Instagram users sound off over blocked #goddess hashtag
NEW YORK -- Ladies beware! If you have the perfect selfie and want to share it with your friends on the photo-sharing site Instagram, there's one hashtag that won't help you get more likes.
Instagram users have been sounding off across the Internet about the ban of the hashtag #goddess, even igniting a campaign with the hashtags #bringbackthegoddess and #bringbackgoddess.
When trying to search the hashtag, the next closest hashtag appears instead. If a user clicks on the hashtag in an existing caption or comment, a "no tags found" message appears.
Instagram user @katiemowgli wrote this comment in a selfie posted Tuesday:
"Dear @instagram... Is it true that you banned the hashtag #goddess but not #god? Dying to know why since without explanation it feels wildly sexist. I know you recently banned #curvy, but after an uproar, brought it back. If you continue to eliminate #'s that empower women I might have to discontinue my use of your app, and that would bum me out cause it's my favorite social media outlet. Please advise. Thanks. #instagram #goddess #goddess #goddess #wtf #BringBackGoddess"
As @katiemowgli referenced in her post, Instagram recently drew backlash for its temporary ban on the hashtag #curvy. In April, BuzzFeed reported that the eggplant emoji was blocked because it can represent something inappropriate.
ABC contacted Instagram to get to the bottom of the ban, and a spokesperson said the hashtag #goddess was being consistently used to share images and videos that violate the service's community guidelines.
"In this case, #goddess was consistently being used to share content that violates our guidelines around nudity. We've taken similar action on dozens of hashtags because they were being used to share inappropriate content," said the spokesperson.
Instagram said it's working on a way to more quickly restore certain hashtags that have been blocked. The social media site is also working to better communicate its policies around hashtags.
