Wave Goodbye To The Cheekiest Emojis On Social Media
The ‘horny’ emojis are no more.
So, it could be time to wave goodbye to our favorite peach emoji for good…
Facebook have recently implemented an update to their community standards policy for all the company’s platforms, which including Instagram. As an aim to prevent ‘sexual solicitation’, the platform has begun restricting posts which refer to any kind of sexual content. A kick in the teeth for an online community which has now modernized and digitalized sex, and even creatives who use sex talk or sexual imagery as a creative expression. Instagram accounts can now be flagged or even removed for sexual solicitation following the new update. Any use of the peach, eggplant or water splat emojis which are used in reference to being horny, or any mention of pornographic/adult-only content will put accounts at risk. Images with manipulated graphics or the use of emojis which cover the nipples or other genital areas will also be restricted under the new act.
Reports of bans under sexual solicitation show a pattern which targets sex workers who are active online. A report from adult industry news platform XBIZ, spoke to one adult performer and victim of the policy, Kendra James, who said “My second Instagram ban [of three] was for Solicitation, after I told a man who DM’d me demanding free nude pics that this was my job and he could join my site.”
Luckily the platform will not be taking action on the use of particular emojis themselves, but the context in which they are used. As our creative online landscape changes to become more restrictive, will this push creatives to express sex and desire in a new way online? After the current system changes, Twitter seems to be the only deeming grace allowing us to be a little bit cheeky, whether that’s to post or to find new content, depending what you’re into.
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