Instagram Censors Mario Sorrenti's Lui Magazine Cover
Artist: Mario Sorrenti
Year: 2014
Date of Action: April 29, 2014
Region: North America
Location: Online
Subject: Nudity
Medium: Internet, Photography
Confronting Bodies: Instagram
Description of Artwork: Mario Sorrenti's photograph for Lui Magazine features singer Rihanna (Robyn Fenty) casually sitting in a chair wearing nothing but a bikini bottom, a bucket hat, and some jewelry. The singer's nipples are exposed.
The Incident: On April 29th, 2014, Rihanna posted her cover for Lui magazine on her Instagram account (@BadGalRiRi). The photograph taken by Mario Sorrenti was removed an hour later by Instagram and the singer's account was suspended because the picture violated the terms and conditions of the social networking site. The second rule of Instagram's Terms of Use is that the user may not post "nude, partially nude, pornographic or sexually suggestive photos or other content."
Results of Incident: This incident led to increased momentum of the "Free the Nipple" movement. Free the Nipple is a movement whose purpose is to shed light on the oversexualization of the nipple. The organization released a statement defending Sorrenti's artwork stating that the photograph was artistic and was not raunchy thus the photograph shouldn't be censored. Fans of Mario Sorrenti and Rihanna became activist for the movement and uploaded their own pictures with the hashtag #FreeTheNipple. On November 2nd, 2014, Instagram reactivated the singer's Instagram account but maintained that Sorrenti's photograph be censored on the social networking site.
Source:
• https://twitter.com/lui/status/461175248017055745/photo/1
