the divine. a source of life for our species. whether i choose to create or not. but very few times it is seen that way. in older civilizations this blood was considered holy. in some it still is. but a majority of people. societies. and communities shun this natural process. some are more comfortable with the pornification of women. the sexualization of women. the violence and degradation of women than this. they cannot be bothered to express their disgust about all that. but will be angered and bothered by this. we menstruate and they see it as dirty. attention seeking. sick. a burden. as if this process is less natural than breathing. as if it is not a bridge between this universe and the last. as if this process is not love. labour. life. selfless and strikingly beautiful.
Rupi then took to Tumblr to post the photo and further discuss the situation
Dear tumblr family,
Instagram has chosen to once again, take down this image for violating community guidelines. Despite the fact that about 95% of comments were beautiful. And in support.
This just goes to show who is sitting behind the desk. And who’s controlling the show, who’s controlling the media and who’s censoring us.
It’s sad that this is still happening in this world. I know that some communities and cultures go out of their way to shun and oppress a woman on her period. I guess Instagram is another one of them.
Some women aren’t allowed in their religious place of worship or out of their homes to do certain things. And are told they are sick. As if the period is a common cold.
Yes. This is what happens even here, in North America.
I have been hospitalized many times because of issues associated with my period. I have been suffering from a sickness related to my period. And ever since I have been working so hard to love it. Embrace it. Celebrate it. Even thought it’s given me so much pain in the past few years. and they want to tell me I should be quiet about this. That all of this we experience collectively does not need to be seen. Just felt secretly behind closed doors. That’s why this is important. Because when I first got my period my mother was sad and worried. And they want to censor all that pain. Experience. Learning. No.
I am going to share the photo again once I figure out how to go about it. I would appreciate if you could @instagram and express your thoughts. Or even share the photo on whatever social media platform.
Their patriarchy is leaking. Their misogyny is leaking. We will not be censored.
No doubt the photos are striking. But they showcase a fundamentally female experience.
Some might wonder why Amber Rose’s recent slew of ‘break the internet’ pictures have not violated Instagram’s guidelines while Rupi’s photo has…
And let’s not forget Kim Kardashian’s November Paper Mag teaser photo, showing her greased up bare behind that, again, did not violate Instagram’s policy.
Ladies, what are your thoughts on this?
26 Responses
I have to agree with you. It seems like EVERYTHING is acceptable these days. There is no mystery in womanhood anymore… its the nature of the times we live in. Not saying that there is ANYTHING wrong with a woman’s natural monthly menstruation but come on! It’s not about being gross, it’s about tact, period (no pun intended).
My issue is more about privacy and decency. I have as much issue with the Amber roses and Kim Kardashian fix-a-flat asses out there as I do with menstrual blood and other bodily secretions. All of it is private, keep it to your damn self. We all know where we came from and how we got here, e don’t need photomonologues about it.
#firstworldfeministproblems #meanwhilepeoplearestarving #mountainoutofmolehill #youhaveoavriesyourenotspecial #gtfoh
Great insight!
I briefly saw the pic somewhere else with a description that it violated instagram policy. Just saw it again on this site and got better understanding behind the picture. I had this talk with a friend on how it seems anything to do with female genitalia is considered vulgar, bad, disgusting and other demeaning words. I know there are certain cultures, religions where women can’t be in direct contact with their husbands or other people when they are on their cycle. Why? We bring life into this world. We were built to carry babies and yet the process to do so is shunned and we are made to to feel bad and guilty about it. I know there was a time when I was ashamed of having my period and felt it only should be discussed with other females but I learned as I got older that my menustration is nothing to be ashamed of. Despite of how in your face the pics my seem, a lot of women go through this and yet like the Rupi Kaur said we can look at women in nothing but a string on the internet all day but something that happens naturally every month goes against some policy. No matter how uncomfortable some of may feel by looking at it, the pics should A. Remind us that a lot of women go through this and B.
I appreciate things that can open my mind or at the very least allow me to see it from a different/another perspective. At times you have to get uncomfortable in order to grow and learn more.
Any woman that has a problem with her own blood or the simply viewing and or talking about another woman’s experience with her cycle, in my opinion has some deep seeded issues with herself. No, we don’t go around showing and telling everyone about our period, but I totally appreciate where she is coming from. It is about more than showing menstruation, it is about portraying the whole woman, not just her external beauty or what people believe to be beautiful for their own means. We need more positive affirmations on menstruation. If you think about it, even tampon/pad commercials leave you feeling embarrassed or ashamed of your cycle, which is an act that is totally normal, natural and beautiful! If a woman isn’t dolled up and ready for a man’s pleasure, than in many people’s eyes, she is nothing. Showing this helps to re-humanize women and give us our power back.
