Furthermore, its offensive, poorly-implemented, and serves little use besides shaming women for having nipples.
Were all negatively affected by this.
But, theres a lot of confusion and misinformation surrounding this ordeal.
If youre unfamiliar with Tumblr, thatd be like banning recipes on Pinterest or beer at a baseball game.
Adult content, according to Tumblr, covers any imagery ofhumangenitals and female-presenting nipples.
Per the companysnew rules(emphasis added by TNW):
What is adult content?
What is still permitted?
So lets be clear here.
This is beyond stupid.
So it speaks volumes about a companys culture when the CEO makes it obvious he doesnt understand the difference.
Apparently, that change means making a statement involving the fight against child sexual abuse for no evident reason.
Weve always had and always will have a zero tolerance policy for this jot down of content.
DOnofrio doesnt go on to actually connect child sexual abuse imagery with banning adult content.
But, judging by the outrage, Tumblr is biting the nipples that feed it.
Tumblrs, before all this, were a unique brand of internet denizen.
Sure, we all use social media to express ourselves, but most of us complain about it.
I hate Facebook, we say, before responding to a message on Messenger.
Instagram and Twitter are so toxic, we tweet and post, hoping to get likes.
They always seemed vibrant and excited to be a part of something that allowed them to express themselves.
Nipples are just little pink patches of skin.
What is a sexual context for a nipple, just having one?
Thats the viewer making it sexual.
Shes not alone in feeling at least a little outraged over the specifics of the ban.
We interviewed several Tumblrs who expressed similar sentiments.
According to her, the entire ban is misguided:
What really is the issue?
Why are we censoring legal content?
Tumblr has a right to ban any content it wants.
Nobody is disputing that.
This is in direct contrast to the free-for-all that the site once was.
It makes me feel uncomfortable.
In making these changes, Tumblr didnt become a part of the solution toanyproblem.
Its not fighting child sexual abuse or the transmission or display of any illegal images.
And it certainly isnt helping any groups or individuals who are marginalized or oppressed.
No, what its doing is essentially taking away one of the few resources that sex-positive culture has.
And, worse, its become the diametric opposite of what it used to be.
Regardless of whether thats the companys intended message, its the one being sent.
Tumblr certainly isnt the same site it once was.
Its no longer a haven for erotic artists and sex-positive bloggers (as well as everyone else.)
Its just another place where youre either a man or a sex object, like most other social networks.
