Tessa Kuragi

NAME: Tessa Kuragi
PLATFORM & USERNAME: Insta @tessa__kuragi
CENSORSHIP: Shadow & Content Ban

What reason was given for your ban?

I have had photos repeatedly reported for ‘Sexual solicitation’ or for reportedly going against guidelines for nudity.

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

I learned that Instagram now classes any form of tagging or @ing accompanying a slightly sexy photo as solicitation even if you are  crediting the team you worked with to create the photo (as in my case). I think also because I am curvy and mixed race my photos are more likely to be flagged as inappropriate as there seems a bias to slender white female models.

Were you able to appeal and what was the response?

Yes. Multiple times. Zero response.

What effect has your experience of censorship had on you?

I have lost out on work and money, as new clients can no longer find me and I can’t do any influencer work as can’t tag or @ people in my posts.

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

This is scary. Social media platforms have so much control of our work and income as they are the primary platform for businesses these days. Yet they have no transparency or method of reliable challenge to their unfair discrimination and it feels like if you have money, are white and thin you can have an advantage. Censorship should not go unchallenged in this discriminatory way.