Madonna has blasted Instagram for removing photos she’d posted in which her bare nipples were exposed.
Earlier this week, the chart-topping singer got the whole internet talking when she uploaded a provocative series of photos taken in (and under) her bed.
However, the photos later disappeared from her account and were replaced by censored versions, with Madonna claiming her snaps were pulled “without warning or notification”.
“I’m reposting photographs Instagram took down without warning or notification,” she told her followers. “The reason they gave my management that does not handle my account was that a small portion of my nipple was exposed.
“It is still astounding to me that we live in a culture that allows every inch of a woman’s body to be shown except a nipple. As if that is the only part of a woman’s anatomy that could be sexualised. The nipple that nourishes the baby!
“Can’t a mans nipple be experienced as erotic??!! And what about a woman’s ass which is never censored anywhere.”
Referencing the fact that the photos were taken down on Thanksgiving, the Queen of Pop added: “Giving thanks that I have managed to maintain my sanity through four decades of censorship... sexism… ageism and misogyny.
“Perfectly timed with the lies we have been raised to believe about the pilgrims peacefully breaking bread with the Native American Indians when they landed on Plymouth Rock! God bless America.”
Madonna has actually been campaigning for Instagram to change its policy regarding women’s nipples for the past six years, after running into similar problems back in 2015.
“Why is it OK to show ass but not not breasts?” she questioned. “Drowning in the hypocrisy of social media.”
In Instagram’s community guidelines it says: “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 in the context of breastfeeding, birth giving and after-birth moments, health-related situations (for example, post-mastectomy, breast cancer awareness or gender confirmation surgery) or an act of protest are allowed. Nudity in photos of paintings and sculptures is OK, too.”
A spokesperson for Meta, the company behind Instagram, told HuffPost UK: “We take down content that breaks our rules whenever we find it, no matter who posts it.
“While we understand not everyone will always agree with where we draw the line, our rules are designed to help keep everyone of all ages safe on our apps, while giving space for as much expression as possible.”