Madonna Slams Instagram For Removing Photos Showing Nipple: ‘Sexism…Ageism and Misogyny’

This Thanksgiving, Madonna took Instagram to task over censorship after the social media platform removed a series of her photos that exposed “a small portion” of her nipple.

On November 25, the singer shared the re-uploaded versions of the photos, which feature Madonna posing in bed in black lingerie. However, in the new post, a small heart emoji is placed over her nipple in three of the photos. “I’m reposting photographs Instagram took down without warning or notification,” Madonna captioned the slide show. “The reason they gave my management that does not handle my account was that a small portion of my nipple was exposed.”

Following her explanation, the “Like a Virgin” superstar went off on the app over unequal treatment of men and women on the app. For example, a man photographed without his shirt will not have their photos removed for impropriety. “It is still astounding to me that we live in a culture that allows every inch of a woman’s body to be shown except a nipple. As if that is the only part of a woman’s anatomy that could be sexualized. The nipple that nourishes the baby,” she wrote. “Can’t a man’s nipple be experienced as erotic ??!! And what about a woman’s ass which is never censored anywhere. Giving thanks that I have managed to maintain my sanity through four decades of censorship…… sexism……ageism and misogyny.”

Madonna then took aim at Thanksgiving in a closing statement, writing, “Perfectly timed with the lies we have been raised to believe about the pilgrims peacefully breaking bread with the Native American Indians when they landed on Plymouth Rock! God bless America 🇺🇸 ♥️❌ #artistsareheretodisturbthepeace.”

The artist’s comments were flooded with support from fans, many of whom commented, “free the nipple.” 

Whether or not you agree with Instagram’s terms of service, the policing of women’s bodies, particularly regarding the nipple, has had devastating consequences. In the latest New York Times documentary, Malfunction: The Dressing Down of Janet Jackson, viewers were given a clear picture of Janet Jackson’s reputation was skewered after a wardrobe malfunction briefly exposed her nipple during the 2004 Super Bowl Halftime Show. Meanwhile, the man who ripped off her costume, Justin Timberlake, soared to new heights and was eventually given his own halftime show years later. 

Jackson, who was not interviewed for the documentary, will be discussing the incident for the first time in years in a two-part, four-hour documentary that will air in early 2022. That documentary is currently titled, Janet.