Holly Inks

NAME: Holly Inks
PLATFORM & USERNAME: Insta – @holly.inks
CENSORSHIP: Content Ban, Shadow Ban

What reason was given for your ban?

Sexual content against the guidelines.

Why do you think your post(s) was censored?

Because it contained the female nipple. The oh so offensive female nipple.

Were you able to appeal and what was the response?

Yes – and of course they came back and rejected it and getting through to speak to anyone at instagram/Facebook is impossible so there’s nothing else I can do.

What effect has your experience of censorship had on you?

Shadowbanned me in the early stages of growing my art business, which drastically impacted both growth & sales as my audience quite literally couldn’t find me or see me. I then had to tone down my content in order to make it more “appealing”. This led to me having restrictions placed on my account – I am not allowed to use Ads as my website is marked permanently as inappropriate. I cannot use the Shops feature to promote any work or list any art for sale. My Reels/Hashtag reach continues to be limited.

What’s one thing you want people to know about this topic?

That the rules suck but you have to work smarter not harder. I’ve learned a loophole on how to make content bypass the algorithm bots and get seen. My recent project CENSOR ME, I DARE YOU has become a collaboration of nearly 200 artists, each having censored my gals (oi, oiii) with their art. This simple covering of the nips means we can promote the message & attract a lot of attention without getting a big fat cross from the IG lords. Just because they say you can’t do something doesn’t mean you should stop, find alternative ways to voice how you feel.