Cover Image: Fay Fox

Last weekend, the National Coalition Against Censorship and photographer Spencer Tunick staged a nude installation in New York City in protest against the censorship of artistic nudity on Facebook and Instagram. The campaign, set outside the headquarters of the social media entities featured over 100 nudes bodies who were in stance against the level of censorship included in the current instagram guidelines. For the protest, no genitals or female nipples are visible. All female nipples were entirely and meticulously covered with stickers representing male nipples, sourced and created by NCAC and Tunick. All genitals were additionally covered with large round cardboard cutouts also representing male nipples. All visible nipples are male. And yet, the images were still censored when posted online and the campaign’s hashtag was blocked by instagram.

Svetlana Mintcheva, NCAC’s Director of Programs, said, “Here we have the suppression of an awareness campaign that falls within community guidelines with no option to appeal. We are asking Facebook to work with us so that artists do not have to face the frustration and sense of helplessness provoked by such a turn of events.”

To stand in support of the NCAC’s initiative, one can join the fight  here as a We The Nipple campaign signatory. 

Tags: Art, facebook, Instagram