You have to commend Instagram for being very active about what goes on with the website, but sometimes, there are people who use social media to take a stand, and despite being within the parameters of being "NSFW" or "Not Safe For Work" sometimes, the messages are bigger than the photos themselves.
This is what dismayed comedian Chelsea Handler, when her topless photo was taken down by Instagram. The "Chelsea Leately" host posted the photo of herself in what was supposed to be a parody pose from a similar photo taken by the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, as noted by USA Today.
She first posted the image on the photo blogging site last Thursday, captioned, "Anything a man can do, a woman has the right to do better. #kremlin,"
Although the photo was preserved on Twitter, the link to the original post showed an error page on Instagram instead. When the photo was taken down, Handler then posted it on the microblogging site, captioning it with, "Taking this down is sexist. I have every right to show I have a better body than Putin."
Handler has never been shy about showing her boobs. She recently appeared on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" where she spoke about a nude shower scene from the final episode of "Chelsea Lately," saying that nudity is empowering for her.
She also said, "I like to be naked because I don't take my body seriously. I know people do and that's nice for them. But I think bodies are so silly - you're so vain in this business - myself included. First of all, these [my breasts] are the best thing I have going on on my body so I like to take them out whenever I can and say, 'Hey, look, pretend this is my whole face.'"
According to the Los Angeles Times, Twitter allows for graphic content by putting up controls to allow users to choose whether or not to see posts similar to that of Handler's. Instagram, which is now owned by Facebook, was previously under fire for deleting images of breast cancer survivors, breast feeding mothers, and even campaigns like "Free the Nipple" which was supported by celebrities including Scout Willis, Rihanna, and Miley Cyrus.
Handler posted Instagram's warning about her photo, questioning her rights as a free citizen by writing, "If a man posts a photo of his nipples, it's ok, but not a woman? Are we in 1825?"
She attempted to repost the same photo on Instagram later in the day, saying that "If instagram takes this down again, you're saying Vladimir Putin Has more 1st amendment rights than me. Talk to your bosses," but still, the website did not allow for her topless photo to remain on the feed.
She then abandoned the site later on, her final photo that of her dogs in costumes, captioned, "You can now find my dogs and my breasts on Twitter only where my followers have the right to choose what they say. Bye bye instablock."
What do you think of Handler's stand against Instagram?
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