Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Moms Outraged After Shirtless Beach Photos Of Their Long-Haired Sons Keep Getting Taken Down By Instagram

Moms Outraged After Shirtless Beach Photos Of Their Long-Haired Sons Keep Getting Taken Down By Instagram
@ruler.and.oak/Instagram

Why is Instagram sexualizing children in the first place?

A bunch of moms are calling out Instagram after the site keeps taking down photos of their sons shirtless at the beach, something that is in no way a violation of Instagram's rules.


"We're at the beach all the time. He, like, never wears a shirt," Tori Spooner, mother of Parker, one of Instagram's targets, said to Buzzfeed News.

The boys are all very different except for one characteristic: they all have long hair.

The moms of the boys found that their posts were removed, and in some cases, the moms were even banned from Facebook or Instagram for days on end.

Tori Spooner said:

"They sent it and said it was sexual and we weren't allowed to have it. It was pretty much just a warning."

Finally, Instagram kept taking down the photos in such large volumes that they automatically deleted Ms. Spooner's account, wiping out years worth of photos.


Many think the problem goes deeper than a simple case of mistaken identity.



Spooner took matters into her own hands on Instagram and asked people to join her movement.

"Help us share this message to get @instagram attention! Who's with me?! Im tired of having Parkers shirtless pictures get deleted because IG think he's a girl for having long hair!"
"It's happened so many times that they will delete all my accounts if it happens again and I'll lose all my pictures. There is no way to contact them either."
"This happens to thousands of other little long haired boys too, not just us. There has to be a way to get @instagram attention. JOIN IN AND MAKE A SIGN and tag #longhairedboyrevolution"

Soon, #longhairedboyrevolution began to catch on across the platform.








Instagram later told Buzzfeed News that they'd made an error.

"This post was taken down in error and we are sorry for the mistake. We err on the side of protecting children and for safety reasons we remove some images that show nude or partially-nude children."
"Even when this content is shared with good intentions, it could be used by others in unanticipated ways."





Spooner said of the movement:

"I originally just started it kind of for us, but so many other people were commenting saying they'd make a sign too, and it started spreading."

But she says the movement itself is not enough – action is needed on Instagram's part.

"Find a solution so we're allowed to post our boys with long hair. Have somebody manually view them if they get flagged."

Or maybe stop sexualizing the chests of girls and women?

The chest is not a sex organ. Breasts are not genitals.

Instagram has not made any comment on whether or not it will update its policies.

The book Jacob's Room to Choose, available here, explores the idea of gender conformity in children for children.

*****

Listen to the first season of George Takei's podcast, 'Oh Myyy Pod!' where we explore the racially charged videos that have taken the internet by storm.

Be sure to subscribe here and never miss an episode.

More from Trending

Cartoon Network headquarters; Pride flags
AaronP/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images; Noam Galai/Getty Images

Cartoon Network Trolls Homophobes Hard For Melting Down Over Pride Month Fan Art

The cable TV channel Cartoon Network, like most normal people, is celebrating Pride Month this month, and it did so with a post on Instagram that, predictably, has conservatives crying in their Cheerios like a bunch of triggered babies.

The post featured fan art depicting characters from the network's roster of shows over the years waving various LGBTQ+ Pride flags and the like.

Keep ReadingShow less
screenshot of AI generated video of Donald Trump
@WhiteHouse/X

White House Dragged After Sharing Doctored Video Of Bar Erupting In Cheers Over Trump's 'Big Beautiful Bill'

On Tuesday, the official social media account for the White House tried to drum up support for MAGA Republican President Donald Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill, but only on right-wing platforms.

The legislation to further Project 2025 through more tax breaks for the wealthy and cuts to programs that serve the poor and working class has struggled since the start.

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump speaking to military members at Fort Bragg
Melissa Sue Gerrits/Getty Images

Trump Gets U.S. Military Troops To Boo Democrats And 'Fake News' During Alarming Speech

Members of the military stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, erupted in boos when President Donald Trump goaded them during a speech in which he attacked former President Joe Biden, California Governor Gavin Newsom, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, and the "fake news" covering the ongoing protests in L.A. in response to the Trump administration's immigration raids.

The military has a longstanding tradition of remaining nonpartisan so it was striking that those in attendance, many of whom wore military fatigues, booed in the first place.

Keep ReadingShow less
Shot of a neon shop sign saying "body piercing." The word body is blue, and piercing is red.
Photo by Kaylee Eden on Unsplash

Regrettable Things People Did To Their Body They Wish They Could Reverse

When we're young and impulsive we rarely think about impact, consequences, and the future.

That's the downfall of youth.

Keep ReadingShow less
Stephen King; Donald Trump
Rick Kern/WireImage; Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Stephen King Just Trolled Trump With A 'TACO Tuesday' Image That's Total Nightmare Fuel

Famed horror author Stephen King had fans recoiling after he trolled President Donald Trump by sharing an image of Trump as a taco that was generated using artificial intelligence.

For those who missed it, Trump recently criticized Wall Street analysts over their new "TACO" acronym insult, which stands for "Trump Always Chickens Out."

Keep ReadingShow less