I agree with everything that is said in the article
I get what she is doing and appreciate it. I been trying hard to come to terms with my mensuration too. All my life I’ve had this deep shame and horror about the whole affair. I know its crazy but its so deep seeded. Looking at these pics gives me the strangest mixed feelings of acceptance (when seeing someone else go through it) and anxiety (when remembering those moments in my own life).
I agree with you wholeheartedly!
Not everything that is true needs to be said. Not everything that happens needs to be shared. Not everything that can be done should be.
Women have lost their allure and their air of mystery because we no longer hold anything sacred. That which is most valuable is that which is rarest, most precious, and most difficult to attain; yet, we have laid our secrets and our bodies bare for the world to see and wonder why we are no longer valued. We have leapt down from our pedastals, yet maintained the expectation of esteem and adoration.
I have no words for these times we are living in now…
said more elegantly than I did. co-sign x100
Lol I find it strange that a woman’s period is supposed to be taboo and no one should see, hear, or speak of it publicly because some people have been brain washed by men to go “Ewwww there’s blood involved with your period?” I mean it’s fine if you like to be discreet but people need to get over this “Ew that’s gross” factor when speaking about publicly. Women shouldn’t have to tiptoe around something that happens naturally.
Part of the problem as women is we are troubled by a natural process that happens to all of us (monthly). Many of the comments I’ve read here talk about how gross the menstruation process is, this is really the biggest problem. How can we tackle misogynist views when we can’t accept ourselves? How do we teach our daughters to full love themselves if we find a part our body disgusting?
I don’t know how to feel about this. I get the artistic take on it but……I don’t know. I think some things should be kept private or reserved for those who like this sort of art? Social media has it advantages and disadvantages. This is one of the many instances of over sharing. Just my humble opinion.
The whole point is that women shouldn’t have to feel ashamed of or disgusted by their periods. Have you ever had another person, most likely a male partner or friend react badly to your period? What about a person who made you feel like your period is the totally normal, cyclic thing that it is? It makes a huge difference in one’s self esteem, regarding their period. Since only women have periods, one could argue that this is a feminist issue too.
I think the period pics are disgusting and I think the attention whores are too.
Just why? I think this whole modern thing of anything goes is really showing a sign of the times. The photos were not needed, I get that many want to de-stigmatize certain things and make them less of a big deal but this isn’t right. Can nothing be private any more? From her poetry and her choice of pictures I personally think she has issues. As for the other two celebrities they are pretty much using their body for cash so that bears no comparison. That’s anbother form of low and a different topic.
I have to agree with you wholeheartedly.
She’s right.
My thoughts as a woman is, I had my on personal experiences with menastration the good bad and the ugly. The Good, I had two lovely daughters. I taught and assisted them through their personal experience with this.
I must be honest here, my emotions were mixed. Mostly sad. A small percentage of shock. As a woman I have had many conversation on this subject, but never did I go get the bloody pad for show and tell. Or bring the sheets to show my co-workers. Do you guys take your soil bloody pants to your boyfriend, father, managers, etc and say have a look? I’m on my period.
Instagram, Instagram, instagram.
One thing I taught my daughters, put that bloody pad in the wrapper close it before you put it in the waste basket. Lesson #1.
eh, none of the these pictures or statements that the people in them were trying to convey didn’t stir anything in me. Sorry your artistic vision was basically ignored. I just don’t care. I see what she is getting at, but instagram and facebook have blocked people who have posted pictures of their infants playing at the beach or in the sprinklers that are in papmers because they said it’s child pornography, YET there are barely dressed Selfies of tweens out there( and you can tell that they are NO WHERE NEAR 18. We know their hypercrits, so it’s time for people to just nolonger be apart of those sites and possibly start their own.
I second that! The Matrix….
Ehhhhhh I’d rather not see period pictures in all honesty. However, I wouldn’t have reported the pics. Worst pics have been posted. Her response was dope tho.
I understand her point but EWW! I barely want to deal with my own period blood; why would I want to view someone else’s??? I don’t care to see any of those pics, and throw Amber and Kim k.’s pics in that, too ? why can’t I find the “vomit” emoticon?!!!
So next we’re going to see images of people crapping in the toilet! ..because it’s natural… what next. This Rubi chick is disgusting.
Yaaaasasssssssss to her response
Rupi Kaur is such an amazing poet, check out her work. I bought her book.