Cecilie Hvidbak Østergaard
CENSORSHIP: Content Remova
What reason was given for your ban?
They claimed it was nudity/sexual content.
Why do you think your post(s) was censored?
The algorithm is sexist and tries to silence women who create art trying to empower women. None of my content goes against community guidelines – and my photos can be posted by the male co-model and the same photo does not get removed on their account. My instagram is filled with stories explaining the daily harassment through censorship I experience. I’ve had many photos and several phases of being threatened to get deleted – most of them from 3/4 years back, when Instagram changed their initial algorithm, but the censorship have become almost constant in the past year.
Were you able to appeal and what was the response?
I try every single time but they stick with their claims. I doubt they even look at what I say.
What effect has your experience of censorship had on you?
As an independent artist who has built up my career over a decade through social media, the threat of being deleted creates daily anxiety and has a severe psychological effect on my personal female liberation.
What’s one thing you want people to know about this topic?
That this unfair censorship does more harm than nudity – we need to be able to desexualise female bodies and nudity. Social media is a powerful means, that unfortunately is being used to silence and control women and POC when it could be used to do the opposite.