Jodie Underwood
(First Artwork)
Medium: acrylic and oil paint on canvas
Censored by: Instagram
Was there a notification of removal and if so what was the reason given?:
First event: Yes, I received an email statement that my advertisement for my most recent painting was denied. I was told it was because it contained 'adult content'.
Second event: I was not notified that my account wasn't going to be shown anymore. I had luckily checked myself and that's when I found out that my artwork had been flagged due to nudity. I've since had to repost the painting with pixels over certain areas.
What dates were you censored?: October 25, 2023 / December 2, 2023
Were you given an opportunity to appeal? If so, did you appeal and what was the response?:
First event: I was not given the opportunity to appeal.
Second event: I appealed but they didn't change their views. I had to take down the original post.
What have the consequences been for you because of this removal? Please describe in best detail.:
First event: It's disheartening. I create erotic artwork and even though I was willing to give Instagram money to boost my post they refused. I'm making less income as an artist since my work can't reach many people.
Second event: My entire account was shadow banned, which has a huge impact on being able to reach new followers and has a knock-on effect on my income from my work. Having to reupload with pixels for censorship really upset me. I don't spend hours on my paintings only to cover it up.
(Second Artwork)
Medium: Digital Illustration
Censored by: Instagram
Was there a notification of removal and if so what was the reason given?: I wasn’t informed directly - I make an effort to check whether my account can be recommended to others since it often can’t be because of Instagram’s rules and that’s how I found out this piece was an issue. They said it needed to be edited or removed because it violated their policy on nudity.
What date were you censored?: January 22, 2024
Were you given an opportunity to appeal? If so, did you appeal and what was the response?: I have appealed but I never heard back. I don’t even get the option to appeal now.
What have the consequences been for you because of this removal? Please describe in best detail.: My account can no longer be recommended to anyone, and won’t show up in search results. As someone that sells their work this is so frustrating as I’m not getting any customers. It’s disheartening as my work has very important meanings to me and it’s getting treated as though it’s just sexual and nothing else.
Your website: http://jodieroseart.com
Your Instagram: http://jodieroseart