Instagram Banned Searches For #Curvy, Users Fight Back With Hashtag #Curvee

If you try searching for #curvy on Instagram, you'll find it blocked. Instagram banned searching the term, users discovered, reportedly because people were using #curvy to share content that violated the nudity community guidelines. But now, people are fighting back with #curvee to protest Instagram's ban.

Women are posting pictures with #curvee to promote the body-confident term and fight Instagram's block. Hundreds of women are posting these Instas to celebrate their bodies and tell Instagram that their decision was not a good one.

Instagram bans searches of certain terms based on how they're being used, not what the actual term means. When a search for a term brings up just too many pornographic results, Instagram puts in a ban. A similar ban was made for hashtag searches #eggplant and #soles for this reason.

But, users have pointed out, this still leaves very inappropriate content available through un-banned searches. Many of these terms that are still available to search you'd think should be banned under the Instagram guidelines, but they're not. This includes searches like #b*tch and #fatf*ck.

This definitely isn't the first time Instagram has faced criticism for what it allow and blocks on the app. In the spring, a user fought back when Instagram deleted a picture that included period blood, reportedly because it didn't follow community guidelines.

Meanwhile, users are still fighting to "free the nipple," having noticed that Instagram will delete female nipples, but not male ones. Celebrities including model Chrissy Teigen and Miley Cyrus have made their own campaigns fighting against the ban. Rihanna had her account deleted completely after she posted some semi-nude pictures, though she's since made a triumphant return to the social media platform.

Women came up with a clever bite back against the female nipple ban. When posting topless Instagrams, users simple Photoshopped a male nipple over female nipples, circumventing the app's ban.

 It's often so easy to feel alien. The age of the internet has particularly, if not predominantly helped women to realised they aren't alone with whatever pain they are battling with. People can now see & connect with other similar beings in under a millisecond. #curvy is banned but don't let @Instagram's lack of content moderation (or provocative media stunt) stop you from connecting with other inspirational people. #curvee

A photo posted by ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀J A D A S E Z E R (@jadasezer) on Jul 21, 2015 at 10:23am PDT

 Current mood . Brought to you by @torridfashion & @nastygal I'll stop wearing black. . . NEVER. #torridmodel #modeloffduty #TorridOnYou #iamtorrid #brandambassador #PlusSize #ootd #fatshion #torridinsider #effyourbeautystandards #bodypositive #honoryourcurves #plussizemodel #celebratemysize #loveyourself #CURVie #curvee #psmodel

A photo posted by ↼᷉᷉ ⇁᷉᷉ (@karlioffduty) on Jul 22, 2015 at 8:50am PDT